Spurs and Man Utd meet in worst-form European final

Never successful the past of European contention has a last been played betwixt 2 teams truthful retired of form.

The winners of Wednesday's Europa League last betwixt Manchester United and Tottenham successful Bilbao could beryllium the lowest league finishers ever to triumph a large European trophy.

And they volition surely go the lowest squad to ever suffice for the European Cup oregon Champions League.

United beryllium successful 16th spot successful the Premier League, with Spurs 17th - and a combined 39 league defeats.

The lone league games either person won since 2 February person been against sides who were relegated - oregon each other.

Their points tally could person had them relegated successful immoderate erstwhile seasons.

"I can't retrieve specified a crippled which was truthful highly pressurised for some teams," said erstwhile Celtic striker Chris Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

And yet 1 of them volition observe glory - and a instrumentality to the riches of the Champions League adjacent season.

BBC Sport elder shot analogous Sami Mokbel and main shot quality newsman Simon Stone, who volition some beryllium astatine San Mames for the final, person had their accidental connected whose play has been worse.

Mokbel connected Spurs: "Underperformed, underachieved, unacceptable. Domestically, astatine least.

"While Tottenham volition cling connected to anticipation of someway turning a catastrophic play into a historical one, determination tin beryllium nary moving distant from the information that results and performances person been mostly disastrous.

"Twenty-one defeats successful the Premier League and counting. Of course, each that volition beryllium forgotten if Spurs assistance the Europa League trophy connected Wednesday night.

"Whether that is capable to support Ange Postecoglou successful a job, however, is the million-dollar question with each the indications pointing towards the Australian departing careless of the result successful Bilbao.

"The information Postecoglou's tenure successful northbound London looks acceptable to extremity imminently illustrates conscionable however pitiful their home run has been.

"In their defence, injuries person debilitated Tottenham's season. They person mislaid cardinal players for agelong periods of time.

"But this is an expensively-assembled Tottenham squad - 1 that includes the club-record £65m signing of Dominic Solanke.

"United are successful a play of transition, having changed managers midway done the season.

"It's antithetic for Tottenham. Following Postecoglou's encouraging archetypal play successful charge, successful which Spurs finished fifth, this was a squad acceptable up to vie for Champions League qualification.

"Instead, they could decorativeness 1 spot supra the relegation zone. That's undeniably poor."

Stone connected United: "Manchester United person been worse due to the fact that overmuch of the harm has been self-inflicted.

"United were the ones who reflected connected Erik 10 Hag's tenure, some successful the aftermath of their 4-0 decision astatine Crystal Palace past May, past aft the FA Cup last triumph implicit Manchester City, and decided to instrumentality with him.

"United gave him wealth to spend, specifically connected Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee successful the summer, past sacked him aft 9 games.

"And United told Ruben Amorim helium had to commencement immediately, not hold until the summertime to articulation from Sporting.

"Now, the information nett is Bilbao and past that United deed the crushed moving astatine the commencement of adjacent season, which would warrant the refusal to hold for Amorim.

"But, successful the present and now, United person been woeful.

"There person been periods successful games erstwhile they person looked fluid and their passing triangles person worked.

"However, Rasmus Hojlund has not looked a menace astatine 1 extremity of the tract and basal mistakes person undermined them astatine the other.

"With six minutes near of other clip successful their Europa League quarter-final against 10-man Lyon, it was not casual to onslaught a azygous optimistic enactment connected United's behalf. Somehow, they rescued themselves.

"Since then, United person got 1 constituent from 5 Premier League games. No-one has done worse than that.

"By immoderate measure, this is United's worst play since the 1973-74 relegation campaign. And they announced fiscal losses of £113.2m past September.

"To walk truthful overmuch and beryllium truthful atrocious truly takes immoderate doing."

Only 2 teams person won a European trophy aft finishing beneath 12th successful their home league.

That includes the aged Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup, Uefa Cup, European Cup, Champions League, Europa League and newish Conference League.

The lowest-ranked squad yet was West Ham conscionable 2 seasons agone erstwhile they finished 14th successful the Premier League but won the third-tier Conference League.

The highest Manchester United oregon Spurs tin decorativeness is 14th - with respective results having to spell their way.

The different lowest finishes person each travel successful assorted iterations of the Europa League.

Inter Milan finished 13th retired of 18 teams successful Serie A successful 1993-94, lone staying up by 1 constituent (in the aged strategy of 2 points for a win), but won the Uefa Cup.

And a squad finishing 12th person won it 3 times - Arsenal successful the 1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Schalke successful the 1996-97 Uefa Cup and Sevilla successful the 2022-23 Europa League.

That Sevilla squad are the lowest-placed to person ever qualified for the European Cup oregon Champions League - until now.

Former Chelsea subordinate Sutton said: "There's not going to beryllium a large woody of prime connected show.

"Both sets of players volition beryllium apprehensive and nervous."

On Amorim and Postecoglou making changes successful caller Premier League games, helium added: "I don't recognize wherefore they are gripped by fear. Both managers privation to spell into the cupful last with momentum.

"That truly adds to the juncture and the pressure."

This volition beryllium the sixth all-English last successful European contention - with each of those involving either Tottenham oregon Chelsea.

England is the archetypal state to person truthful galore successful Uefa contention (excluding the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup).

Tottenham bushed Wolves for the 1972 Uefa Cup last and Manchester United defeated Chelsea to triumph the 2008 Champions League.

In 2019, some finals were all-English - with Liverpool beating Tottenham successful the Champions League and Chelsea seeing disconnected Arsenal successful the Europa League.

Chelsea bushed Manchester City to triumph the Champions League successful 2021.

Both managers are looking for their archetypal trophy successful complaint of an English nine - but they person won silverware abroad.

Postecoglou, 59, has the bigger trophy haul, though helium has been managing a batch longer than his 40-year-old other number.

Both sides volition beryllium hopeless to triumph this match, but their incentives are rather distinct.

For Tottenham, this would beryllium a archetypal trophy since the 2008 Carabao Cup and their archetypal European trophy since 1984.

It would vindicate Postecoglou's early-season declaration that helium ever wins a trophy successful his 2nd season.

And someway their worst home play since the 1970s could crook retired to beryllium their champion successful years.

"I'm definite if that happens connected Wednesday nighttime Ange volition beryllium smug walking disconnected the transportation and accidental 'see you later, I've told you what I bash mate'," said erstwhile Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given.

Sutton reckons if Spurs lose, Postecoglou whitethorn not adjacent beryllium successful complaint for the last crippled of the Premier League play astatine location to Brighton connected Sunday.

"If Postecoglou wins he'll beryllium hailed," said the erstwhile Blackburn forward. "But conscionable ideate the ambiance against Brighton if Tottenham lose.

"I fishy helium mightiness not beryllium successful complaint if that happens due to the fact that that volition beryllium arsenic toxic arsenic anything."

For Manchester United - who person won home cups successful the past 2 seasons - Champions League qualification is the eventual extremity here.

"Financially, it's the astir important lucifer successful the club's history," says shot concern adept Kieran Maguire.

Sutton feels the crippled is simply a imaginable "get-out-of-jail-free card" for Amorim.

The Portuguese, who is hoping to oversee a summertime rebuild, said: "I deliberation [qualifying for the] Champions League is much important for everything, to hole the adjacent season.

"We are expected to beryllium successful the Champions League and the Europa League present is not enough, you person that feeling here. The champion mode to assistance america get to the apical successful a fewer years is the Champions League."