"Two-faced" Man Utd
"A tendency to lose consciousness" is the phrase used by the Guardian to describe Man Utd's instability. Even coach Ruben Amorim is always wary of the Red Devils' "sudden loss of consciousness". Therefore, before the second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Bilbao on May 9, (Man Utd had a 3-0 advantage in the first leg), the Portuguese coach was worried that the team "could lose control".
It is unclear whether coach Amorim lost control or not because he appeared in the second half of the return match against Bilbao with his left hand showing signs of injury while it was bandaged. That was when Man Utd were trailing by a goal to the Basque team.
Man Utd had their worst season in the Premier League but impressed in the Europa League (Photo: Getty).
This season, the coach born in 1985 once "lost control" when he punched and broke the TV in the dressing room because he was so angry with his players' performance in the match against Brighton. After that time, coach Amorim admitted that he was wrong and promised not to do it again. Could it be that this time, the former coach of Sporting Lisbon "broke his promise"?
Although Man Utd turned the situation around by scoring 4 goals in the second half, it was clear that Coach Amorim was afraid of being "fooled" by his players in the remaining 45 minutes. This season, he and Man Utd fans have been "fooled" too many times.
The Reds of Manchester are two-faced. They are the worst team in the Premier League era, ranking 15th in the table. There was a time when coach Amorim was worried that the team would be relegated. However, on the other hand, they are the only team to maintain an unbeaten record in all three European Cups this season.
Man Utd has taken the audience from one disappointment to another in the Premier League, but ironically, that shabby team is now facing the opportunity to win the prestigious Europa League and will play in the Champions League next season.
The strange thing is that in European tournaments, all Man Utd's players are ready to play the role of superheroes. Casemiro "suffocated" in the Premier League but proved his high class when stepping into the continental arena. Maguire is famous for his clumsiness but his dribbling is as magical as Lamine Yamal.
Mason Mount, who seemed to be drowning due to injury, unexpectedly shone in the rare time he was trusted (a double against Bilbao in the second leg). In that tournament, Bruno Fernandes shone when he ranked first in the number of goals (7 goals) and third in the list of assists (4 goals).
Overall, everything happened to an unexpected level. It was as if God had completely reversed the face of Man Utd in the Premier League and Europa League. They were a weak version in the domestic league, but they were full of spirit and won every battle in the Europa League.
Anyone can be a hero for Man Utd in the European arena (Photo: Getty).
But of course, even after their Europa League triumphs, United are far from a perfect team. Amorim was clear about this after the Red Devils' 7-1 aggregate win over Bilbao: "We need a little more energy and we have to keep the ball well. With Ugarte and Casemiro, we lost some areas and the way we moved forward.
Bruno Fernandes is a player who is really good on the ball and can play long passes. That helps the team a lot. Amad Diallo can change the game because I felt Garnacho was tired. That's my fault because he played well against Brentford."
According to coach Amorim, Man Utd still lack "certain characteristics" but they have covered up well under the Europa League lights. The return of Mount and Amad Diallo from injury gives coach Amorim more options. In addition, the pace of play of European teams is still basically a bit slower than the Premier League. That gives Man Utd more time to deal with weaknesses.
However, the ultimate test for Man Utd will come in the Europa League final when they face Tottenham, and any advantage in fitness and speed they have against European teams will disappear.
The curse of always losing to Tottenham
Ironically, if Man Utd and Tottenham do not improve their positions in the Premier League table in the final rounds (ie still maintain 15th and 16th positions), the Europa League champions this season will set an unwanted record.
It is the "King" of the European Cup but has the lowest ranking in history in the domestic league. The record belongs to West Ham, the team that won the Europa Conference League in the 2022-23 season but only ranked 14th in the Premier League.
Man Utd lost to Tottenham in all 3 matches this season (Photo: Sky Sports).
Man Utd are disappointed but Tottenham are even more disappointed as they are currently ranked 16th in the Premier League, one point behind their opponents. However, the Red Devils cannot be proud of this. That is because they are "easy prey" for Spurs when they have lost all 3 matches this season (2 matches in the Premier League, one match in the English League Cup).
In 3 matches against Spurs this season, Man Utd only scored 3 goals and conceded 8 goals. In particular, the red half of Manchester could not score against the opponent in both matches in the Premier League. Furthermore, since October 2022 until now, Man Utd has lost 4/6 matches against "The Rooster".
It is not easy to overcome the psychological burden of consecutive defeats against opponents who used to be their "favorite prey". However, Man Utd must look at each defeat to learn lessons, before the most important match of the season.
In fact, if you look closely, you will see that compared to the two losses in September 2024 (0-3, first leg of the Premier League) and December 2024 (3-4, English League Cup), Man Utd has made certain progress in the 0-1 defeat against Tottenham in the second leg of the Premier League.
It was a match where Man Utd had the idea to attack and create chances but their finishing ability was really problematic. Accordingly, coach Amorim used two strikers, Hojlund and Zirkzee, on the field. However, both of these players tended to move wide, creating conditions for Garnacho and Dalot to take advantage of the space to run down. If Garnacho had finished more sharply, Man Utd would not have lost so much.
Man Utd built a pretty good game in the 0-1 loss to Tottenham in the second leg of the Premier League. Zirkzee and Hojlund both actively moved wide, creating space for the satellites (Photo: The Athletic).
Coach Amorim applied this tactic in the matches against Real Sociedad and Lyon (Mainoo, Maguire suddenly appeared in the penalty area and scored). The good news is that the Red Devils' finishing ability in the European arena is completely different from the domestic league.
After the match with Bilbao, coach Amorim warned Tottenham: "Man Utd have lost all three matches against Tottenham this season but we can win against them in the Europa League.
This is a European Cup final, which is completely different from the Premier League. We will both play an all-out game. We are in a very similar situation. It is a difficult moment for both me and Coach Postecoglou. Only one of us will win."
That shows that the Portuguese coach is somewhat confident about Man Utd's performance in the European arena. Just hope that Man Utd will be "two-faced" thoroughly, not "fooling" coach Amorim and the fans.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/man-utd-vao-chung-ket-europa-league-ke-hai-mat-tro-dua-so-phan-20250509231412190.htm
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