Today, on May 21, the Europa League final will take place in Bilbao. Two teams from England – «Manchester United» and «Tottenham» will compete for the prestigious European trophy. The match will start at 23:55 Tashkent time and will be broadcast on «Zo‘r TV».
«Everything at the moment»
In a famous film, a commander is asked what Jerusalem means to him. The answer is: – «Nothing! Everything at the moment...»
If you have only one opportunity to use this phrase somewhere else and have not used it until now, you are lucky. Today is that moment. Today, every leader of both clubs stepping onto the field in the final, including coaches, players, and fans, will undoubtedly respond with the above words.
The paradox lies here. We have seen many finals until now, where the winner was clear before the match started, and in the end, that team lifted the trophy, as well as dramatic encounters that turned out to be unknown until the end, where the winner was clear before the match but then turned into an unknown dramatic clash. However, there was always one common aspect in the finals – no matter how disappointed the loser was, they would leave the stadium with their heads held high. After all, being close to winning a competition is a significant achievement, isn’t it?
The uniqueness of today’s final is that – no, that’s not it. Today, the winner can soar into the sky like a gymnast jumping from the very bottom, while the loser may feel the shock of the ongoing humiliation throughout the season in an instant.
Have you ever had a scary, bad dream? There’s a feeling when you wake up, a kind of gratitude, realizing that what you just saw was terrifying, but it was just a dream... Today’s winning team will wake up just like that, having the opportunity to forget the entire season and start fresh as if nothing happened yesterday. The loser, however, will live in that dream for an unknown amount of time.
«Manchester United» and «Tottenham» are currently occupying the 16th and 17th places in the Premier League, respectively. Only the Championship is below them. A victory in the last round will only lift the teams to the 14th place at best. This is the worst result in Premier League history.
«Tottenham» has won only one of their last 11 matches in England. The victory was only against the clear underdog «Southampton». «MU» is not doing any better, with their last victory being over two months ago, in a match against another underdog «Leicester». «Manchester United» has a goal difference of «–12», while «Tottenham» is considered the team that created the most chances in front of the goal in the 2025 league.
But one of these two teams will lift the Europa League trophy above their heads today and secure a place in next season’s Champions League. Last year, «MU» took the shortest route to the Europa League through the FA Cup and became a Champions League participant in the same way, while Anje Postekoglu, who is one step away from resignation, will become the first coach to win a trophy with the «Spurs» in the last 16 years and the first to win a European trophy in 40 years. The distance between failure and heroism is that close, just a ninety-minute journey today.
Coaches’ battle
Most of the players of «MU» have already crossed the red line, having faced failures under previous coaches, and there are names that have become memes. It is widely believed that the club will not be a team until the new players are replaced. «Tottenham», on the other hand, is caught in a whirlpool of injuries – players like Maddison, Kulusevski, and Bergwijn, who were the heroes of the best period of the season, are injured and will not be able to help their teammates in the final. Naturally, in such circumstances, the potential of the coaches comes to the forefront. Today, it can be confidently said that it will be a principled confrontation between Amorim and Postekoglu.
Firstly, as mentioned above, the future of not only the team but also the coaches is at stake in the final. A victory may not save Postekoglu, but becoming a coach who finally wins a trophy could change the management and fans' attitude towards him. Amorim, although it is certain that he will continue to manage the team next season, needs today’s victory to prepare for the upcoming season, to act in the transfer market as he wishes, in short, to build his team with the players he desires. In a sense, the Europa League trophy and the subsequent Champions League qualification will be of great importance in Amorim’s future.
Secondly, the failures in the Premier League have given both coaches enough time to prepare for the final, allowing them to experiment on the field specifically for this match. For almost two months, both teams’ fans have given up hope in the championship and are focusing on the Europa League, making some sacrifices. No one objected when Postekoglu fielded a second-string team and lost before the final, while Amorim, who played with the main squad against «Chelsea», was not understood by many. In short, both coaches had enough time for preparation and had sparring matches for tone. It will be interesting to see what exactly the coaches have prepared for the final.
Clash of styles
Speaking of coaches, Postekoglu and Amorim share one commonality in a way – both are loyal to their styles and hardly compromise. When we talk about style, it can be understood in various ways – for example, Postekoglu expresses it in intensity, high defense, and pressing. Regardless of who is in the squad and what scheme is used, these basic principles are adhered to. We saw a clear example of this in last season’s match against «Chelsea». Even with 9 players left on the field, Postekoglu continued to play with a high defensive line and emphasized that he would never compromise his style for the result. Perhaps this cost them three points, but Anje’s romanticism attracted many at that time, and «Tottenham», which had bored fans with defensive coaches like Mourinho, Conte, and Nuno, began to showcase beautiful football.
