Manchester United have a date with destiny in the Europa League final and they’ll be up against a team in a similar position, making it an all-or-nothing clash.
Spurs progressed to the final after beating Bodo 5-1 on aggregate, while Man Utd’s 4-1 win vs Athletic ensured they bettered it by two goals, winning 7-1 over two legs.
The clubs are struggling in the Premier League so the Europa League is the only safe haven for Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou.
Ahead of a game that is sure to capture the imagination and dominate the discussion, Spurs manager Postecoglou has come out firing while talking about the final in comments that Ruben Amorim will love.
Ange Postecoglou on Europa League final vs Man Utd
If Amorim is among the most honest managers in the Premier League, Postecoglou is probably right up there alongside him, almost to a fault at times.
The Australian said earlier in the season that he normally wins things in his second season, quite a claim to make for Spurs manager.
On the other hand, Amorim is also honest but in an understated way, rarely taking the bait for raging questions and trying to handle the situation calmly.
That contrast was clear to see when Postecoglou said the quiet part out loud about the Europa League final. Amorim will thank him for putting into words what he’s probably been feeling all along.
When asked about the two teams’ poor league form in juxtaposition with the Europa League final, Postecoglou didn’t hold back and went on a scathing rant.
He said: “That’s [Spurs vs Man Utd final] gonna upset a lot of people, isn’t it? There will be debates now raging. I’ve heard the latest is that neither of us will get a trophy, we’re just going to take a team photo because we’re not worthy!
“Who cares if we’re struggling in the league? If it’s so easy to get to a final, why doesn’t everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It’s a separate thing, it’s got nothing to do with league form.
“I couldn’t care less who’s struggling, who’s not. Both us and Man Utd have earned the right to be there and we’ve beaten teams who will probably be in the Champions League next season.”
Europa League discourse is silly
It’s a measure of how much United rile up the footballing world that a rule that has been in existence for so long is only now beginning to grate on people.
It is a fair point that United haven’t been in the best of form domestically, but to write off their Europa League campaign on that basis is silly.
To argue that a team finishing fourth or fifth in the league is in the “Champions” league deservedly but the real “Champions” of a tournament shouldn’t be in it is ludicrous.
The whole discourse is simply because United, and Spurs to some extent, have been smart and focused their resources on a more ‘doable’ mission, but that doesn’t mean it has been easy.
As Postecoglou said, if winning the Champions League was so easy, a team would forego their league campaign every year to guarantee themselves a European medal.
Amorim will love that the Spurs manager has said the quiet part out loud although it isn’t expected to do much to quell the pointless frenzy which feeds off of piling negativity on Man Utd.
Next stop, Bilbao!
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