When Relegation Fighters Became European Kings: Spurs vs Man United Final

Greeting Steemit Family

Watching football makes you very emotional. Every team wants to win trophies, and when those trophies do not come, players and fans still hold on to hope. Only trophies can truly make a club a "big club" in Europe.

This season has been a historic one for English teams, with the intense battle for Champions League spots on the last day of play. The Europa League final is being played by two English teams.

The Europa League has always been another opportunity for clubs to qualify for the Champions League. So the final is not just about winning a trophy, it’s also about earning that Champions League spot. What is even more interesting this year is that the two teams playing the final are also just above the relegation level in the Premier League.

This has sparked a lot of discussion. How can teams that could not perform well in their local league qualify for the Champions League? Well, that’s how it has always been. The rules are clear, and the winner deserves their spot.

The Europa League Final will be played by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Both teams have had difficult seasons in the league, which has drawn a lot of attention to this final. Despite their domestic struggles, they have done well in Europe, and now it’s time for one team to take the win and secure a Champions League ticket.

Manchester United had a bad season, going through three managers: Erik ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and currently Ruben Amorim. The team suffered from many injuries, which affected their domestic performance. Things got worse under the current manager. I had my doubts about his 3-4-3 formation. Three central defenders, midfielders, and wing-backs.

This is a great formation if you want to dominate possession and are facing a less aggressive team. But that is not the case in the Premier League, where the style is fast and aggressive. If your wing-backs are not solid and quick, your defense becomes vulnerable to counterattacks and crosses from the flanks.

It shows Manchester United have done well in Europe, where teams tend to play more slowly. But in England, it has been far from easy.

Tottenham Hotspur started the season well but began to drop. At some point, there were talks of management considering sacking the coach. But his slogan, "I always win something in my second year," went viral on social media. Spurs were gradually knocked out of every other competition and dropped in league performance.

Their 4-3-3 formation is not bad. It’s an attacking style where all three front players focus on offense. But it’s a young team, and managing young players is always tricky. This is similar to the case at Chelsea. The young players have put in their best and reached the Europa League final. This could be their only ticket to the Champions League, given their poor league performance.

Now it's time to determine who wins the Europa League and grabs that Champions League spot. Here are the starting lineups and substitutes:

• Manchester United (3-4-3)
  Starting XI: Onana, Yoro, Maguire, Shaw, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes (c), Dorgu, Diallo, Højlund, Mount.
  Substitutes: Bayindir, Lindelöf, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Garnacho, Dalot, Ugarte, Heaven, J. Evans, Mainoo, Amass, Collyer.

• Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3)
  Starting XI: Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Solanke, Richarlison.
  Substitutes: Austin, Whiteman, Spence, Danso, Davies, Gray, Moore, Ajayi, Odobert, Tel, Son, Scarlett.

As I mentioned earlier, formation matters a lot in football. But it becomes a problem if you are not dynamic during the game. It’s not just about the tempo, you need to be able to change player positions when necessary. The 3-4-3 formation focuses on possession, but converting that possession into victory is what counts.

I already mentioned the drawbacks of this setup. In the final, it showed. Tottenham Hotspur led in the first half. If your wing-backs can not stop crosses, there’s always a high chance of defensive errors. All that matters is the win, and Tottenham took the game and slowly sealed the Europa League title.

Manchester United were the better team in terms of stats, but stats don’t win matches. Despite a great performance, they end the season with nothing. Tottenham Hotspur, after 17 years, won silverware for their fans and secured a place in next season’s Champions League.

Now people will start wondering, how can a team at the bottom of the Premier League table play in the Champions League next season? Well, that’s the rule, and they deserve it.

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