Ruben Amorim’s style is the opposite of Anje’s; it is not chaos but order, with strict positions being primary. The Portuguese coach primarily aims to control the ball and the game, and the players’ movements must serve a single system, demonstrating a single mechanism. For this reason, instilling ideas in players without summer preparations has become the most challenging task for Amorim. If everything reaches the level of automatism, what can come out of it has been proven by «Sporting», but whether such labor will yield the same results in a club with much greater pressure is still uncertain.
If Amorim has suffered from the lack of players suitable for his system, injuries have been the most significant setback for Postekoglu in his second season. Amorim has significantly improved defensive statistics, but if he is struggling to score goals, the absence of injured defensive representatives has been very noticeable for Postekoglu. In any case, the role of experienced players like Romero and van de Ven is invaluable when playing high defense.
In short, «MU» fans, who complained about the lack of a game plan during Erik ten Hag’s era, are looking for a bit of flexibility and a pragmatic approach from Amorim, while «Tottenham» fans, who have fallen in love with Postekoglu’s style, are not satisfied with the results. However, in recent matches, Postekoglu has slightly chosen a defensive tactic and abandoned pressing, yet the results have not improved.
Head-to-head matches
If you ask which has been the best match of «Tottenham» under Anje Postekoglu, most would probably mention the match at «Old Trafford» at the beginning of the season (3:0). Besides the large score, the guests crushed the opponent like a train in that match. Such dominance of one team over another is very rare – «Tottenham» created nearly 5 xG in expected goals, with 10 of the shots on target, and 9 extremely dangerous situations were created. On one hand, that match started to shake Erik ten Hag’s position, leading to his first defeat, which caused his resignation. Thus, «Tottenham» also played a role in Amorim’s arrival in Manchester.
Ruben Amorim himself has lost to «Tottenham» twice. However, the difference in the matches was not that clear. Initially, in the English League Cup, the Londoners won 4:3, and in February, they won 1:0 in the Premier League. Although «Tottenham» appeared more confident in these matches, especially in the cup match, much of the game was under the control of the Manchester team. Thus, the fact that «Tottenham» has won three times against «MU» this season is merely a statistical fact before the final.
In the last 6 head-to-head matches, «MU» has not known victory – 4 losses and 2 draws. However, before that, four consecutive matches ended with victories for the «Red Devils». Overall, «MU» has won 96 matches, while «Tottenham» has won 57 in their head-to-head encounters.
The two teams have only faced each other once in a competition final. In the 2008/09 season’s English League Cup final (0:0), the Manchester team emerged victorious in the penalty shootout. In the 1963/64 season, they faced each other in the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup. «MU» participated in this tournament as the FA Cup holder, while «Tottenham» had won the same tournament the previous year. In the first match, the Londoners won 2:0, while the return match at «Old Trafford» ended with a 4:1 victory for the hosts.
Path to the final
Both teams have passed the group stage at almost the same pace: «MU» collected 18 points and ranked third in the overall table, while «Tottenham» secured 4th place with one point less. However, it should be noted that the Manchester team faced much stronger opponents in the playoff stage. Amorim’s team eliminated «Real Sociedad», then «Lyon», and in the semi-finals, the tournament favorites «Athletic». «Tottenham» faced «AZ Alkmaar», «Eintracht», and «Bodo/Glimt» on their way to the final.
All matches of «MU» and «Tottenham» since the start of the tournament:
«MU»: «Twente» (home) – 1:1, «Fenerbahce» (away) – 1:1, «Porto» (away) – 3:3, PAOK (home) – 2:0, «Bodo/Glimt» (home) – 3:2, «Viktoria Plzen» (away) – 2:1, «Rangers» (home) – 2:1, «Steaua» (away) – 2:0, «Sociedad» (away) – 1:1, «Sociedad» (home) – 4:1, «Lyon» (away) – 2:2, «Lyon» (home) – 5:4, «Athletic» (away) – 3:0, «Athletic» (home) – 4:1.
