Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur displayed an effective Plan B to beat Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final
Tottenham Hotspur reached the promised land on Wednesday night, ending their 17-year long trophy drought by winning the Europa League. They beat Manchester United 1-0, thanks to a first-half scruffy goal from Brennan Johnson.
Spurs were ultra-defensive in the second half, putting numbers in and around the box to thwart Manchester United’s sporadic burst of attacks. It was not typical of the North London side under Ange Postecoglou, as they sat back, defended deep and looked for the counter attack. They barely got a chance on the break as Ruben Amorim’s side ramped up the pressure and most of the play happened in the Tottenham half.
Credit to Ange Postecoglou and Co. for sticking to their plan and executing it perfectly, demonstrating a different side to their game which majority of the fans were not aware of. In a season where defensive errors and lapses in concentration became a regularity, the team looked unified and gave their all to defend a one-goal lead to clinch the European silverware.
Ange Postecoglou backed his strong statement by winning the Europa League on Wednesday
Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle praised the fight and team spirit of the players against Man United. He felt it wasn’t a cup classic, but all that meant for Ange’s Spurs was winning and they did exactly.
“All in all, this final, it wasn’t a classic, but it was about winning,” Glenn Hoddle told TNT Sports (h/t BBC Sport).
“This club hasn’t won anything for 17 years and these supporters are going to take everything in.”
Spurs showed there is a plan B. Accused throughout the campaign for having a same style of football which wasn’t working to get results in the Premier League, Ange was pragmatic in his approach and his players followed the plan.
Tottenham came up with a Plan B to beat Man United in the Europa League final
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He played three in the midfield and particularly in the first half that overpowered Man United. Ruben Amorim’s side found it difficult to progress the ball both from centrally and wide areas, thereby making them predictable. While Ange was flexible and even brought in on extra defenders to close out the game, Amorim failed to adapt and his team were clueless in unlocking that rigid Tottenham rearguard.
It was a classic case of pragmatism, an approach that ironically became a recipe for success for Ange’s side in the Europa League final.