Saint-Mames Night: Manchester United 0-1 Tottenham hits a rare trough in team history, Champions League qualification ends embarrassing 19 years

Spurs hold the cup

When the heavy rains at St. Mamez washed away the red flag of Old Trafford, the UEFA Cup final between Manchester United and Tottenham were recorded in history in a bitter way. In the early morning of May 22, Tottenham defeated Manchester United 1-0 with a controversial goal of Brennan Johnson, winning the European Championship again after many years. The Red Devils ranked 16th in the Premier League, and said a rare low in the history of the Champions League next season.

This loss not only exposed Manchester United's deep crisis, but also became a watershed for the decline of the Premier League giants.

Tactical Game: The Collision between Adventure and Practice

Manchester United coach Amorin

Portuguese young coach Amorin's arrangement is full of controversy. He abandoned the defensive midfielder Ugat (absent due to injury for a long time), allowing captain B to retreat to the organization, and Mason Mount served as the front midfielder for the first time. This adjustment directly led to an imbalance in the defense line - in the 42nd minute, Tottenham made a cross from the left, Luke Shaw made a mistake in the marking, and Brennan Johnson scored in the three-man double-team. In the second half, Hoylund's header shot was rescued by Van der Fen's goal line barb, becoming the closest moment for Manchester United to score in the game.

Tottenham coach Postkoglu

Tottenham coach Postkoglu has completely different tactical choices. Facing Manchester United's 73% possession rate, he chose to shrink his defense and use the wing to quickly counterattack to create a threat. Although Son Heung-min did not start, he quickly activated the team after he came on the bench, eventually helping Tottenham secure the victory. Data shows that Tottenham only had three shots in the game, but it was efficiently converted into goals, which can be regarded as a textbook case of "making big with small profits".

Frontline Dilemma: The contrast between billions of investment and sporadic sparks

Manchester United's sluggish performance of 42 goals in the Premier League this season was fully revealed in the final. Hoylund's header in the 68th minute was cleared by Van der Fen's goal line, Garnacho's long shot in the 75th minute was saved, and Mount's six shots were ineffective.

Manchester United goalkeeper Onana

What is even more puzzling is that Manchester United paid 50 million euros to introduce Onana, but the goalkeeper made repeated attack mistakes - in the 42nd minute, he rashly rushed out of the penalty area and led to Brennan Johnson's chance to score a one-on-one opportunity.

Relegation counterattack: Tottenham's survival philosophy

Although Tottenham ranks 17th in the league, this victory is by no means accidental. Boss Po made accurate predictions before the game: "Manchester United's offense lacks penetration, and all we have to do is to drag the game into a battle of attrition." Tottenham shots only three times in the game, but defeated Manchester United through accurate crosses and quick conversions. Son Heung-min's substitute appearance, Solank's role in connecting with each other, and the coordinated defense of Van der Fen and Romero on the back line together constitute the "civilian miracle."

The Red Devils' crisis

The crisis and reflection: The Red Devils' crisis

This loss marked the first time that Manchester United missed the Champions League for two consecutive years in a row, and it was also the first time since 1993 that he finished with the 16th place in the league.

The management's short-sightedness in the four-year change of coaches, the chaos in the signing strategy (such as the introduction of inaction centers of 100 million pounds), and the gap in the youth training system have led to today's dilemma.

When fans shouted "Ruben Amorin was dismissed", they should ask: Why are high-priced signings such as Hoylund and Mount never integrated into the system? Why do the defense line repeatedly make low-level mistakes?

The heavy rains in Saint-Mames washed away the false glory of Old Trafford, and Tottenham's trophy reflected the deep crisis of Manchester United. If we cannot establish a sustainable youth training hematopoiesis system and abandon the inertial thinking of "spend money for results", Manchester United's next 17 years may still be hovering in the abyss.

For Tottenham, this belated trophy is not only avenge, but also the best compliment for pragmatic football!