It’s Bilbao or bust for Amorim if Man Utd don’t want to be left a million miles behind hated rivals Liverpool
IT was a momentous day for England’s two most historically successful clubs on Sunday.
While Liverpool were equalling Manchester United’s record of 20 top-flight titles, Rasmus Hojlund was scoring an actual goal for Ruben Amorim’s team to secure a draw against ten-man Bournemouth.
Hojlund’s strike — only his second in 29 appearances for United — was seriously aided by Cherries striker Evanilson having been red-carded for the grievous offence of slipping over.
But beggars can’t be choosers and United — FORTY-THREE points adrift of their bitter rivals — are on the pavement, not in the penthouse.
While Liverpool are back on what Sir Alex Ferguson would call “their f***ing perch”, United are in what all of us would call “a f***ing mess”.
Even Gary Neville admits Liverpool are now, without debate, the most successful club in English football history — with six European Cups to United’s three.
United fans, and plenty of others, will have treated Sunday’s Anfield coronation as most people greeted the re-election of Donald Trump — stick your fingers in your ears, avoid all media and pretend it never happened.
But in reality, Liverpool will strengthen this summer and their only serious challengers for next term look like Arsenal, Newcastle and possibly Manchester City — although legal cases and extensive rebuilding work make that a long shot. United will be nowhere near.
Yet it’s interesting to recall that when Jurgen Klopp made his shock resignation announcement last January and immediate favourite Xabi Alonso swiftly ruled himself out of the succession race, Amorim was strongly linked with a move from Sporting to Anfield.
And also that Arne Slot held talks with Tottenham in 2023 about succeeding Antonio Conte, before Ange Postecoglou took the Spurs gig.
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So, in a parallel universe — one in which Spurs decided to cough up significantly more money or in which the Dutchman completely lost his mind — Slot might have been in the away dugout at Anfield on Sunday, with Amorim celebrating the Premier League title.
Because Amorim was the hottest young coach in European football while enjoying significant success at Sporting and had he ended up at Anfield, rather than the reputational abattoir of Old Trafford, he would almost certainly have been a success there.
Everything at Anfield was set up for Klopp’s successor to succeed — the team, the mentality, the recruitment set-up and the club hierarchy.
Slot is an excellent coach but his greatest quality in securing this title was his lack of ego in resisting the idea of change for change’s sake.
At United, none of those foundations for success were in place and had Amorim done due diligence, he wouldn’t have touched that job with a bargepole.
Take Hojlund, signed as a 20-year-old for a potential £72million, after nine goals in 32 Serie A appearances for Atalanta.
Anyone can make an expensive mistake in the transfer market and Liverpool did make one in Darwin Nunez — although the Uruguayan had a far better track record than United’s Dane.
But Liverpool dropped one clanger. United — widely regarded by agents worldwide as mug punters in the market — have made dozens.
And Amorim is the man who must clear up all that mess.
United’s chief executive, Omar Berrada, has targeted the title in 2028, the club’s 150th anniversary year, in something called “Project 21” — which might as well be called “Project Hallucinogenic Mushroom Dream”.
This is United’s worst season in 50 years and the squad is a mish-mash of underachievers who are either shot of confidence or simply not good enough. It is not the starting point anyone at Old Trafford would choose.
There is a one-off shortcut which Amorim must take — winning the Europa League to become literally the worst English side ever to qualify for the Champions League is utterly essential.
That would hugely enhance the club’s finances and their desirability as a destination for elite players.
But opponents Athletic Bilbao are a decent and obdurate team, with only one defeat — by a single goal at Real Madrid — in their last ten matches.
The Basque club boast the best defensive record in LaLiga, where they are fourth in the table, having lost just five times all season. And they are hell-bent on reaching a final which their home stadium will host.
Should Amorim’s men upset the odds and win their semi, they are likely to face Tottenham in the final — and even this Spurs team have beaten United three times out of three this season.
It is Bilbao or bust for Amorim, who is putting all his eggs in one Basque city.
The alternative of no European football next season would leave United shooting at the moon, a million miles off Liverpool.
And you can only stick your fingers in your ears, and pretend this thing hasn’t happened, for so long.
Silva’s suited
DURING Fulham’s comeback win at Southampton, boss Marco Silva started the second half with FIVE specialist wingers…
And he then finished with two centre- forwards, two No 10s and two wingers.
Now if that isn’t a come-and-get-me plea to Tottenham chiefs in the summer, then I don’t know what is.
Scott’s in style
SCOTT PARKER is returning to the top flight with Burnley.
And that means his extreme touchline fashions will be back under the spotlight.
Although by the look of Burnley’s incredible defensive record in the Championship — just 15 goals conceded in 45 games — manager Parker is clearly opting for the belt-and- braces look these days.
Empty pockets
GIVEN that Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest was Manchester City’s 28th major fixture at the new Wembley, it was little wonder thousands of seats were left empty.
Especially with train and match tickets coming in at more than £200 per head for City fans.
Should City beat Crystal Palace in the Cup final, they will be back at Wembley for a 30th time to contest the Community Shield against Liverpool in August.
And that is surely a fixture which could be moved north or — in a non-Club World Cup year — to the USA, the Far East or the moon, given that nobody actually cares about it.
Glimts into unknown
THE biggest question before Tottenham’s Europa League semi-final has nothing to do with the future of Ange Postecoglou nor the prospects of a ‘Spursy’ defeat against underdog opposition.
It is ‘how come Bodo/Glimt are the only professional football club in the world with a forward slash in their name?’
Well, for any fans of both Scandinavian football and punctuation marks, I’ve done some digging. Formed as simply ‘Glimt’ — the Norwegian word for ‘flash’ — their town name of Bodo was added, originally with a hyphen, as Bodo-Glimt.
Yet as hyphens were often used on betting coupons to separate the names of opposing teams, the forward slash was added in the 1980s as it ‘looked a bit like a flash’. Every Tuesday’s a school day with this column.
Tech it out
I NOTED at Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final that no fewer than EIGHT match officials were listed on the teamsheet — including two VARs and an “additional VAR” as well as a reserve linesman. Not including the robot linesmen.
Refereeing must be the only industry on God’s Earth in which new technology is leading to increased employment.
Kept at Bay
HARRY KANE has earned his first suspension in 14 years for Bayern Munich’s clash with RB Leipzig — where a win will guarantee them the Bundesliga title and the first major trophy of the England captain’s career.
After that wait, Kane has every right to do a John Terry and attend the title celebrations in full kit, right down to his shinpads.