Man Utd empty-handed this season: The cruel truth or a blessing in disguise?

The end of the disaster

Half of Manchester was in tears after Man Utd lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final on the morning of May 22. For those who have been with Man Utd for decades, it was truly heartbreaking to see the once mighty empire collapse in such a way.

Half of Manchester was in tears when Man Utd lost to Tottenham (Photo: Getty).

Winning the Europa League was the only way to save Man Utd from the worst season in the Premier League era. But then, coach Amorim's team threw away that last chance.

The current situation of Man Utd is like the little match girl in Andersen's fairy tale. She lit each match in the cold weather to light up a ray of hope, but when the match went out, the cruel reality appeared before her eyes and swallowed her miserable life.

Each match represents each move of Man Utd such as the time Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought shares and ran football operations, the club appointed each coach like Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjaer, Ten Hag and Amorim or the fact that they spent more than 1 billion pounds on shopping in the past 10 years.

But all the hopes that had been raised were quickly extinguished. On a summer evening at San Mames, Tottenham pushed Man Utd into the abyss. Brennan Johnson's single punch finished the Red Devils off, shattering the last hopes.

Not only did Man Utd fail to win the Europa League, they also failed to qualify for next season's European Cup. Statistics show that in the past 35 years, Man Utd have only missed out on European Cup once. That was the 2014-15 season, at the beginning of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era when the club finished 7th in the Premier League under David Moyes in the 2013-14 season.

Not only that, Man Utd finished 16th in the Premier League, their lowest in the league era (since 1992). Thus, they have broken this record for two consecutive seasons. Last season, they finished 8th under coach Ten Hag. With 20 defeats, the Red Devils also experienced their worst season since the 1973-74 season. At that time, the club was relegated.

Man Utd fell into the abyss when they went empty-handed this season (Photo: Getty).

Tottenham used a "rough" style of play to the extreme to subdue Man Utd. That is a familiar formula for many teams aiming for glory. However, watching Man Utd play, fans can easily see many problems.

According to Carl Anka of The Athletic, Man Utd's style of play is quite wild. They can create explosive battles like against Lyon and Bilbao in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Europa League, but they did not show that spirit against Tottenham.

The issue of stability has always been Man Utd's inherent weakness over the years as they have not built a stable framework. It will take the club a long time to come back and escape the chaos that has haunted them for many years.

The question is whether Man Utd can find a manager with the right talent and philosophy to guide the team back. Liverpool spent many years lost before meeting Jurgen Klopp. Similarly, Inter Milan spent decades searching for major titles until they met Mourinho. Or Man City could only soar and establish dominance in England until they met Pep Guardiola.

Man Utd are like people falling into the abyss of disappointment, but whether they can pick up martial arts secrets like the characters in swordplay novels or not, that is a question that cannot be answered.

Failure could be a 'blessing in disguise' for Man Utd

An ordinary person can easily calculate the loss of Man Utd if they cannot qualify for the Champions League (or more broadly, the European Cup) next season. According to expert Mark Critchley, the Red Devils could lose at least 80 million pounds if they do not participate in the Champions League next season.

Man Utd lost too much when they could not get a ticket to the Champions League (Photo: Getty).

This bonus will increase depending on how far the club goes. Even if they do not make it to the next rounds, the Old Trafford team can earn 80-100 million pounds. That is a huge number in the context of Man Utd's financial crisis and forced to cut staff.

In addition, Man Utd will also lose £10 million in Adidas' £90 million-a-year sponsorship deal.

In addition to the financial loss, not participating in European Cups makes it difficult for Man Utd to attract talented stars. However, if they want to return, the Red Devils are forced to spend as much as a club participating in the Champions League. That can make the club's treasury increasingly depleted but is not sure to bring in good faces.

Man Utd are not Man City, Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid to ensure participation in the Champions League every year to attract big stars. In case of cutting transfer spending, Man Utd may continue to fall into a vicious cycle without creating a boost to rise.

Amorim admits Man Utd's Europa League final defeat to Tottenham has put him under even more pressure next season. The patience of fans and the media has its limits.

Next season will be a pivotal moment for Man Utd under Amorim. That is because if he cannot improve the Red Devils, he will have almost no golden opportunity to do so.

The Telegraph believes that the Red Devils' total failure this season could be a "blessing in disguise" for the club. Not participating in European Cup means they play fewer games, reduce the risk of injury to key players, and have more time on the training ground.

Coach Amorim will have many conditions to build a new system for Man Utd. He has more time to train and develop players, as well as carefully train set-piece situations, analyze more videos of the club as well as opponents, to have the best preparation plan.

The Portuguese strategist once spoke about this "advantage": "That's my feeling. We need a lot of time to work together. There are many things to adjust at Carrington, instead of being stuck in a continuous competition cycle. If you want to play well in the European Cup and compete in the Premier League, it's a big challenge."

Coach Amorim will have more time to build Man Utd next season, but with that comes more pressure on his shoulders (Photo: Getty).

If Man Utd beat Tottenham and qualify for the Champions League, they could have a very difficult pre-season. They will be caught up in an endless cycle. In which, coach Amorim will not have many stops to look back at the club's strengths and weaknesses. Instead, he will have to constantly manage before consecutive matches with a frequency of 3 matches per day.

So if Coach Amorim and Man Utd can build a good enough system, they will have many advantages over other competitors. Antonio Conte helped Chelsea win the Premier League in his first season in charge of the club, partly because The Blues did not have to participate in European Cups and could focus on fighting in the Premier League.

The 2021-22 season has seen Arsenal make great strides under Arteta. It is a season where the Spaniard does not have to worry about European competition. In Van Gaal's first season at Old Trafford, Man Utd did not participate in European competition. He helped the club to 4th place. Although it is not an outstanding achievement, it is still the desire of the Red Devils at the moment.

But of course, the inverse of the "free time" is the increased pressure. If he cannot improve Man Utd, coach Amorim is at great risk of being fired. But now, the 40-year-old coach is facing a difficult problem when the club does not have enough money.

After burning too many matches, will Man Utd see a brighter reality?

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/man-utd-trang-tay-mua-giai-nay-su-that-tan-khoc-hay-phuoc-lanh-nguy-trang-20250523015200601.htm