It was a painful night for Manchester United as they fell to a crushing 1-0 defeat in the UEFA Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
While there was some hope that Man United could redeem themselves following what has been a disastrous season, it wasn’t to be, with a soft goal from Brennan Johnson proving enough to push Spurs over the line.
Despite dominating with 16 shots on goal while Spurs had just three, United were completely ineffective up front, barely threatening their opponents’ defence.
One pundit who bluntly called out United’s poor performance was Sky Sports pundit Lewis Jones.
“I know we’ve said this many times this season, but Manchester United were so clueless and devoid of any attacking structure,” Jones started off by saying.
“They once again resorted to lumping balls into the box as a method of attack, with Maguire and Casemiro their only threat.”
“The best chance which fell to Hojlund was from a Vicario mistake. Serious, serious issues with this football team who lack identity under Ruben Amorim,” Lewis continued, before delivering one final crushing sentiment.
“He won’t have to worry about balancing European football next season.”
Sadly, the majority of United’s blunders appeared to be a result of manager Ruben Amorim’s decision-making.
Despite Spurs putting out a vulnerable lineup due to numerous injuries, United failed to capitalise.
Amorim’s squad selection was questionable at best, with the Portuguese manager opting to start with Rasmus Hojlund up top despite his horrid form.
Of course, Luke Shaw was also a risky option, especially having returned from injury so recently.
While there will be those who want to give Amorim more time in his role at Old Trafford, the United manager is now under increasing pressure.
Should he retain his job next season, Amorim will need to improve his team’s form, and fast.
Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
