The biggest game of the season ended with a whimper for Manchester United as the performance was straight out of a 2024/25 Premier League match.
It was perhaps expected against a Premier League opposition, but Man Utd’s 1-0 loss to Spurs showcased the worst side of Ruben Amorim’s team again.
For all the assertions by Amorim after the game that United were the better team, the reality is that Spurs happily let them dictate proceedings, knowing Amorim’s men have no attacking patterns or ruthlessness to break down a deep defence.
In the process, it is impossible to not be reminded of Jose Mourinho mocking ‘poets’ of football after his Europa League final in 2017.
Photo by VI Images via Getty Images
Photo by VI Images via Getty Images
Jose Mourinho had already mocked what Ruben Amorim did in Europa League final
When Mourinho managed the 2017 Europa League final, the situation of the team in the league wasn’t this bad but it was still the only route to UCL qualification.
Mourinho famously played a youth academy side against Crystal Palace in the league just before the showpiece event, in contrast to Amorim fielding a full-strength XI.
He then completely nullified Ajax on the day, making that final a serene watch for Man Utd fans, where the opponent could have played for 90 hours, never mind 90 minutes, and still not score.
After the game, he mocked ‘poets’ in football, those who prefer to win accolades with their style of play instead of trophies, unwilling to be adaptable in their tactical system.
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He said after the 2017 final: “If you want to press the ball all the time, you don’t play short. If you are dominant in the air, you build long.
“There are lots of poets in football. The poets…they don’t win many titles. We knew where they were better than us, where we were better than them. We tried to kill their good qualities, explore their weaknesses.”
Granted, Mourinho’s Man Utd were up against an Ajax side that was young but the point here is that he was pragmatic enough to realise this and took full advantage.
In 2025, that pragmatic manager was in the opposite dugout, and Amorim was mocked as the ‘poet’.
Ange Postecoglou did a number on Ruben Amorim
Much like Mourinho in 2017, Postecoglou realised that United can’t break down deep defences and their biggest threat comes from transition opportunities.
Despite long being criticised for his stubborn high line and extreme attacking football, Postecoglou channelised his “Mourinho” and set up Spurs to defend.
Amorim can take solace in saying that United were the better team but, in reality, Postecoglou knew what he was doing and did a number on Amorim.
For all of United’s possession, Vicario had to barely make any saves, and Spurs still looked threatening on transitions.
On the day, Amorim refused to be adaptable again, becoming the very ‘poet’ Mourinho mocked in 2017. In a cruel bit of irony, he was beaten by the tactical setup of the very same Mourinho, used by Postecoglou this time.