Two Sides of the Same Coin

Before the season, both Manchester United and Tottenham fans hoped that this season would end with a potential return to the Champions League. Both clubs entered the season in dramatically different ways, but are now in the same boat.

Without a paddle, they wade closer to the relegation zone than to European spots.

United remain the same mess despite a managerial change, with little hope on the way. On the other hand, Tottenham ended their first post-Kane season in a relatively positive manner.

Despite appointing an intriguing manager, nothing changed for United. The squad remains disjointed, lacking a clear vision to unify its efforts. As the season nears its end, besides a few players and Amorim, another summer of change is coming to Manchester. 

Just a year ago, Postecoglou seemed to be the perfect manager to lead this new iteration of Spurs to the top four. Due to a mix of injuries and teams figuring the Australian out, the Spurs look the worst they have since Potch first joined. Perhaps the biggest question facing Spurs this summer is whether to keep Postecoglou. 

For two clubs that hoped for a fight for Europe, this season will be seen as a massive disaster.

Both clubs enter the home stretch of this season facing existential questions this summer.

In a way, United’s issues revolve around their appointment of Amorim. It makes everything both easy and difficult to diagnose.

At this point, it seems difficult to truly evaluate the job of the Portuguese. Two things can be true: the team he inherited is a mess, and his system has yet to work. If United cut ties with ten Hag last summer and appointed Amorim, then the manager’s system would be easier to judge.

Talking objectively about this current United team remains tough because it’s too easy to joke about them. However, the collective talent on this team still remains superior to that of the majority of the teams above. On this roster exist plenty of exciting young players who have been fed into the woodchipper that is United and seen their stocks plummet.

If there exists one silver lining for the Red Devils, it’s that there are hints of an interesting young core. Mainoo and Yoro, among others, deserve a chance at developing without the mess clouding over them.

Similarly, if Amorim had this team playing top-level football, the concerns could be placed on the players. Again, nothing truly seems changed since the ten Hag move, besides the occasional glimpses of a fun attacking side. The results speak for themselves, however, and the team’s slide failed to stop with his appointment.

At the same time, perhaps making a judgment call on Amorim is wrong. This squad still contains his Dutch predecessor’s fingerprints, forcing him to make do. Even with that caveat, no player seems transformed by his appointment.

Judging Amorim after a full season remains more logical, especially after having a full summer to build this squad.

However, this remains United, and the end of next season may decide whether the Portuguese has a long stay in Manchester.

Comparing the dire situation in Manchester with how Tottenham concluded their season makes their fall all the more intriguing. It seemed, after all, that the end of last season proved that they were finally back on the right track.

PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur/Facebook

Tottenham’s season was marred by injuries and key regressions from both the manager and players alike. Key injuries left the squad reeling from the start of the season, but the team should have found a way past this. Instead, the inability to make up for those injuries sank this team.

Losing your starting keeper early in the season, coupled with a backline torn to shreds by injuries, can tank any team. However, it’s not as if the Spurs had a good defense last season. One of the aspects baked into Postecoglou’s tactics is a leaky defense in service of a more potent attack. 

That continued to be true this season, where, at this point, they have a +11 goal differential. An easily misconstrued stat, but one that can help shed light on the issues surrounding the team.

Lopsided victories and close defeats conflate a good goal differential with a poor record. Since the start of the year, Spurs have won four games, with none of them coming against a top-half side. Better teams figured out the Australians’ system and exploited the defensive issues.

Postecoglou’s inability to be flexible about his system remains the biggest issue. Injuries to the backline make playing a more high-line almost impossible. Opponents cut the defense apart without any moves made to stem the bleeding.

A year ago, it seemed that Tottenham under Postecoglou had found their heir to Potch.

However, with the team spiraling towards the relegation zone, the ultimate question of whether to keep him remains.

To be honest, both teams benefited from the worst relegation battle in recent memory. These are two clubs fully spiraling down the table without any life raft coming their way.

Once more, the summer has a chance to make or break these clubs.

PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur/Facebook