Manchester United have had their worst season on record just hit a new low as the club lose to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Not only does this mean The Red Devils have failed to win the tournament, but they also won’t be playing in any European competition next year.
The repercussions of this are immense, with the club now missing out on the extra £100 million in revenue that would have come from Champions League football by winning tonight.
Another knock on is the effect this will have on Old Trafford being a desirable new home for prospective stars, with several targets keen for European football.
So, what have we learnt from the final?
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1) Rasmus Hojlund needs to be replaced
This one doesn’t come as a shock, but Rasmus Hojlund has to go.
The striker was unlucky not to score with a header in the second half, impressively cleared by Micky van de Ven. But, as the TNT commentators Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist commented, the goal was open, Guglielmo Vicario was off his line, so United’s first-choice striker should have scored.
Arguably Hojlund actually performed best in a few moments where he appeared to shift to an attacking midfielder role in the first half with Amad Diallo pushing more central, but everything shows he should not be United’s primary striker.
With a 21-game goal drought this season and tonight’s subdued performance when it mattered most to grab goals, Ruben Amorim needs a reliable goal scorer if United have any chance of bouncing back next season.
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2) Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho are essential to Manchester United
United’s only saving grace all game have got to be in the form of Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.
From the first whistle, Diallo showed his drive and desire to fight for the ball and make something happen, easily United’s best player on the pitch for the first half.
As for Garnacho, he finally joined the game in the 71st minute coming on for Mason Mount, but instantly changed the game. He brought a new intensity and attacking fire to the United squad, showing how much of an impact he makes on the team around him.
United would be foolish to let either go this summer given their performances tonight are merely the latest showing in a strong season for the pair.
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3) Ruben Amorim is too reluctant to make changes
Lets be honest, the first half was dismal. United were too keen to play the ball along the back three, taking their time and wasting the half away.
With the exception of Diallo and Patrick Dorgu’s consistent runs down the left wing to link up with balls from Harry Maguire, there was no real drive to attack.
Then, Tottenham scored with a sloppy goal at the end of the first half. The second half started with no changes to the United line up, but there was also no changes to how United were playing. No attack, no drive, nothing.
And yet, it took Amorim another 25 minutes to make any changes to his line up, despite his bench clearly wanting to get tagged in.
Then, when Garancho and Joshua Zirkzee came on for Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, the whole look of the United side changed. This was a change that needed to happen much much sooner.
Unfortunately this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Amorim’s reluctance to change, with his determination to stick with the 3-4-3 system despite failing results and the United squad not naturally fitting into this system.
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4) United’s defence need to communicate more
On the whole, United’s back three of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro worked really well, holding a strong shape and supporting each other.
However, the few moments where that concentration and communication dropped, they were punished or came close to being so.
The goal from Tottenham was partially well worked by the Tottenham squad, partially unlucky for Shaw and partially down to Andre Onana’s delayed reaction to get to the ball.
However, it also looked as though Maguire had no idea that Brennan Johnson was behind him so acted less urgently than he could have to respond to the cross.
At one point Yoro called for Andre Onana to come out to the ball, which he didn’t, leaving the 18-year-old to deal with two approaching Spurs attackers, being pinned in and the ball heading out for a goal kick.
Another moment saw a Spurs ball do completely unconnected, through the United box, headed out for a goal kick, before Dorgu clumsily tried to control it, sending it out for a corner. The calls from the defence to leave it either weren’t heard or weren’t there.
However, the more worrying thing was that on several occasions the defence looked panicked with having to rely on Onana.
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5) A lot of the current squad shouldn’t be starting for Manchester United
Throughout the season, certain players like Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund have show repeated problematic performances, giving fair reasons to question their place in the United team.
However, it goes beyond just this pair. With the exception of players like Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui, Garnacho, Diallo and Maguire, the current side are just not good enough.
Dorgu was making some incredibly promising runs, showing his awareness, but the delivery at the end of it or touch to control the pass just wasn’t quite there right now.
Yoro looked incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet and made some key passes, but both of these two young defenders should be learning off of a stronger and more experienced player in their role.
Admittedly Yoro has Maguire by his side and his selection over Victor Lindelof was definitely a good move, but he’s still got space to grow into the first team.
Casemiro had an impressive showing, but as the game went on, the midfield veteran was visibly struggling to get around the pitch at pace, showing his role in the game is shifting.
Luke Shaw was comfortable in possession but didn’t really bring a lot to the game, and we’ve already discussed Hojlund.
The real thing that this devastating and impactful loss has show us, is that United have a really long way to go with some significant squad changes needed if they have any hope of improving for next season.
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