The Tottenham and Man United flaws that will decide a Europa League final of extremes | OneFootball

As both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur came together in Bilbao, for a rare showpiece that distils so many disparate strands of both clubs' dismal seasons, there was one conspicuous difference between the camps.

Virtually everyone from Spurs said they were here to “change the bad season”, to “change the narrative”, to just “change something”. These comments came from Son Heung Min, Micky van de Ven and Ange Postecoglou.

With United, Ruben Amorim said this final changes nothing. That might be in keeping with the Portuguese’s unexpectedly scathing criticism of his own campaign - to the extent that it almost feels like he goes so severe to give himself cover - but it’s also consistent with the mood in his squad.

Bruno Fernandes spoke matter-of-factly about just winning a trophy. There was obvious discussion about what Champions League qualification would mean, but very little as regards the meaning of lifting the Europa League itself.

That’s because this is just what United do. Even in one of the worst periods of their history, they have won two trophies in two seasons, and are now going for their third.

It is not what Spurs do, at least in the modern era. Even in one of the best periods of their history, which was Mauricio Pochettino’s wildly overachieving spell, they still couldn't get that trophy. It is why victory would genuinely mean so much.

One question that weighs over this final is whether these different cultures are going to contribute to the outcome. It’s hard not to think it would be a much bigger discussion, were it not for the fact that it is just one of many extremes that frame this game.

Rarely has a match been so utterly binary. And that’s in terms of perception, potential analysis and even effect.

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Son Heung Min is eyeing Europa League glory with Tottenham (PA)

In the most basic terms, the winner will have enjoyed a successful season, the lifting of a trophy all that really remains in the memory. The loser will be cast as a total failure, with a final defeat just following on from dire league form.

It has already been revealed on these pages how there has never previously been a European final where both teams have been so low in their domestic leagues. It is genuinely unprecedented. They have both wasted so much money to get here, which is below where the club hierarchies would idealise.

That has in turn ensured this game has created this immense need, where the financial effects of Champions League qualification have become disproportionately important. The Europa League final may consequently form a sliding doors moment for English football, potentially re-energising one of these clubs. That has certainly been the main focus at Old Trafford.

One fair description, at least in relative terms, is that this is one of the worst finals in history.

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The Estadio de San Mames will host a fascinating clash of ideologues (Getty)

And yet that may well make it one of the most entertaining. European competition has already inverted the norms of both of their seasons. Where they have been hapless in the Premier League, they have been heroic in Europe.

United have gone from a drab side so easy to pick apart to one that plays with real conviction. The first leg performance against Bilbao was so emphatic. Spurs have gone from a naive team that often collapse, to one that has displayed real canniness. The victory over Eintracht Frankfurt was a tactical masterclass.

There are obvious caveats to all of this, that figures within both clubs are only too keen to point to. One is injuries, and how that gradually left them needing to prioritise Europe over domestic lost causes.

A fair response is that Premier League champions Liverpool have shown how fitness injuries are no longer just blind bad luck. At the same time, this very theme may fittingly influence the game, offering a final coda to the season. United are virtually certain to be without their first-choice defence. Spurs are virtually certain to be without their first-choice midfield. Typically, both have more flaws than usual.

And that feels like it makes a genuinely 50-50 game all the more unpredictable. It's not just how both managers respond to their absences, but how their responses interact with each other.

By the same token, will this be a Premier League game or a Europa League game? Will both teams go at it in the way they have in England, or will they look at it like continental competition?

It’s hard not to feel more focus falls on Postecoglou there, and not just because he is almost certain to leave Spurs at the end of the season. He has already beaten United three times in three different circumstances this season, but also complemented that by being much more willing than Amorim to drastically change his approach in Europe. It has been a striking, and almost surprising, feature of the season.

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United have a sense of the weight of their own history on their side (Getty)

So, will Postecoglou do the same again? Will he offer that specifically tailored game plan, or will it be a battle of ideologues that may well lead to chaos?

It’s hard not to think the various elements will make this like the 4-3 Carabao Cup game in December rather than any of their other meetings. While that would usually lead to Spurs looking like favourites, fixtures like this can do funny things.

One-country European ties are generally strange enough. One-country finals are even stranger. They can be easily skewed, the atmosphere of the game taking over.

There are then those winning cultures. This might seem intangible esoteric stuff, but the tangible element is how it can influence the psychology of players, and their application.

United players can just see themselves winning. Spurs players are dreaming of it.

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Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United arrives at the San Mames, Bilbao (Getty)

That’s why, emotionally, it would mean far more to Tottenham. Financially, or at least in terms of what next, it would mean much more to United.

But is this one other extreme to be skewed by this season, in the same way we have seen so many other droughts already ended this season.

Spurs are taking inspiration from that, and their own preparation going into this final. United are taking inspiration from their culture, and what they do.

All of this comes together at the brilliant San Mames stadium, before going in vastly different directions. It is going to be charged, for a night of extremes.