Man Utd and Spurs reach Europa League final | Could Mount be Man Utd's hero in Bilbao? | How long has Postecoglou got left?
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making the headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm David Garrido and joining me are Jonathan Liu, sports writer for The Guardian and The Sun's football editor, Charlie Wyatt. Welcome along to you both.

Of course, we're going to start talking about what's been happening in the Europa League tonight. And we're going to start off with your paper, Jonathan, The Guardian. I'll tell you what, normally the person who sat in the seat dictates the flow of the conversation, but I'm going to let you pick what you think is the lead story. Is it Tottenham? Is it Manchester United? Which one would you, Jonathan, like to discuss first? Well, I'm going to hedge my bets slightly. I'm going to talk about the final. And I think...

I think people are talking about this as an all-English final and as going to be a sizzler. It's going to be a battle of Britain. It's going to be an incredibly heavyweight clash. And I think the reality is that it's also 15th versus 16th.

in the Premier League. So I don't think it's going to be a great game, to be honest. I think United and Spurs have both done incredibly well together, particularly Spurs tonight, given how precarious their situation was at the start of the evening. So maybe I'll start with them. I guess, you know, I think Spurs, in the last few weeks, have shown a little bit more, I guess you'd call it pragmatism, particularly...

on that 3G pitch, which makes it so hard to change direction, to play through a press because, you know, it's hard to turn and it's hard to just kind of squirm out of a very good high press. So they went long a lot, basically. They let Bodo have the ball. And I think that was really quite smart of them. And it's a sort of, it's a style of play we haven't really seen a lot. If you said...

at the start of the season that Tottenham would win a European semi-final like that, against an opposition like that, playing like that, under Ange Postakoglu. They wouldn't have believed you, but what is it that Ange said this week? Tottenham does strange things to people. Yeah, it's a good quote, that, isn't it? And, you know, it suggests that they have got a plan B when it really matters, when it comes to the country. We saw that against Eintracht Frankfurt, of course, didn't we, in that away leg earlier in the competition. Charlie, is Ange Ball dead?

Or is this him just really discovering a way to match managers better? Look, ultimately, you know, we've had a lot about the whole second season. You know, Ange wins a trophy then. And I don't think anyone truly believed that it had any chance of happening. Certainly not until they got Bodo Glimt, to be honest. It's just extraordinary, isn't it? I mean, I actually think it will be a good game to watch because they're both so bad.

And, you know, it's not going to be high quality, but it's extraordinary what Tottenham have lost 19 games in the Premier League. Is it Man United 16 or something?

And one of those is going to be in the Champions League next season and banking a lot of money. So it's huge for the clubs financially as well. And I tell you what, it's a good earner for the hoteliers of Bilbao. A couple of my friends are trying to plan their travel and it's looking at about £1,200 at the moment for a hotel room. Because, of course, there's a lot of English people who are going to be going down and driving down. I think it's already virtually impossible to get a flight there.

in and around that part of Spain or even southern France. So it's actually going to be, I think, a really good occasion. Yeah, a bit of a strange one, as Jonathan said, you know, 15th against 16th. Yeah, it's not going to be a high quality one, but it's a huge game for both clubs. It's a huge game for Ange Postakoglu, of course, going back to what you were saying earlier. You know, if Tottenham could win a trophy, a European trophy,

And then, of course, we could be in the bizarre situation, whereas the manager could still get the sack because there is a strong belief that he may not. He's very unlikely to last to next season, whatever happens. But talk about going out with a bang. Beating Man United in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao would be a pretty good way to end your career. But yeah, it's going to be an unpredictable one, that's for sure.

Let's just have a look at the Telegraph and what they're saying about Tottenham after that win against Bodo Glimt on that plastic pitch on the artificial surface in the Arctic Circle. And you can see there the headline, Posto Coglu direct successful Arctic mission for Spurs and Dominic Solanke celebrates. I wonder also, I mean, Jonathan, in terms of

You know, the one real challenge for him has been injuries and consistency of that playing personnel all season. But Dominic Solanke has just started to pick up a little bit of momentum, scoring more regularly, seems comfortable in that Spurs shirt. I wonder how pivotal he could be in terms of exposing the weaknesses of, you know, the United back line.

Yeah, it's a good point. I think, you know, I've been very critical of Spurs. You know, I think as have a lot of people this season, they've played a lot of dross, you know, they've played a lot of dross without injuries and they've played a lot of dross with injuries. But, you know, Solanke is one of those players who I think is just coming into a little bit of form. And I think

I think most people would probably have United as favourites for the final. I honestly think if Spurs can get Son back, if they can get Kulishevsky into some kind of form, I think they have the dribbling ability, essentially, to really cause United a lot of problems. And United are a team who, if you run at them, sometimes if you let them have the ball...

and then you transition hard and you run at them, that's where you cause them problems. And that is where Amarims United has often come unstuck against teams who are quite compact, who can be quite pragmatic, teams like Wolves, teams like Bournemouth, and have then beaten them with pace and dynamism. And I think if Solanke is one of those players, Kulishevsky, perhaps even Matthijs Tell off the bench, I honestly think...

