THE contrast between the two pre-match media conferences could not have been more stark.
After Ange Postecoglou had ranted and raged against the dying of the light on his Tottenham reign, Ruben Amorim was asked if he felt lucky not to be under similar scrutiny.
PARuben Amorim joked with Bruno Fernandes about the pressure he is under at Man Utd[/caption] GettyFernandes had a savage two-word response to suggestions he was not under pressure[/caption] GettyMeanwhile, Ange Postecoglou was snappy with reporters at his press conference[/caption]MAN UTD VS TOTTENHAM – EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL LIVE
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At that point, a giggling Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes interjected by saying: “He is!”
Amorim replied: “He wants my job! He will be a very, very good coach. But he needs to work on his mindset, on dealing with people!”
And while they may not have a future career as the Portuguese Morecambe and Wise, it was clear United’s manager and captain are in a far more relaxed mood than their Europa League final opponents.
In truth it is only because of the brevity of Amorim’s Old Trafford reign — just six months — that he is not under similar pressure.
United’s Premier League form has been every bit as bad as Tottenham’s and this showpiece match has become something of a freak show — or a clown show if you want to paraphrase some of Postecoglou’s detractors.
But the mood music from the United camp was one of relaxed confidence — in spite of the fact they have taken just two points from their last eight league matches.
Amorim was adamant that United do not need the extra income streams which come from the Champions League qualification, which victory at Estadio de San Mames would bring.
Fernandes insisted that, whatever the result against Spurs, “every player wants to play for Manchester United. The name of this club speaks for itself”.
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This was ballsy stuff from a skipper who had led the worst United team in half a century. A team already beaten three times this season by the worst Spurs team in half a century.
It felt as if there was a deliberate puffing out of the chest, the way Real Madrid players so often speak before big European matches — summoning the weight of their club’s history.
And it all sounded quite impressive — as long as you blanked out the fact that, since January, United have failed to beat any Premier League club outside of the bottom three.
Amorim was asked whether defeat — and the absence of European football — would mean even more staff redundancies, since Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe started making swingeing cuts to the club’s budget.
But the United manager said: “It’s not the case. We are doing things we need to do. I came from a club [Sporting Lisbon] where, in order to survive and maintain players, you have to be in the Champions League. This is not the case here.”
And when he answered that question about being under less pressure than Big Ange, Amorim said United’s hierarchy were understanding of the deeper problems he is dealing with.
Including the fact that a string of his predecessors have custard-gunned the best part of a billion pounds on under-achieving players.
Amorim said: “You have coaches that lose some games and are sacked but I think people see what I am doing. The board understands we have a lot of issues, the context is hard.
“I will try to prove myself to the fans, to the board but I don’t have an explanation for you. I know what I am doing.
“I explained everything at the start — the storm, all the problems — to the board. I was so clear, I said I would not change my idea.
“I think the board can understand that, the fans can understand that. But we will reach a moment where we have to win no matter what.”
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This is such a death-or-glory match for both teams — lose and their season will have been a disaster, win and they are in the Champions League.
So there was an element of Amorim and Fernandes trying to talk down its significance.
Amorim admitted winning a trophy wouldn’t fix all the other problems the club are facing — “we have bigger things to deal with to put the club back on top. But winning this match is still massive”.
The claim from Fernandes that “every player wants to play for United” doesn’t ring as true as it once used to. For how long can a club be consistently bad and still be considered a desirable place to play?
For how long can a club be outside of the Champions League and still be thought of as “massive”? If United lose a fourth consecutive match against Spurs, we might be one step closer to finding out.
But Fernandes knows the profile of the club hasn’t lessened, despite 12 years without a Premier League title.
He said: “Every game where you have a chance to win a trophy is very big but every game at this club is massive. One week you can be a hero, the next the villain.
“This game won’t change the past. But it can affect the future.
“It would get us a lot of things — a place in the Champions League, a lot of revenue for the club, it gets more players wanting to come to the club.
“But every player wants to play for United. The name of this club speaks for itself. We want to be at the top of everything, not only Europa League.
“This is a big chance. Our aim at the start of the season was to be in Bilbao and we will do everything to win it.”
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