Inside Carrington: United Prepare for Europa League Final vs Spurs | The Samuel Luckhurst Show
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Well, it's another Wednesday at Carrington. The sun is shining. It's again me, Samuel Luckhurst and Tyrone Marshall. A little bit hushed at the moment, almost as if we're at the 18th at Augusta. And the Greens almost as manicured immaculately as Augusta, but there's a lot of media activity here today. It's Manchester United's

UEFA media day ahead of the Europa League final next week at the moment the players are doing some weight training in the distance and just limbering up ahead of their session it's an extended session for us today we're allowed to watch an hour of it as opposed to the usual 15 minutes obviously the team news line for us was always going to be is Lenny Orr out there is Matthijs De Ligt out there they're not Aiden Heaven isn't so I

I think it's safe to say that United could be without four centre-backs for the Open League final. What do they do in that circumstance? That is a good question. I mean, there's not a lot they can do, I guess, really. I mean, you would want Masraoui, I guess, repurposed as a centre-back in that situation. Maguire is a certain starter. And then...

Are you looking at one from Shaw or Lindelof, maybe? I mean, Johnny Evans is out here training. I can't see Johnny Evans getting in the frame for it, to be honest, given how much football he's missed. He's not started again since Amrim's first game in charge at Ipswich. Right, OK, that long. Yeah, I can't see. Maybe he'll be on the bench. Can't see him being in contention. But I think I'd probably look to play Shaw, to be honest. But obviously, Masraoui playing, you're then looking for a right wing back. I think we've made the case for...

Ahmad previously, Dallo did train as we were coming out for the session, Dallo was going back in after doing an individual session with a fitness coach. I think the suggestion is, there's a lot of media activity today, I think the suggestion is he's doing some of it later, which would suggest maybe that he's certainly not giving up hope of being fit, that United haven't given up hope on him being fit. I mean, I think he's only missed, we were working out for three weeks, is it? Yeah. So there shouldn't really be an issue with match fitness there if he can get back to full training. Yeah.

by the weekend but you know clearly it's not a good time for all these injury issues and I mean we are still talking a week out from the final so depending on what there's a press conference with Ruben Amarim later I guess depending on what he says about Jaro or De Ligt maybe one of them still has a chance to

But given they're not here at the moment, you'd certainly have to say their doubts. And yeah, I mean, that is problematic for United, isn't it? Certainly, speaking personally, if no one's playing or can't play in that game against Chelsea on Friday night, they can't start the most consequential final United have had in years next Wednesday, which we're only a week out from. I don't know whether you... As you said, Dalot, I think,

I think he's going to be on the bench. You've got 12 substitutes for European games, so that helps. United haven't always named 12 subs. Sometimes they've named two goalkeepers on their bench. Given Dalot's durability, it feels like, and the noise has come out of the club as well, and as you said, it sounds like he's going to stop and speak today.

I think the suggestion is that he wants to get a message across ahead of the final. I don't think he'd just be driving over to Old Trafford to tell us he's out, he can't play. He sounded pretty bullish as we walked past him earlier. But it does feel almost somewhat evenly poised on the injury front because Spurs have got James Maddison out, Lucas Bergvall out.

There is a genuine concern that Dejan Kulishevski as well could miss the final. Would you still put United as slight favourites for it? I'm finding it, I mean, I'd make it maybe 50-50 to be honest. I think it's really hard to call. Kulishevski would be a big, big blow for Tottenham. I mean, he's... He's scored twice against United this season. He's an excellent player. He knits everything together. Maddison was very good for them in the first leg of that semi-final four. He got injured. I think he's been a decent form of late player

