Tottenham and Manchester United will square off in the Europa League final on Wednesday in Bilbao, with both teams desperately looking for silverware and a golden ticket to the Champions League to win the title game.
At San Mames Stadium, two teams that are struggling to reach the bottom of the English top flight are on the verge of a potential $100 million ($133 million) honey pot to win the title game.
Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils are 16th in the league and have endured their worst top flight run since 1974’s relegation.
Spurs, which have lost a club-record 21 times in the league and are on the verge of their worst season since 1978 when they first returned to the top, are one place below.
Both teams have only recently begun to advance their position in the lower echelons of the table because they are so focused on Europe.
United have lost to Chelsea on Friday in their final game without a win in eight league games, which is their worst ever run in Premier League history.
Tottenham also suffered their fifth league defeat since August 1st, defeating them 6-4 at Aston Villa.
Spurs have won this competition twice, but their 1984 victory was the club’s final European triumph and they haven’t won a silverware since.
In a drab match against Liverpool, they lost in a second-ever Champions League match, which was their first appearance in the 2019 competition.
This final, according to Postecoglou last week, “could potentially be a turning point given the historical context of this club over the past 20 or so years.”
Under Amorim’s successor Erik ten Hag, United has continued to decline despite the legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retiring in 2013. In addition, they have won the FA Cup and League Cup twice in the previous two seasons.
Since taking over in November, the Portuguese has only won six of his 26 Premier League games.
Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao were defeated by United, who defeated them 7-6 on aggregate in the Europa League, which brought back memories of the club’s dramatic Champions League triumph in 1999.
Amorim, however, is aware of the magnitude of the task at hand. He has the opportunity to turn around the 20-time English champions.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager said, “I’m not concerned about the final; it’s by far the smallest issue in our club.”
“We need to alter something more profound than this,” he said.
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Four consecutively?
An all-conquering United once perceived Tottenham as little of a trouble.
Roy Keane, the former United great, revealed that Spurs was once Ferguson’s talk was limited to dismissive “lads, it’s’s.”
The London side has won all three of its meetings this year, including a 3-0 victory over United in a Premier League match. Postecoglou has not lost in five games under his leadership.
It’s difficult for the club to lose four games in a row, said Amorim.
With players like Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, United have both experience and talent.
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who played alongside Keane, said: “They know how to win trophies, Tottenham don’t.
Portuguese coach is expected to remain despite the team’s abhorrent domestic behavior, which is bolstered by the thrilling unbeaten run to the Europa League final.
Postecoglou cannot be held to the same standards. If the Australian doesn’t fulfill his promise to bring back a trophy in his second year in charge, he’ll almost certainly leave.
With midfielders James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Dejan Kulusevski all missing for the final, Spurs’ bad luck with injuries continues. However, Son Heung-min is back in action.
Even if Postecoglou’s team wins, they made it to the Arctic in the semi-finals of Bodo/Glimt, but they might still be frozen out.
“It’s going to upset a lot of people, isn’t it” if we win, right? The Australian remarked.
“I’m looking forward to it and it should be a great game,” I said. “Who cares if we’re struggling in the league?”
Source: Channels TV
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