Peter Bosz’s Ajax had been drilled so relentlessly in a specific style they were helpless when they needed to get back into the game against Manchester UnitedIt is rare to see a final contested between teams using such utterly different approaches, and equally rare for the game to pan out so predictably. Ajax had plenty of the ball, Manchester United counterattacked and proved more ruthless in the penalty area.The stylistic contrast was remarkable. Ajax are a possession-based side rejuvenated under their attack-minded coach, Peter Bosz, a man who greatly admired Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side, and in transferring that template on to his young charges, was also creating something of a throwback to Ajax’s Total Football days. If Bosz was playing...
Two days after the Manchester Arena attack, José Mourinho’s side showed grit to defeat Ajax and win their first European trophy in nine yearsAt the end, delirious scenes greeted this triumph. As the Manchester United substitutes and staff flooded on to the pitch to hug the players, José Mourinho wagged a finger and was hailed by the supporters sent into ecstasy by an emphatic victory over Ajax.The injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic was irrepressible as he took a selfie with the suspended Eric Bailly by the trophy. Next, Mourinho jigged with his squad and, finally, the late substitute Wayne Rooney lifted the Europa League cup to mark a fitting end to a match played against the harrowing backdrop of Monday’s bombing at...
Limited tickets and soaring travel costs have made the trip to Stockholm difficult for supporters who ought to be central to any European finalVisiting another country to watch your team contest a European final is not far off the zenith of existence – better even than finishing fourth in the league. And though it may not always seem that way, such occasions cannot be taken for granted.Real Madrid, easily Europe’s most successful club, were absent from them between 1986 and 1998, then again between 2002 and 2014. Accordingly, it is incumbent on every match-goer to enjoy every opportunity to the fullest extent, because who knows when the next one will come along? Related: Manchester United fans in sombre mood at...
Once thought to be too nice to be a destructive force in midfield, the 27-year-old has thrived this season under José Mourinho and aims to drive United to victory over Ajax in the Europa League finalAnder Herrera has already played in one Europa League final but if that makes him more experienced than many of his Manchester United team-mates it is only because his present club have rarely given Uefa’s second-string competition their full attention. The midfielder reached the 2012 final in Bucharest with Athletic Bilbao, only to be beaten 3-0 by an Atlético Madrid side already beginning to respond to the newly arrived Diego Simeone.Bilbao put out Manchester United on the way to the final, along with Schalke and...
The 2016-17 season still had its drama – moments of brilliance and booming narrative arcs to be resolved – but it was less title race than well-ordered title jogFarewell, then, to the year that almost was. This was a Premier League season that sparked with a controlled excitement, never quite caught fire but still dished up another digestible slice of high-end product.Things kept on almost happening. Leicester City almost completed the most dramatic title-plus-relegation act of all time. But then it was all sort of OK. Marco Silva almost pulled off a minor managerial miracle – but somehow not quite. To great fanfare Tottenham Hotspur pulled to within one victory of being quite close to creeping up on Chelsea’s shoulder at...