So, you know, there are injuries on both sides. There are obvious issues on both sides, given where they sit in the Premier League. And I think the fact that someone predicted what makes it hard, really hard to call, really. You know, you're kind of looking, you know, you're not at a Jekyll and Hyde this season, aren't you, with your Open League and Premier League. Part of me thinks, is that tactical? I wrote a piece on this yesterday that this system is better suited to

kind of the slower pace of the Europa League. It allows them to get more men forward. And I think it's going to be fascinating to see whether this is a Europa League game or a Premier League game. Amirim said on Sunday that it was kind of just to do with attitude and energy in the Premier League and if the players can't really get up for it. If it's more tactical, then it's going to be interesting to see if this kind of, if the issues they've had in so many of these Premier League games resurface against Tottenham or if it is just in how they're approaching it, they'll

they should win it. But if it's kind of a tactical issue against Premier League teams and in Premier League games, then playing a domestic rival is probably not a good thing for them. And, you know, the fact that they've both been so bad in the Premier League and good in the Europa League, I just think makes it really hard to call. But I mean, just going back on the team news front, I mean, we're now in a position where

there's probably a reasonable chance, certainly half a chance, that Lindelof and Maguire are starting a European final for United in 2025. I think you certainly can't quibble with Harry Maguire's form recently, but it's still incredible to think that those two could still be forming a ten-and-a-half. That has been a recurring issue with Manchester United full-stop for upwards of 10 years, that the squad is a mishmash. You've got players from...

Mourinho's era still, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's era and with those two players as you just said they were paired together the first time nearly six years ago when Harry Maguire joined and incredibly Lindelof got a new contract that summer and he has seen out the six years of it and

he has outstayed his welcome that's not his fault that's just the running of the club but going back to the final you touched upon it as well my concern for United would be that they've done brilliantly at the Europa League this season in terms of managing games comebacks the number of goals they've scored they have been unrecognisable from the Premier League team but in the final their

they're facing a Premier League team and strangely for a team that have been in the top flight in England English football for nearly 50 years all of a sudden it looks like they can't cope playing against fellow Premier League sides and

obviously going to give cause for optimism for Spurs even though Spurs haven't won a trophy since 2008 do you think that the three games between the clubs this season do you think they're particularly relevant because as I've said a couple of times now

The first game was under Ten Hag. It was an extension of last season. I think that day they probably decided once and for all, he has got to go now. The League Cup game, quite a lot of rotation going on there. Altai Bayon-Dia was in goal at one end. You had Fraser Foster, who was even worse, at the other end. And then it was Lindelof being the babysitter for the, I think it was eight players who had never played for United, who were substitutes at Spurs.

in February. Do you think those games will be relevant? I think Tottenham will consider them relevant, to be honest. I think they'll be more relevant for Tottenham. The fact that they've had the chance to play against this team twice, and in a way, it's not so much just playing against

it doesn't matter I guess if some of those players change because the system Amarim plays is the same every week so you might be playing different players but positionally you still know what they're going to be instructed to do and you still see slight tweaks within what Amarim does you know with midfielders with Garnaccio's on the left sometimes he pulls wide and the wing comes inside a bit but generally I think Tottenham will have a pretty good handle on the principles that Amarim wants and I think this is what makes it interesting for me whether this is

just a case that United have been the Premier League off and are better in the Europa League or whether this is a tactical thing and the kind of where it falls down this Premier League argument that they've taken their eye off the ball is I mean they lost five of their six Premier League games in December their eye was very firmly on the ball then

There's no getting away from the fact that Amarim's record in the Premier League is disastrous. Six wins in 25. You look at the teams they've lost to, certainly lost to at home, like Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Brighton, West Ham, Wolves, all winning at Old Trafford in the space of six months. It's, you know, it's...

It's at that point where I don't think this will happen. And it's an interesting part of the narrative, really, that you look at the final next week, both have had terrible seasons. I think Bostockoglu is going to go, win or lose. And I think Amarim is going to stay, win or lose. But potentially there's an argument that that shouldn't be the case and that maybe Amarim should be under more pressure.

And certainly if the final goes horribly wrong for them and these failings appear again, you know, it's a big risk I think United are taking to go into next season. But can they afford to make a decision based on the final? Because look what happened last year where they did make a decision based on final and the outcome of it right on the day. It was clearly, clearly to us at least anyway, it was the wrong decision and it was detrimental in the long run. Yeah.

