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Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed his Bruno Fernandes tactics that Ruben Amorim had no answer for in the Champions League final.
Europe’s last shame
United sacked Amorim in December last year, ending a turbulent 14-month spell plagued by inconsistent performances, disappointing results and significant off-the-field challenges.
One of the lowest moments of Amorim’s spell was the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
With United stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League table in the final stages of the 2024/2025 season, the Europa League quickly became their only lifeline and only chance to salvage anything from what threatened to be the worst top-flight season in the club’s history.
United faced Tottenham in the final in San Mames, but their performance was lukewarm and left a lot to be desired.
The Red Devils offered little in attack and were unable to find a way past a determined Tottenham defence, with Brennan Johnson’s goal in the 42nd minute proving to be the difference.
The victory ended Tottenham’s 17-year wait for silverware and gave them their first European trophy in more than 40 years.
Speaking The overlapPostecoglou revealed that his plan for the match revolved around neutralizing Fernandes’ influence.
Postecoglou reveals Fernandes’ strategy
Postecoglou said: “And you know, we have a line of about seven players at the edge of our box at any given time.”
“But at the same time I knew if we would close Bruno [Fernandes]“They weren’t going to score.”
“I just felt at United, the way they started with Ruben [Amorim] and the kind of ways they would try to break us down if we were really solid defensively, as long as we were scoring we had to score a goal.
He added: “We were still aggressive with our press, that didn’t change.”
“But in terms of being a little more direct, yes, certainly, and a lot more defensively rigid, that certainly happened. But that was because in my mind I thought, well, what a unique opportunity.”
Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham just a few weeks after the final, before the north London team hired Thomas Frank as his replacement. Frank worked in this position for only seven months before being fired.
Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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