The Premier League results will soon be forgotten this season when Manchester United take on Spurs in the Europa League final, and the managers of the two teams are taking polar opposite approaches.
The upcoming Europa League final is among the most consequential ones in recent memory due to both clubs’ league woes.
It will be the difference between a season written off and a season saved, which is why both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou will be severely scrutinised in the lead-up to the game.
Already, the duo have taken the polar opposite approaches to the final which means one will come out looking like a genius and the other will look like a fool.
Ange Postecoglou vs Ruben Amorim’s approach to Europa League
Both United and Spurs had to play two Premier League games between the semi-final second leg and the final in Bilbao on May 21.
Therefore, it was a chance for both to arrive at the final fully fit while navigating the risk of further injuries in these two games.
The first game didn’t end well for either, with Leny Yoro’s injury putting a dampener on things at Old Trafford, while Dejan Kulusevski’s injury making people sweat at Spurs.
Despite the similarities, however, the approach the two managers have taken to the final couldn’t be more different.
While Amorim played his full-strength team against West Ham, eager to keep the players in rhythm and sharpness, Postecoglou went the opposite way.
He rested the likes of Son, Romero, Van de Ven, and Solanke, to name a few, fielding a much-changed XI, many of whom didn’t come on at all.
That leads to the question that could decide the fate of the final – is a fully-rested squad lacking in match sharpness better or is a team that might not be fully rested but is match fit more capable of winning a game?
One team will look like a fool on May 21
As if the stakes weren’t already high enough, these extremely different approaches have ensured that one manager will be in for a brutal round of criticism when the full-time whistle goes on May 21.
Both have all the eggs in the Europa League basket and clearly have different views about preparing for a final, which means one is bound to look like a fool.
There will be no middle path or balance when it comes to analysing their season after the final because neither team has chosen the middle path themselves while trying to save their season.
A game that already looked like it had the world riding on it has just had another talking point added to it.
United will hope they have the final genius in the dugout and it all works out in the end.
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