James Maddison has opened up on how he and his Tottenham teammates reacted to Ange Postecoglou’s second-season claim during the 2024/25 campaign.The famous line “I always win things in my second season”, spoken by Ange Postecoglou during the 2024/25 campaign, has become a big part of Tottenham folklore.Not only did Postecoglou mean those words, but he also backed them up by delivering silverware to N17, where the club had been without a trophy for close to two decades.Spurs ended that wait by winning the Europa League in Bilbao, Spain, after beating Manchester United 1-0 at the San Mames Stadium. At the trophy parade, the Spurs boss then insisted that ‘season three is always better than season two’.Postecoglou, however, was never given the chance to build on that triumph, as he was sacked by Tottenham in the summer.RankCoachPoints/mPointsMWDLGGC1Tim Sherwood1.914222133640302Mauricio Pochettino1.8938220211343463722063Antonio Conte1.881055632915112644Andre Villas-Boas1.83995429121381675Harry Redknapp1.742501447137362281616Jose Mourinho1.64955827141797677Ryan Mason1.58191261526208Martin Jol1.511711134730361681469Nuno Espirito Santo1.50151050591610Ray Clemence1.405942161115606611Gerry Francis1.3916511943364015014212Ange Postecoglou1.371047631113413812613George Graham1.311289833293612912314David Pleat1.29493814717515515Glenn Hoddle1.281148932183911614116Christian Gross1.2634279711354117Jacques Santini1.1813113446818Osvaldo Ardiles1.156254161424758319Juande Ramos1.144136101115545220Thomas Frank1.1229267811363722Cristian Stellini1.004411261123Igor Tudor0.2015014413Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesTottenham star James Maddison on Ange Postecoglou’s second-season promiseSpurs attacking midfielder James Maddison has now reflected on the 2024/25 season and on what it felt like in the dressing room when Postecoglou told the media he always wins silverware in his second season.He told Sky Sports: “He always said he was a winner. Second season. At that moment when he said that on Sky, me and the lads in the changing room, we were just like, ‘Oh my God, [we’ve got to win] now.’ It was a big statement. I’m so happy that we did win that season, because that will live forever.”Asked whether it was something the rest of the squad were aware of, or whether it was a challenge from the manager, Maddison added: “It wouldn’t be… we have to win at all costs, just one trophy and sacrifice the Premier League or whatever. “Towards the end especially, we were… like myself and Van de Ven and Romero, we were getting rested in the Premier League and readied for the Thursday kind of thing. Especially when we had a few knocks and we didn’t want to take any risks.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sky Sports (@skysports)Maddison on Spurs’ Premier League sacrificePostecoglou’s gamble did pay off, with Tottenham ending their long wait for silverware, but it came at a cost. Spurs’ Premier League campaign was badly affected, and they finished 17th in 2024/25, although they were not involved in a relegation scrap.Maddison was then asked whether the poor league finish was down to the focus being placed on the Europa League. While he did not give a direct answer, the midfielder admitted it was a fair argument.He said: “That would be a fair argument, I think. I mean, there would have been a ceiling on where we could have finished, but we could have attacked the Premier League more. Ange is a winner and he always found a way to win. So you mentioned even in the later games that we didn’t necessarily play as free-flowing, which we didn’t, to be fair. I mean, in the semi-final at home we did, because we scored three goals straight out of the blocks and beat Bodø at home.“But he just found a way to win. He always told us he was a winner. He would never doubt himself at all. And he always said, ‘I’m a winner. I’ve won things everywhere.’ And we ended up lifting it in Bilbao, and [it] was amazing. He’s a great guy. I’ve got so much time and respect for him.”READ MORE: ‘We were planning for relegation’ – Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham opens up on 25/26 nightmareThe post James Maddison reveals how Tottenham squad reacted to Postecoglou’s second-season promise appeared first on Spurs Web.