Europa League final preview: Manchester United vs. Ajax
Manchester United face Ajax in the Europa League final on Wednesday with a spot in the Champions League on the line.
The Europa League final promises to be a good one, as Manchester United take on an exciting young Ajax side in Stockholm on Wednesday. United are hoping to secure Champions League qualification next season, and to ensure Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge can be considered a success. Ajax’s young core, meanwhile, are seeking to prove they’re ready for the big time after missing out on the Eredivisie title by a single point.
How did they get here?
Ajax were drawn in a group with Panathinaikos, Standard Liege and Celta Vigo, and advanced without losing a match. The only points the Dutch side dropped were in away draws with Celta Vigo (2-2) and Standard Liege (1-1).
In the round of 32, they were drawn against Legia Warsaw, who they beat 1-0 on aggregate, scoring the only goal of the round at home in Amsterdam. The round of 16 was a much more high-scoring contest, as they edged out FC Copenhagen 3-2 on aggregate on the back of a 2-0 win in Amsterdam. Schalke were next in line, and this tie proved to be an even more goal-happy affair. Ajax won 2-0 in Amsterdam again, and then lost 3-2 in Germany to advance 4-3 on aggregate.
Things got even more crazy in the semifinals. Ajax dominated Lyon in the first leg at home, running out 4-1 winners in a thrilling performance. Just as they had against Schalke in the previous round, however, they almost let it slip in the second leg. On the back of a superb effort from Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon won 3-1, but the lone goal Ajax scored was enough to see them through to the Europa League final.
United had almost the exact opposite path to the final. While Ajax dominated their group and won by the skin of their teeth through all of the elimination rounds to this point, United backed out of the group and have won rather soundly in almost all of their games thereafter.
United split their two group stage games with Feyenoord and Fenerbahce, and if not for winning both against Zorya Luhansk, they would’ve been out at the first hurdle. This would have been seen as a massive failure in their first foray in European competition under Mourinho.
United have won relatively convincingly in all of the knockout rounds, despite some narrow scorelines. Their 2-1 aggregate victory against FC Rostov in the round of 16 flattered the Russian side, and probably had something to do with the Sunday league-style pitch they had to play on in the away leg. Before that, they trounced Saint-Étienne and Paul Pogba’s brother by an aggregate score of 4-0 thanks to two of the better European performances United have seen since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
While Anderlecht and Celta Vigo put up much more of a fight, they still didn’t ever look a threat to knock United out (save for one, very late chance for Celta in the second leg of the semi, a match the Red Devils otherwise dominated).
United have been the beneficiary of fantastic performances in this year’s Europa League from the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sergio Romero. Romero is firmly second choice to David de Gea, but he’s proven himself a reliable backup in Europe, and will be rewarded with a stating spot in the final. Ibrahimovic, who will miss the final through injury, has five goals and three assists in the competition, while Mkhitaryan has five goals.
How will they play?
United will line up much the same way they have for their entire Europa League campaign. With Mourinho confirming Romero will start in goal, others that have proven themselves in the competition are likely to feature as well, including Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford. As for how they’ll play, that’s harder to judge.
United have been equally happy with and without the ball this campaign. They had over 60 percent of possession in both legs against Anderlecht, and averaged less than 40 percent in their two matches against Celta Vigo. Ajax haven’t relied on possession to advance through the latter knockout rounds either, keeping more than 50 percent of the ball only once in their past four matches.
Mourinho will be wary of Ajax’s attacking threat, and may choose to play on the break, as his sides often do in big matches, including the League Cup final against Southampton earlier this season. Knowing the pressure is on United, however, Ajax may seek to invite their opponents on to them and strike on the counter. Mourinho being Mourinho, the match is likely to be played on his tactical terms.
Next: Jose Mourinho is right to prioritize the Europa League
Prediction
Ajax will be a tough final test on what Manchester United hope to be their road to the Champions League, but the depth and ability of the English side will prove to be too much for a young Ajax side who have nearly been undone by their defensive naivety more than once during this competition.
Manchester United 3-1 Ajax