Ange Postecoglou was in high spirits in front of a handful of journalists at his press conference on Saturday ahead of Tottenham hosting Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The Australian and are riding high after their victory at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night ensured their passage to the Europa League final on May 21 against Manchester United. First they must take on two Premier League game, starting with the visit of Oliver Glasner's Palace on Sunday.

The Eagles face Manchester City in the FA Cup final next Saturday and that means both sides could look slightly different with certainly likely to rest many of the starting XI that kicked off the game in Norway in midweek on a tough artificial pitch.

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Postecoglou delivered an update on his captain as well as whether Lucas Bergvall could be back for the final in Bilbao. He also confirmed whether or not he sang with Tottenham chairman on the flight back as had suggested the latter would sing a song or two.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among the handful of reporters putting the questions to Postecoglou. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

How was your day yesterday?

It was good. We didn't get back until pretty late, about 4.30am, so a quiet day yesterday. Just relaxed and recovered. The boys, some trained. They didn't have to, we gave them the option but some of the lads wanted to train, the ones who didn't play. Just a relaxing day.

A bit of reflection as well?

Yeah, there was. I think it is quite a significant achievement, you know, we've got ourselves to a European final and it hasn't been without its challenges for sure, it hasn't been a smooth run. It's well chronicled but irrespective of all that just to reach a final of a major tournament, it's hugely satisfying, but also, like I said after the game, really proud of the way this group has found a way.

I asked you earlier in the season where do you see yourself at 100 games, well, that 100 is going to be a European final...

Yeah, not bad, it'd be a nice little bow there for that 100 and it's been a really full 100. It's fair to say I've experienced just about every emotion in it and hopefully the one main emotion we're all after will be the joy at the end of it.

You really could write a book on this season, couldn't you?

It has been in many respects an extraordinary one in terms of the extremes of everything we've gone through. You understand that on one end of the spectrum you've got a disappointing league season and at the other extreme you've got the possibility of a real significant day in the history of this club that's been going on for many, many years, so when you have those...but I think at the same time, those extremes, I think they're intertwined, I really do and I think there's cause and effect there, I think one has had an effect on the other.

There's two games before the final, with Palace and Villa, the back four for example is so important to you, what's the plan of are they going to get an entire rest or do they need to play some games?

It's a challenging one, but we've tried to navigate that for the last sort of couple of months. I think particularly Micky and Romero and Destiny to a certain extent because they've missed a huge chunk of the season and you always know when guys come back you've got to really manage them because Romero's and Mickey's season, they had a couple of setbacks after coming back and we just didn't want to go down that path. We've changed our structures and our processes so that when they come back, we keep them back.

We've done that really well, I think the last two or three months, but part of that has just been managing their minutes so it will be a balancing act. I think they need to get obviously some game time between now and then, which where that happens, look, unlikely tomorrow because I think what we do know about Thursday night, playing on an artificial pitch takes a lot out of the players, it's fair to say they were sore.

I remember when we played Tamworth, we actually got a couple of injuries in the game straight after that, I think, because of the surface. So we've got to be really careful about tomorrow's game, but next Friday it's a bit different. I think we've just got to make decisions we think [are right], ultimately we want to be in a great condition come the final of Europa, so we'll use that.

In terms of the team are there no fresh injuries but you probably shake it up?

Yeah there's no [fresh injuries], everyone got through OK the other night. Half hopeful that we get Sonny some minutes tomorrow so he'll be the only one that sort of can come back in.

You're going to be the first Australian manager ever to manage in a European cup final....

First Greek-born as well, mate. I'm also Greek, so yeah, a couple.. I'm very proud of both of those.

When you started managing back at South Melbourne, did you ever think this is the type of thing that could happen?

Mate, I wouldn't have thought of it five years ago when I was coaching in Japan. I guess there will be a time when all the dust has settled when I will reflect on all these things, these unbelievable opportunities that have been presented to me, I've been blessed. But no, there would never have been any sort of reality and even the dreams I had of one day leading out a major football club in a European final, so like I said I've been blessed with all the opportunities I've had in life and with great support from my loved ones and looking forward to the day.

You're going to face a manager this weekend who won this competition three years ago in Oliver Glasner. He said yesterday that 10 years ago he was managing in the second division in Austria as well, and he was full of praise for you and the challenges you faced as a manager. When you hear a colleague saying those kinds of words, how does it make you feel?

