Manchester United shook off their Premier League demons and continued to flourish in the Europa League as Athletic manager Ernesto Valverde saw something happen with the club that rarely, if ever, has happened in the league this season.
Man Utd’s 4-1 win vs Athletic was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, with the Basque club pinning United back for large parts of the game.
The triple sub at the hour mark completely changed the game and Mason Mount launched his Man Utd career in remarkable fashion.
Ernesto Valverde made a pointed observation after the game, noting how Man Utd did something against his team that they rarely do in the league.
Ernesto Valverde’s Man Utd observation
It can be argued that Athletic went toe-to-toe with Man Utd for the majority of the tie when they had all 11 players to call upon but just didn’t take their chances.
Had Athletic done that, the story could’ve been much different and Valverde was at pains to stress this at the end of the second leg, saying he had United “on the ropes”.
United would know that feeling very well since they’ve been on the wrong side of that narrative in the Premier League – creating many chances but wasting them all before losing.
Therefore, when Valverde made a clinical observation about United, it would sound like a full-circle moment.
The Athletic manager said United took their chances and punished Athletic by being clinical, an observation that sounds worlds away from the Premier League version of United.
He said: “I think to avoid being knocked out we could’ve done a lot more. We know the opponent is very good, they’ve got some great players. There’s no need to beat ourselves up about it.
“They’ve been strong in our area and converted their chances, that’s what they did.”
Man Utd’s tale of two tournaments
Valverde’s comments sum up the state of this Man Utd squad which has been almost as clinical in the Europa League as they’ve been domestically, despite playing almost 1/3rd of the games.
Amorim will relish that the team is at least turning up when the lights are the brightest and the stakes are the highest, with the league form a concern for next season.
He took over a team that wilted against adversity and approached big games with a sense of trepidation, so getting over that hump has been huge.
At the same time, no elite team can become a “cup specialist”, since the true measure of quality and consistency is achieved in the league over 38 games.
For now, Man Utd’s tale of two tournaments is enough to salvage this season and kick-start the next. But Amorim has to ensure this is a one-off.
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