“Man United will win Europa League but only if Ruben Amorim do this…”: Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has backed Manchester United to win Europa League this but only ‘if Ruben do this’

Lifting the trophy would save Ruben Amorim’s blushes and earn the Red Devils a ticket to the Champions League – here’s how they can pull it off.

Here’s the thing about Manchester United. Even when they are out of both domestic cups, heading for their worst league finish since they were last relegated and supporters groups are urging people to wear black to mourn the club’s death, there is still hope.

Everything might seem lost for Ruben Amorim’s side amid dismal results, an injury crisis and fan discontent with both of their ownership groups, yet there is still the possibility that this historically awful season can end on a high by winning the Europa League.

Europe’s second-tier competition has become the one thing left for United to fight for after Sunday’s frustrating exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Fulham and a Premier League campaign that has yielded more defeats than wins and a goal difference of minus six. And despite their general malaise, the Red Devils have reason to be confident of going all the way to the final in Bilbao and lifting their first European trophy in eight years.

The Red Devils finished third in the 36-team League Phase and were the only team to remain unbeaten. Their path to the final is by no means easy, but nor is it a daunting one. It begins with Thursday’s last-16 first leg at Real Sociedad, who are ninth in La Liga and reeling from a 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona. If they can get past the Basque side, they would likely face Lyon (sixth in Ligue 1) in the quarter-finals, with Athletic Club, Fenerbahce, Rangers or Roma lying in wait in the semis.

So forget the doom and gloom, as there is still a good chance of United tasting European glory in May and earning a ticket back into the Champions League, relieving their deep financial problems in the process. Here, then, is GOAL’s six-point plan for United to lift the Europa League and save their season…

Be pragmatic, not idealistic

United last won the Europa League in 2017, a season in which they also struggled in the Premier League as they finished sixth. Their path to the trophy was not exactly one to remember, as the Red Devils won every knockout tie from the last-16 to the semi-finals by a single goal, needing extra-time to overcome Anderlecht in the quarters and a frantic defensive display against Celta Vigo in the last four before beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

Jose Mourinho boasted of his pragmatic approach throughout the competition after his side over-powered an exciting but youthful Ajax in the final, proudly declaring: “We knew where they were better than us, we knew where we were better than them. We tried to kill their good qualities, we tried to exploit their weaknesses.”

And Amorim sure could take a leaf out of the book of Mourinho, who he spent a week shadowing at United while he was doing his coaching diploma. The Red Devils’ boss has tried to make his dogmatic tactical style a virtue, but he has not won any admirers by losing 10 of his 24 matches in charge. Compromise is allowed in knockout football, and if he can guide United to win the Europa League, no one will quibble about how he did it.

Real Sociedad is a great opponent to begin taking a more pragmatic approach against. The Basques play attractive, positional football, but United destroyed them 5-1 on aggregate in the 2020-21 season by being defensive and picking them off on the counter. It is a tactic worth repeating both on Thursday and in next week’s second leg at Old Trafford.

Unleash Euro-Hojlund

Rasmus Hojlund cannot catch a break at the moment, and his goal-drought stretched to 18 games when he drew another blank against Fulham. Fans got so frustrated with him that huge cheers were heard when he was taken off for Chido Obi, something that had also happened against Everton the previous week. But Hojlund in European competition is a very different beast from the player he has shown himself to be in domestic competition, and he can get firing again against a less physical defence than the ones he faces each week in England.

Hojlund has scored five times in eight Europa League appearances this season, four of which were starts. He produced match-winning displays against Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen, scoring twice in each game. And he was lethal in the Champions League last season, scoring five times in six group-stage games despite failing to find the net in the Premier League until December.

Hojlund tends to waste valuable energy on taking on physical defenders in the league, but in Europe he has had much more success running in behind and pressing from the front. The difference between his strike rate at European and domestic level is remarkable: he has scored 10 times in 14 games for United in continental competition, but he has only 13 goals in 64 appearances across the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

If the Denmark international can try and forget about his poor record in England and instead remember how prolific he has been in Europe, then he may just end his long wait to score in San Sebastian and fire United into the quarter-finals, and eventually to the trophy.

Play to Garnacho’s strengths

Alejandro Garnacho has struggled to adapt to Amorim’s way of playing, only scoring once since the Portuguese took charge (and it was an open goal). He has also had two run-ins with the United boss already, having been dropped against Manchester City and given a dressing down for his stroppy reaction to being substituted against Ipswich.

Despite his attitude problems and a three-month goal drought, Garnacho remains crucial to United’s hopes of progressing in the Europa League, and so Amorim must try and get the best out of him. He should try and make the most of his strengths, which are running in behind and zipping past defenders down the flank, rather than getting Garnacho to try and play a possession game which does not suit him.

With Rashford and Antony gone and Amad Diallo out for the rest of the season, Garnacho is the only wide forward Amorim has left, and the coach must try and make the most of the ex-Atletico Madrid trainee as he still holds the key to United succeeding in Europe.