14 matches, 9 wins, 5 draws, 0 losses. Goal difference: 35-18
«Tottenham»: «Qarabag» (home) – 3:0, «Ferencvaros» (away) – 2:1, «AZ Alkmaar» (home) – 1:0, «Galatasaray» (away) – 2:3, «Roma» (home) – 2:2, «Rangers» (away) – 1:1, «Hoffenheim» (away) – 3:2, «Elfsborg» (home) – 3:0, «AZ Alkmaar» (away) – 0:1, «AZ Alkmaar» (home) – 3:1, «Eintracht» (home) – 1:1, «Eintracht» (away) – 1:0, «Bodo/Glimt» (home) – 3:1, «Bodo/Glimt» (away) – 2:0)
14 matches, 9 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses. Goal difference: 27-13
Squads
Despite the dominance in recent years, «MU» is seen as a slight favorite before the final due to the absence of several key players in the «Tottenham» squad. True, there are also many players missing for Amorim, but there is no way to replace Maddison and Kulusevski in the London team. Moreover, Son Heung-min’s form is not up to par. The Korean player has only returned to the starting lineup a few days ago against «Aston Villa» after being absent for the last month. It is very difficult for the team captain, who has scored only 1 goal in the last three months, to take on such a significant role. Besides the mentioned players, central defender Radu Dragushin will also miss the match due to injury.
On the contrary, several players are returning to the «Manchester United» squad. Joshua Zirkzee and Diogo Dalot are reported to be fully recovered and training normally. While there may be no risk with Dalot, Zirkzee has a chance to secure a spot in the starting lineup after his recent performances. There are two players who will definitely not play – Lisandro Martinez and Matias de Ligt.
Another interesting situation. Before the final, both teams played a league match on Friday night. Almost against similar opponents. «Tottenham» faced «Aston Villa», while «MU» played against «Chelsea», and both opponents are competing for a Champions League spot, meaning they are teams that will be fighting for victory. As a result, although both «MU» and «Tottenham» lost, the attitude towards the match differed between the two coaches, and which decision was more correct was widely discussed.
Postekoglu fielded a full second team in Birmingham. Among those who could have played in the first minutes of the final, only Son and Sarr could be mentioned. Amorim, on the other hand, acted almost with the main squad. Although many criticized the Portuguese coach for the risk of injuries, he emphasized that tone is also important before the final.
At this point, it is also possible to logically explain this difference. Anje has been working at «Tottenham» for the second year, and during this time, the team has shown its best performances, and the coach knows better what to expect from his main squad and who to rely on. Amorim, on the other hand, is still in the search phase, and it is natural that he is looking for answers to many questions. After the match against «Chelsea», he mentioned that this game helped him determine the main squad for the final.
Additionally, unlike «Tottenham», «MU» has a relatively broader squad, with enough players who can complement each other. In «Tottenham», not only are there already several key players missing, but any further injury would significantly impact the squad.
Probable lineups:
Tottenham 4-3-3: Vicario – Udoji, van der Ven, Romero, Porro – Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr – Johnson, Son, Solanke.
MU 3-4-3: Onana – Yoro, Maguire, Lindelof – Dorgu, Casemiro, Ugarte, Mazraoui – Fernandes, Amad, Hojlund.
Goalkeepers...
Among the participants of today’s final, there are several connections and common histories that certainly contribute to the intrigue of the match. For example, one of the most dangerous players in the «Tottenham» squad, Pedro Porro, was discovered by Ruben Amorim during his time at «Sporting». «Manchester United» midfielder Christian Eriksen was a leading player for «Tottenham» for many years, having played over 300 matches in a London shirt, including in the Champions League final six years ago.
Additionally, Timo Werner and Mason Mount won the Champions League together as part of «Chelsea», while Cristian Romero and Amad Diallo were once developed under Gasperini at «Atalanta». Maddison played alongside Maguire at «Leicester», and recently, «Tottenham» striker Matias Tel and «MU» defenders Mazraoui and de Ligt were at «Bayern» last year. The aforementioned Pedro Porro was also at «Sporting» when Manuel Ugarte was in the same team.
Ugarte is also considered a teammate of Rodrigo Bentancur in the Uruguayan national team. Casemiro plays alongside Richarlison for Brazil, while Romero plays with Garnacho for Argentina. Maddison, Solanke, Maguire, Shaw, Mount, and Mainu are in the England national team, while van de Ven, de Ligt, and Zirkzee are in the Netherlands national team.