I think, as you said, Amrim will be safe. And I said a while ago that even if they got relegated, I'd have still said just back in, because the problem is clearly how they've assembled the squad, a lot of the players, the running of the club, not so much at the moment, even though they've made huge errors, but in the recent past, and then try and have that clean break next season. But whatever happens in this final season,

he's going to be under huge pressure in those first three months of the season where you've got international breaks in September, October and November. And of course, in October this season, we were wondering, are they going to actually pull the trigger? They didn't.

But it feels like, and in fairness to him, he's tried to get his message across as well, that this isn't going to save our season. We've got bigger problems. There was a point earlier in the season where he was almost downplaying the Europa League because clearly he felt that the domestic form was the truest gauge of their form, which he's right in saying. And as great as it would be for them to win the trophy, I mean, they're not going to have an open top bus parade, and nor should they, and they could finish 17th.

but it still feels fascinating. And I would imagine even if they won next week, he'd come in afterwards and he would be, I think he seems quite, although he's an emotional guy, he can be quite reined in, in celebration. You don't really see him going berserk. Maybe Leon was the first game and he just seemed to do a little jig of delight in midair. Um,

how do you just look at his position at the moment? I mean I think his position is safe like I said I don't think there's any danger that whatever happens in the final he loses his job but the position they're in is and this is kind of the issue with taking over mid-season and

you know, there's no, it's no secret he didn't want to take the job in mid-season. He's since changed his tune on it, but he's, I guess he's got to know he's here. And he said this period has been beneficial for assessing the squad and things like that. He went to the Arndale Centre and thought that's, that's swung out. I'm here. Christmas in Manchester. Get me over it. But the thing is what, it's been so disastrous. What has happened? There's kind of, I was going to say there's no blame attached to him. I think there's becoming more blame attached to him.

but it conditions what we think of next season. So if they took the job in the summer and United lose three of the first eight next season, everyone says, well, it's a settling in period. It's a bedding in period. Now, after this season, it's going to reach the summer and I think everyone's going to say, he's not at the players for the job.

he's not up the time in the training sessions to get his methods across let's give him a chance but if they lose three of the first eight next season now straight away people are going to go well was last season a free hit or was that his system his tactics his ideas just don't work

And I think that's the position where I think it's kind of what you hinted at before in that question that what's happened this season is now conditioning what we think of next season. And the judgments are going to come quicker, I think, next season than they would have done had he taken over in the summer. And that's kind of the issue that this run of form and this season has raised.

created for him that if next season starts poorly like I say they lose three in the first eight four in the first twelve partly it'll depend on the fixtures obviously but I think there's a real danger that he's under really heavy pressure early on next season Yeah at the moment the players are still limbering up in the distance there must be about

two dozen staff members overseeing it Ruben Amrim's over there obviously with his coaching staff I think he's just speaking to Andreas Georgson who's got the cap on medical staff over there as well overseeing things just to ensure that they're there to act in case anybody picks up a sudden injury or there's a sudden issue

There's another cameraman in the distance who must be one of the clubs. I mean, they're still too far away for us to make out, I think, who is who. I suppose in terms of just going back to the team news front, it's the only ones who've returned from injury, Johnny Evans and Toby Collier. And let's face it, they'll do well to be on the bench next week and they probably will just through injury.

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I think I've given some of our listeners an easy joke there, looking at the dummies over there. That's the first team to face Tottenham. That looks pretty much like how they were set up for West Ham's opening goal at the weekend. United have got one game before the final next week, as everyone should be aware. If those of you who don't, Chelsea away tomorrow.

Friday at 8.15, that unusual dreaded kick-off time because there's a kick-off at half-seven, which is now Topham's game. So Topham won their battle to get it brought forward and they didn't humiliate themselves by cocking it up against Bode-Climb last week. They won that tie quite comfortably in the end. I mean, two on the face of it look very one-sided ties. 1-7-1 on aggregate, Spurs 1-5-1 on aggregate. Yeah.

