Manchester United and Spurs getting to the Europa League final is great news – Hear me out… | OneFootball

Manchester United and Spurs are to meet in the Europa League final on Wednesday 21 May.

The much reduced in standing European second level competition seeing these two Premier League strugglers get through their semi-final second legs successfully on Thursday night.

Seeing Spurs and Manchester United getting to this Europa League final was great news.

Now hear me out.

Yes, I know that this guarantees that one of these failing clubs will now fluke Champions League qualification BUT I am only concerned with Newcastle United’s Champions League qualification.

It wasn’t like I was punching the air last night when I saw the goals going in at the respective Man U and Spurs matches AND I would usually be desperate to see them (and all the other usual suspects) lose every single European match. However, there was an extra Newcastle United angle to all this.

As we all know, the situation with three rounds of matches to go in the Premier League, is that Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest are fighting over the remaining three Champions League places.

Now I have every confidence that Newcastle United will make it four St James’ Park victories against Chelsea in a row on Sunday and put themselves on the very verge of qualification.

However, it does no harm to have as many extra safety nets as possible.

The recent Premier League form of Manchester United and Spurs is appalling, indeed it goes back a lot further than just recent. That is why the pair of them are fighting it out with West Ham to see who can finish fourth bottom.

In their last 19 Premier League matches, Manchester United have won just four of them, lost ten and drawn five. Those only four PL wins in the last five months since mid-December 2024 have been against the three relegated clubs and they fluked a 1-0 win at Fulham.

Whilst for Spurs, their last 23 Premier League matches have seen only five wins, with fourteen defeats and four draws. Their five wins since November 2024 have seen three of them against relegated teams (including two wins over rock bottom Southampton), fluking an away win at Brentford, plus beating…Manchester United!

So in a combined 42 matches, Manchester United and Spurs have managed only one win each against a team who hasn’t been relegated, or against each other.

To say that Spurs and Manchester United have been appalling in the Premier League these past five months would be the understatement of all time.

If Manchester United and/or Spurs had been knocked out of the Europa League last night, I would have given them less than zero chance of providing any kind of reasonable opposition in any remaining game this season.

Which brings me to Newcastle United and safety nets.

As of this Friday morning, both Manchester United and Spurs have such an important 12 days to get themselves into the best possible mental and physical shape to do what they have both found so very difficult for almost half a year, which is to beat Premier League opposition.

Spurs are home to Palace this Sunday and Man U home to West Ham, I can’t see either of the Europa League finalists throwing much at those matches, they will be looking after their players following last night’s matches.

However, I think that after that, they will be full on in their preparations for Bilbao on 21 May 2025.

The last thing they will want to do is go into that final having been humiliated in their final warm up game.

Instead, I think they will both be playing their first choice teams next Friday night, as a dress rehearsal for the Europa League final five days later.

Newcastle United have Arsenal away a week on Sunday (18 May) but in advance of that we have:

Friday 16 May

Villa v Spurs (7.30pm)

Chelsea v Man U (8.15pm)

I reckon it would have been a foregone conclusion that both Villa and Chelsea would have won these two matches AND probably seriously improved their goal differences, if up against teams who had failed to reach this Europa League final.

Now though I am absolutely convinced that at least one of Spurs or Man U will not get beat next Friday, maybe both of them will get something.

Their managers will want confidence boosters and their players playing for the places in the Europa League final, with the prize also of Champions League football next season.

We are all hoping of course that Newcastle United will have got over the Champions League qualifying line before Man U or Spurs do the same on Wednesday 21 May, which of course also comes before the final round of PL matches on Sunday 25 May.

However, there could be one final possible extra safety net for Newcastle United concerning these Europa League finalists.

As maybe we will need to be ‘cheering’ on Manchester United in that final, as they are home to Villa on the last day of the season and if presenting the Europa League trophy to their fans, they will be desperate for the day not to fall flat with a(nother) humiliation in front of their own fans. If Man U lose to Spurs in the final, then I would give them next to no chance against Villa, if the visitors are needing something to try and get Champions League football.

As I said, I have every faith in Eddie Howe and his players to get the job done themselves, BUT it does no harm at all to have a viable back up plan.

The five competing Premier League clubs, their respective current positions (as at Friday 9 May 2025) and their collective remaining 13 matches in the Champions League chase:

Man City 64 points GD +24

Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A)

Newcastle United 63 points GD +21

Chelsea (H), Arsenal (A), Everton (H)

Chelsea 63 points GD +21

Newcastle (A), Man U (H), Forest (A)

Forest 61 points GD +12

Leicester (H), West Ham (A), Chelsea (H)

Villa 60 points GD +6