Tottenham vs Man United LIVE: Europa League closing build-up and updates as Amorim confirms harm increase for Bilbao showdown
Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United in the Europa League final tonight in Bilbao in a game that will elevate or condemn what have been, until this point, dismal campaigns for both clubs.
Both sides have been poor in the Premier League, combining for a staggering 39 defeats to sit 16th and 17th in the table, but both sets of supporters have overcome limited travel options to arrive in the Basque Country ready for their date with destiny.
Ange Postecoglou claimed he “always wins” a trophy in his second year in charge of clubs and has created waves of headlines in the build-up by taking a swipe at a journalist for writing that he was “teetering between hero and clown”. United arrive at the final unbeaten in Europe this term and looking to repeat the glory of 2017 in this competition over the heartache in 2021 when theu fell to Villarreal on penalties in the final.
And United have not beaten Spurs in their last six matches, with three successive losses, but Ruben Amorim’s side can boost hopes of a successful summer transfer window with victory here.
Follow all the latest team news and updates from chief football writer Miguel Delaney in Bilbao, with both managers and players set to speak ahead of Wednesday’s game:
‘Historic moment’ to win – Son Heung-Min
The Spurs captain had this to say about lifting the Europa League trophy: “It would be very special and would be a historic moment but I [have been] here 10 years and I just want to win the trophy, which nobody has done in the 10 years I have been here.
“Tomorrow is going to be a massive day for the club and the boys and for me as well.”
Confidence or pressure?
Are Spurs more confident having beaten Manchester United three times already this season?
“It’s a final and those kind of things aren’t important. What I do know is, even your form going into it, even if you’re in terrible form – it doesn’t matter.
“What matters is how the players cope with the occasion, how they cope with understanding the importance of the game – from both clubs.
“You just don’t know how players will react to such a big occasion.”
Ange Postecoglou insists his focus is on the final, not his future
“It doesn’t matter really,” Postecoglou stresses when asked over speculation around his future. “The reality of it is, the opportunity is the same. For me and more importantly for the club.
“Whatever happens beyond tomorrow is irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now and that is to provide something special for this football club, its supporters and everyone that has worked so hard for a trophy.
“If I was worried about my tenure at this football club, it’s fair to say we wouldn’t be in this position because I would have been distracted long ago.
“I’m pretty good at ensuring my focus is on giving this football club its best opportunity that it has had for a while to do something special.
“Whatever happens after that, I’m very comfortable that I will continue trying to win trophies wherever I am.”
Ange Postecoglou on the importance of Son Heung Min’s return
“It’s massive to get Sonny back. We were a little bit worried when he picked up the injury because we weren’t sure how long he was going to be out for. We were really pleased the other night to see him play 60-70 minutes. You could see his sharpness is coming back.
“He is so important to the group. He is so important as a leader and he is such an important figure at this football club. It’s a big motivation and driver for all of us to give him a trophy that his career deserves.
“He is a guy that has come from the other side of the world. Not many guys have come from Asia and stayed in the Premier League – the top league in the world – for so long, maintaining that excellence. It would be great to cap that off with a trophy for him.
“He knows and we all know that we still have to do the work. He has been in this position before with the Champions League final so he has had that experience and I am sure he will pass that on to the players.”
Ange Postecoglou insists more work to be done at Tottenham
Postecoglou also batted away a question suggesting he may walk away if Tottenham win the Europa League tonight.
“I don’t think my job is done here,” he insisted. “I really feel like we are building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate that.
“I still think there is a lot of work to be done. That is quite obvious with the challenges we’ve had this year, but I think there is some reasoning in the context of that but also there has been some growth that I would like to see through.
“Whether that happens or not, that’s not important right now but I don’t think this job is finished. I feel like there is some growth there that we can take this club where it needs to be.”
Trophy could change perception of Spurs
“For me personally, well you know great, it’s another trophy I can reminisce in my old age about, but more importantly what it means for the club,” Postecoglou said.
“When you look at the historical backdrop of this club and what it’s been through in the last 20-odd years, I feel like it could be a turning point in terms of the way the club is perceived but also more how it perceives itself which I think is the biggest thing.
“That’s the hurdle this club has to overcome because it’ll always be there. Until you actually do it, then you are fair game for people to say ‘you’ve always kind of fluffed it on the big stage.’”
‘We have bigger things to deal with’ – Amorim
Amorim is asked about a previous statement that winning the Europa League wouldn’t fix the underlying issues at United, and he reiterates that.
“I think it’s hard to speak about it in this moment because we need to be excited and confident but we already know the problems. There are a lot of things we need to change in our club. The way we do everything during the week in Carrington, the recruitment, the academy I think we need to improve.
“It’s hard to point one thing. That will not be solved by winning a cup. I will say it again, for me we have bigger things to deal with to put this club back to the top.
“Tomorrow, it will be important for us and our fans that feeling of winning can help us have the strength to do every job we have to do. We have a lot to do in our club, not just winning tomorrow but tomorrow will be massive for us and our fans.”
‘Main thing is our club brings the trophy back to Manchester’ – Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes was asked about following in the footsteps of United’s five previous captains to lift European silverware, but said that was not the focus.
“The Europa League is everything that is in our minds because we play the final tomorrow. We can be successful in the Europa League.
“Obviously, we know that in the Premier League we haven’t been as good as we want, and all the other cups the same because our aim is always to get to the end of the competitions and win the trophies.
“I am not here thinking I am going to be one of the captains lifting the European trophy. Obviously, it’s a very good feeling, I’m very proud of it but at the same time for me the main thing is that our club gets to bring the trophy back to Manchester.”
‘Nothing is going to change our season’ – Amorim
Asked about the importance of this game in relation to the rest of their season and whether it could give United “a new future,” Amorim said: “A new future for me I think is not the case, but it’s going to help us to finish the season and many people will look at our team in a different way because winning a European title is really important.
“But, again, nothing is going to change our season, everybody knows winning a European title can help us have the feeling that can help us to build a future.”
