01-08-2025
4 Dundee United talking points: What will Tangerines bank from Euro progress?
Iurie Iovu was Dundee United's European hero in Luxembourg, heading home the only goal of a scrappy contest against UNA Strassen.
The win in Differdange secured a 2-0 aggregate triumph and teed up a tantalising crack at Austrian giants Rapid Vienna.
Courier Sport was in the Grand Duchy to analyse the talking points from a victorious night.
For those lucky enough to get one of the 1,018 golden tickets or the fans viewing on SolidSport, it was a tough watch.
United, visibly a work in progress, surrendered possession too often, were second to myriad loose balls and left huge gaps for Strassen to play through, especially in the first period.
With better finishing from Daryl Myre or Matheus de Souza, the Terrors' aggregate lead could have been wiped out. One can safely assume future Premiership opponents, and Rapid Vienna, will not be so profligate.
And, to borrow a phrase from the dominant tongue in Luxembourg, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
A completely revamped team, containing 11 new players from across the continent; yet the questions surrounding Jim Goodwin's preferred 3-4-3 shape are identical to those being asked at this point last year.
Namely: is there enough cover in midfield? Particularly when possession is turned over.
United certainly have more mobility in the engine room this term but, unless they look after the football with more care, the tactic can be alarmingly open. United looked more solid after going to a 3-5-2 after the break.
As the squad gels and on-field relationships build, United's 3-4-3 may click but, as Goodwin stated himself, 'that has to happen quickly'.
Ideally by Sunday, because the Premiership opener at newly-promoted Falkirk is an occasion 15 years in the making for the Bairns and they can be expected to explode from the blocks.
They will also be fresher and able to call upon far more match-specific preparation. Forget Rapid; John McGlynn's men are a sufficiently onerous prospect for the moment.
The room for improvement is patently clear.
But that should not blind fans to a solid achievement. After all, the result is what matters.
Prior to Thursday evening, United had only won a two-legged European tie by keeping a clean sheet in both legs three times in their entire history. One must go back to Celtic against Nomme Kalju in 2019 for any Scottish side achieving that feat.
Only three other bosses – Jim and Tommy McLean, and Jerry Kerr – had ever managed the club successfully through even one round.
Goalkeeper Yevhenii Kucherenko has now played 60 minutes against PEC Zwolle, 45 minutes against St Johnstone and Oldham, and two games against Strassen and is yet to pick the ball out of his net.
Similarly, centre-backs Krisztian Keresztes, Bert Esselink and Iovu are yet to concede a goal as a trio.
United, meanwhile, progressed through a continental tie for the first time since 1997.
Scottish clubs, United included, have not earned the right to greet that with a blasé shrug.
No one who remembers the Terrors' ill-fated MyPa-47 tie in 2005 – or Rangers' visit to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg in 2017, for that matter – should take the Tangerines' qualification for granted.
That is especially true when considering that, this time just two years ago, United were kicking off a gruelling season in the Championship with a trip to Arbroath. It's been a hell of a journey, navigated in remarkably swift time.
The prestige of a European clash against the 32-time champions of Austria, Rapid Vienna, is priceless.
However, the monetary value of progressing to that rematch of United's 1983/84 European Cup quarter-final is not to be underestimated.
United's continental adventure is now guaranteed to bank the club £750,000 in prize money.
That is before considering the likelihood of a bumper, lucrative gate at Tannadice against Rapid – especially if the tie is still alive after next Thursday's trip to Vienna – and associated broadcast revenue.
If they had exited against Strassen, they would have earned £440,000.
A sizable chunk less.
So, while the performance may have left plenty to be desired, progression was all that mattered – on the pitch AND the balance sheet.
At a time when United are still actively seeking reinforcements, that additional £300,000 could make a material difference.
'My biggest wish is to be healthy throughout this season.' Words that now echo with cruelty.
The Macedonian winger lost months of last season with persistent hamstring issues and, even when he regained a semblance of fitness, the former FK Shkupi man didn't hit the heights of his early form.
As outlined to Courier Sport earlier this week, Trapanovski has worked tirelessly over the summer to ensure he reported for duty in peak condition. His form in pre-season was heartening.
Then, just 41 minutes into the second leg against Strassen, he clutched the back of his leg as he sought to catch a long pass.
Another hamstring strain.
One can only hope, for the player's sake and United's, that the damage is nothing too severe.
