Spurs in fantasy land, woes mount for Manchester United
Kolkata: And with that Son Heung-min has got what Harry Kane had earlier this season. If Kane's first trophy felt like a formality, given how Bayern Munich dominate Bundesliga, Son's was more in the realm of fantasy.
Whether the Europa League title changes Tottenham Hotspur in the way Ange Postecoglu thinks it will is debatable and one needs to look no further than Manchester United's victory in the same competition in 2016-17. But that is not a debate Spurs fans, players and officials celebrating a European title after 41 years and any kind of silverware after 2008 will want to engage in now.
Return to Champions League next term, and the near £100m payout that comes with it, is more likely to be the immediate topic of discussion. That and how after Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic, Ange Postecoglu has again won in his second season. A promise made in September by the big Aussie was delivered in his 100th game on Wednesday.
'People can bang on about our 20 league defeats and where we are but they're missing the point of what we're trying to build here… and I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to keep on,' said Postecoglu.
But about this there is no doubt: Manchester United have not sunk this low since relegation in 1973-74. This will be the first time since 2014-15, and the second time in the last 35 years, that United will not be in Europe.
Brennan Johnson's scrappy 42nd minute goal summed up the contest between teams fourth and fifth from the bottom of the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur came to Spain's San Memes without a win in their last six league matches which was two matches less than when Manchester United last logged full points.
At no point did the final look like the teams were conserving energy for this, the season-defining evening. That teams 16th and 17th at home were in a final in Europe should call for introspection about skewed finances but will not.
Finals are meant to be won, not played, remember. So, the aggressive high line that characterised Postecoglu's Spurs was replaced by a low block. Postecoglu had shown he could use the counter-attacking game too, especially in Europe, but this was Angeball tweaked into Jose Mourinho's anti-football.
'We managed not to score again,' Ruben Amorim told reporters after the 1-0 defeat. United had better xG, 16 shots to Spurs' three and six on target against the winners who had one.
But not being able to find away after Spurs downed hatches showed how toothless they were in attack. Only twice did United really threaten in the second half, in the 68th and in the 97th. For the first, Micky van den Ven acrobatically cleared Rasmus Hojlund's header after Guglielmo Vicario had flapped at Bruno Fernandes's free-kick. For the second, Vicario redeemed himself with a good save after Diogo Dalot's delivery found Shaw. For most of the time in between, United aimed hopeful crosses at Harry Maguire.
That, in effect, summed up United's season, one where they were seven points off a Champions League berth when Amorim took charge mid-season and are now 27 points off it. One where they have lost four times in all competitions to Spurs. Amorim, who has won 15 of his 41 matches, has said he will leave without compensation should the club and the fans want that but has also said the 3-4-2-1 formation United have struggled with will remain if he does.
Making United's evening worse was the player who had shown consistency through the season going missing. Fernandes had seven goals and four assists in Europe. Used in central midfield, he was shackled by Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur. It was his pass intercepted in midfield by Sarr that led to the goal and it was not the only time that Fernandes had played a poor pass.
So, for winners and losers there will be a lot of soul searching. Hailed at home as one inspiring the next generation of coaches, Postecoglu may have to leave the rebuilding a roster where Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are 19 and Mikey Moore 17 to someone else. If Amorim stays, United will have to overhaul the squad and the lack of Champions League money could force them to put Kobbie Mainoo or even Fernandes on sale.
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