I'm not looking for the Jack Wilshere reply but what do you make of Tottenham? We were talking about that before weren't we? Yeah I mean what do you make of Tottenham? They've surprised me away in the Europa League because there was I think we all view Buster Coghlan was fairly not naive tactically but this refusal to compromise and all this famous Chelsea game last year and the whole it's just who we are mate and all this sort of nonsense and

But the way they won in Frankfurt was really impressive and a professional job. And then they conceded that goal last week, sorry, in the first leg to Bodo Glimt. And you thought that could be a real game changer. You know, we reeled off the teams last week that have lost even just this season at Bodo Glimt. And Tottenham got through it with the minimal of fuss, really. They were never in danger. They obviously kept a clean sheet. They won 2-0. They never let Bodo Glimt get kind of a sniff of a comeback and

You have to say they've done a really professional job in the Europa League. And I think they've made more changes in the Premier League than United have. I was talking about wrapping them up in Cottonwall on Monday. So I think it would probably be a shadow side for them. A very changed side. At Villa Park. Yeah. And the fact they're making so many changes is probably good for United because it means United will finish 16th rather than 17th. But yeah, I mean, like United, they're just...

I say they're so hard to call, but maybe in a different kind of way from United in that we're still early on in the Amarimi era here. We can still kind of present those excuses of why it's not working in the Premier League. With Postacoglu, I think there's a view generally that it just isn't going to work. I think that's why everyone expects him to go, whether they win or lose. But I think the way they performed in the Europa League, certainly in the knockout stages, is kind of very on Postacoglu and on Tottenham-like players.

So, yeah, just a very hard team to call. But I've been impressed with the way they've got through these ties, really. They've not done anything particularly spursy, have they? No. A bit of a curveball here, and I know it's not a question that we all necessarily like to answer. What would your combined 11 of the two teams, who gets in that? Who gets in that? I mean...

Tottenham have probably got even though they don't play wing backs they've probably got better wing backs than United haven't they in Toro they're a new doggy Romero is an excellent centre half I think across the two squads Van de Ven on his day Van de Ven actually is probably the best defender I was thinking of the keeper I mean Vicario seems I don't it's probably not much in it goalkeeper wise is that Vicario's very dodgy under crosses you'd have to say Solanke as the striker I guess even though I'm not entirely convinced about him

But when the alternative is Hoyland, you are going to be in this one. The alternative is Hoyland. It's got to be Solengi, hasn't it? I mean, as a number 10, you'd want Ahmad. I'd probably have Kulishevsky over Maddison as a Tottenham player. Although you're kind of with two left-footers then, I guess, aren't you? I don't think... I'm not sure I'd have maybe Benton Kerr instead of Ugarte. But I don't think there's anyone in their midfield that I'd really...

for those holding roles. Like, Ugarte's not been massively convincing, has he yet? So maybe you'd go Benton Core, but I don't think there's much between it. I mean, I'd probably make an argument for a fairly even split there, I guess. Which is impossible with 11 players. Which is impossible, yes. That's a good point. Let's go 6-5 United. But in a way, it sums up. Yeah.

It kind of sums up where we are with this system, that you'd probably pick Poro and Hidagi as the wing-backs, even though they play full-back for Tottenham. I think this is the other thing that comes into it. Objectively assessing the squads, I genuinely think Spurs have probably got the edge on United in most areas. They've got better full-backs, wing-backs, whatever you want to call them. I'd say Vicario has probably been a better keeper since he came in.

to England from Italy at the same time as Inanna two years ago. Solanke's a better striker. United, of course, have got two match-winning attackers forwards in Ahmad and Bruno Fernandes. The midfield, it can be much for muchness, but Bissouma, Sarr, Bentancur, I think probably have got the edge on United's midfield as well. But then we come back to that.

famous Stralix folks and team talk of lads it's Tottenham yeah and you think about Tottenham in a final setting and all of a sudden you can just about understand if the bookmakers have united as slight favourites

Yeah, you can. I mean, I always kind of find it hard to get my head around the idea of like a club having characteristics. I mean, it's kind of what Conte touched on, isn't it? When he left Tottenham in that famous Southampton press conference when I think, had they been 2-0 up and went 3-2 down and maybe drew through all that day? And he obviously went on that rant of this is the culture of Tottenham. And we touched it on the podcast I did with Steve in the other week saying like, you know, United know how to win trophies and Tottenham don't. But it's like,