It's true they don't have to, you're right, and we live in industry which is particularly in our roles fairly cutthroat, but I think to be fair, most of my peers have been very understanding and I think they understand the challenges I've had this year as a manager and we've had as a football club.

If you take away the emotion of it, they just look at it probably from their standpoint and as I said we've had extremes this year, but I think one has almost caused the other. Our fantastic run, not just in the Europa but also in in the Carabao Cup has cost us in the league, but also that the troubles we've had in the league have built a resilience in this group to be able to do what we're doing now.

I think Oliver's done a brilliant job at Palace as well and I followed his journey. I've always liked managers that start from the bottom rung so to speak and and work their way up because you know there's a little bit more in them than just football knowledge. There's some real determination to get to the top and I've always got great respect for any manager that even reaches this level because not many get the opportunity to do so.

A London derby but what team can you prepare for with Palace who have a final to think about as well?

Hard to say but since Oliver got there they are not going to change the way they play. That is the one constant. You know they like to be really aggressive without the ball. They have got some real dangerous players. With the FA Cup final next week they will probably use this as preparation for meeting Man City. We are expecting a tough game. From our perspective, last week against West Ham while it was not the greatest of games at least we showed some real determination to make sure we didn’t lose the game. For the most part we stuck to the task really well. We need to try and replicate that tomorrow. Particularly at home because I think our supporters will still be buzzing from the other night and we don’t want to let them down. I’m sure the boys will put in a good one tomorrow.

Yves Bissouma said he thought everyone including the chairman would be singing on the flight back from Bodo, did you and the chairman belt out a couple of tunes?

He is a different cat, Yves. Fair to say. I love him though because he has had his own issues this year. I spoke to him about a month ago. He was in and out of the team. I just had a feeling in my gut. I said: ‘Biss, we are going to need you at the crucial time. I don’t know when that is going to be but we are going to need you and if we get the best Biss we can do something special.’

He has delivered. Through that time he never put his head down and complained. He knew that he could be doing better and he wanted to push on. So I’m really proud of him and the way he has handled everything this year.

But yes, there was no belting of tunes. It’s fair to say me and the chairman probably have different playlists mate. So don’t see him banging away to AC/DC.

It will be 60 games this season, 19 more than last season, and you’re in middle of five press conferences in six days, how do you juggle all of that?

Ah, five press conferences in six days (laughs). And that is why I was saying before, I know people are trying to separate the two but there is cause and effect there. We have had a ridiculous injury-riddled season coupled by the fact we’ve done really well in two competitions and that is 60 games. So, it has felt and certainly for me personally it has felt like a really, really long season, but you just get energy and realise what happened the other night and you’re so close to achieving something special that it all dissipates into the background, so you get the energy you need. Even in my career, I’ve been fortunate to have a fair bit of success but I know the key to that is when the opportunities comes along, you take them because you don’t know when they will come around again. The opportunity we have that is all you need to keep the energy levels up, not just for me but the staff, the players, everyone feels the same way.

As young players sometimes heal quicker, is any chance Lucas Bergvall could be aiming to make the final?

Yeah, that is unlikely. If we had another two weeks, potentially he could. I am sure he will be trying, I am sure Madders will be trying mate just to get the strip on. Unfortunate for both of those guys, but that has been our season. Nothing has run smooth. I am sure there will be parts of themselves really disappointed they are not part of this most important part, but they have been so integral to us getting here. As I mentioned after the game, I don’t think there is a single player in the dressing room who hasn’t contributed to help us get to where we have got to today and should we have success, we’ll make sure they get acknowledged in the right way.

Dominic Solanke said that nights like Thursday are why he moved to Spurs, how important it that he gets that for all the work he's put in?

Yeah it is but it is also important for the club because guys like that are really hungry for success. We keep saying we need to change the culture of the club and how do you become a winning club? Well, I think it is players like that who is again another player that has worked his way to get here, nothing has been given to him, he’s had to earn everything and appreciates what he’s got.

If you can bring success at a time where guys like that are at the football club, they are the ones who keep driving it in the future because they want more nights like Thursday, they want to win trophies because that’s why they came to the club and if they do manage to do that, whoever next walks through the door, they have a real clear reference point and example of what you need to be successful.

It is great for Dom to have that night but it is just as important for the club that Dom and others in that group, because they are part of the future, they feel that success as well.