They're inanimate objects. Like, I don't, you don't like suddenly put on the Tottenham shirt and go, Oh God, I can't remember I win a trophy. But I get the idea of it because they don't get over the line and they do lose cup finals. They lost the champions league final.

the best chance to win a league title they kind of fell apart and didn't take it and there is that history there. For a three year period they arguably had the best team in England in terms of a 1-11 where you knew it was going to be without fail, Joris Alderweireld Vertonghen, Walker so maybe two year period rather than three year period, Walker at right back, Rosen at left back, it would have been Dembele and Dier, Alli

Son, Ericsson, Kane. I mean, that's an exceptional side. Even those players together, they probably got to the final nobody can remember, which was the 2015 League Cup final in Pocatina's first season, where they weren't a threat. Nobody saw them as a credible force. That changed in the next two or three years. Yeah.

But that just goes to show, I suppose, why people think it's... I mean, some people seem to think it's a foregone conclusion that United, because of their mentality, will turn up and they'll just turn it on next week, which I can understand, and it wouldn't be a surprise if that happened. But going back to that point, it's such a basic point. They are not playing the European side anymore.

And also they have had a bit of the rubber for green, as you said, three red cards against them in each round during the knockouts. Is that going to run out at some point? But I just think that the dynamic of this final is so dicey and fascinating. And certainly for the Europa League level, I don't think there's ever been a final in my lifetime that comes near to it in terms of the amount of eyeballs that are going to be on Bilbao next week. Yeah.

I mean, totally. I don't really like finals where it's two teams from the same country. You want the mix in Europe. You want something different. But on this occasion, I mean, the stakes are just so high, aren't they? The fact it's two teams who have underperformed so incredibly. It would be different if United had finished fourth and Tottenham sixth. We wouldn't be talking about this final in the same way. We're talking about it in this way because the stakes are so high. Whoever loses...

It is their worst season in a generation, isn't it? You're at that point where... The Burs got relegated in 1977, which was three years after United got relegated in 74. So, it's been the worst season since relegation. Yeah. And obviously, winning the Europa League will kind of... I think the league campaign has been so disastrous, they went entirely gloss over it. But it finishes on a high. You've won a trophy. You're in the Champions League. And you can just kind of go, right...

that was a disaster. Here's the mitigation. We've won this. It shows what we can do. Just forget it ever happened. For the losers, you can't do that. It's going to be painful. The narrative is going to change totally for whoever loses. Judgment is kind of out on both at the moment, but whoever loses is going to get absolutely hammered, aren't they? Because it will be

a disastrous season like we saw the worst in 50 years and I think that adds to the jeopardy much more than if this was fourth versus sixth fifth versus sixth you know if both had already qualified for Europe the fact that it's 16th versus 17th I think makes it that higher stakes game and makes it kind of one of the most

and probably tense finals for a long, long time, I think. Yeah. Well, the players are just starting some ball work now, playing two-touch, some peaches nearby and all of a sudden taking a picture of us. Is that Darren Fletcher over there? He's just... Some of the coaches are...

We were just in the sprinklers ahead of them, I think, training over here. It seems like they're still pretty much limbering up with these games of two-touch before they start their keep ball sessions. Hipsters call them rondos, but as far as I'm concerned, when I was playing it at PE, God knows how many years ago, it was keep ball. So they're about to come over here shortly. I think we'll leave it there because we'll obviously want to clean some

some detail from their proper training sessions now that the weights have gone away but thank you very much again Tyrone appreciate it thank you so much we'll be doing this again from not necessarily from Bilbao next week because we'll be staying in San Sebastian as a lot of United fans will be next week and they'll be scattered in San Sebastian at the Santander in Bilbao those of you who

booked your refundable hotels at the start of the season you did absolutely the right thing others have not learned that lesson but I speak to a friend the other day he actually said that he's booked his rechargeable hotel for Budapest next year for the Champions League final which is extremely optimistic extremely optimistic but hopefully for United's sake they can at least get in the Champions League if not to the final but

But thank you for listening. And please, if you haven't given us a like or a subscribe, please do so on the podcast platform of your choice. And we'll speak to you again very soon.