Spurs, it's a matchup that I would quite enjoy if I was Andrew Postacoglu. I would quite enjoy plotting a way to try and get around this Manchester United team because a lot of clubs this season have managed to. I think it's relevant that Spurs have beaten them three times in domestic competition this season. I think it's relevant that Amarim's lost his last five finals with Sporting in the TASA Portugal and the TASA La Liga.

The history of these two clubs would suggest that there's only going to be one winner, but I think that the stylistic match-up actually looks quite good for Spurs here. Yeah, that sort of verticality, as they say, in Spain, is that direct running, trying to hit with pace on that transition, that that could really just set the jitters running. We saw it, in fact, yesterday,

didn't we? Athletic Club kind of did that. They were applying the pressure and suddenly you're behind Harry Maguire and he then sends the ball into no man's land and they pick them off and score. Let's go to the back page of your newspaper, Charlie the Sun.

So yes, of course, the full English. The sun showing, typical form I would say in terms of your headline, in terms of the way you're looking at this one, Charlie. But talking a little bit about Manchester United, I mean, the picture there, you can see Mason Mount with his captain in his arms there. What a significant night do you feel it might be for him, given he's had such a tough time, but also just the quality of both goals?

He has had such a tough time, as you say. A really, yeah, nightmare couple of years. What was it? £55 million. He struggled with injuries, really struggled to win his form when he has been fit. And yeah, it's just been a lousy spell for him. But, you know, I was at Brentford the other day, scored a terrific goal.

And, you know, there is a good player there. I know Gareth Southgate used to get stick for picking him all the time, but there was a reason why he did. Because, you know, he's a really good, solid player and can be a class player. You know, on his day, he's not played for England. I think the last time was the quarterfinal of the World Cup.

in, in, in Qatar. Uh, so that really sums up his struggles, you know, both for club and country, but yeah, his United career has just knocked off the ground. I think he's only completed 90 minutes once since he's been at Old Trafford. And I don't think that was in the Premier League. I think it was a League Cup game. Uh, and he's, you know, only played seven or eight matches where he's completed over 60 minutes. So that just sums up his, his issues really, but a brilliant cameo performance tonight that will give his confidence, uh,

such a huge boost and for United and that will really help their chances if they can get him again give him a few starts that's why I think Amrim as you mentioned at the start of the programme will rest some players but he's not going to be resting them all the time he needs some players to really be hitting top form and maybe Mason Mount maybe it's written in the stars that Mason Mount could end up being the Manchester United hero and that

the player to win them the trophy and to get them back into the Champions League.

Mount gives glimpse of old magic is the headline inside the Telegraph talking about Mason Mount. In fact, actually within the article you can see there, it's just a little yellow box. It's kind of in the middle of the screen towards the bottom. It's a little stat. Mason Mount has now doubled his goal tally for United after the two goals tonight. The first two both came against Brentford. So it kind of shows, you know, how...

how much he struggled really in front of goal as one of those attacking midfielders. I wonder, Jonathan, do you feel that he could be a potential option for Rumin Amrin to start against Tottenham in Bilbao? I mean, I think realistically for Mount, his long-term future at United is probably going to be as an understudy to Bruno Fernandes. I think there is still a huge...

uh question mark i think over whether he has the the physical robustness to get through 40 50 games a season as united a team you know aspiring to challenge in all four competitions but i think as a as a player who can stick to a tactical plan you know you saw how well he played in the in the champions league final for chelsea for example in 2021 his ability to stick to a tactical plan to keep the ball to not to not do impetuous things

That kind of temperament, those sorts of qualities are so important, especially in a final. That's why successive coaches have stuck by him and shown faith in him.

those injuries. So, yeah, I don't know if he starts. I don't know if you would put him in a first-choice United 11. I don't know if you'd put him in a first-choice United 18. But I think in this game, he may well have a role to play simply because of how well he's playing at the moment and how well he can follow a plan. Let's just reflect some further back pages, including this in the Express

which, well, obviously, they're all going for the same headline here. The full English, you can see there, the pictures of the players celebrating, a particular focus on Mason Mount for Manchester United. Pedro Poirot with that cross-come shot. Yeah, it was a cross, wasn't it? As Tottenham beat Baderby 2-0. And Chelsea may get a hat-trick by strolling through to conference final. By the way, they'll play Raul Betis, who've managed to win 4-3 in aggregate. You can see that after extra time in Florence.

A 2-2 draw there in Italy to knock out Fiorentina. So it'll be Chelsea against Real Betis in the Conference League final. And the mirror looks like this.

So they've gone for CU in the final, EU, of course, United's first to meet in Europa Showdown. So yeah, Poro and Mason Mount pictured and Chelsea make it three going for glory. But of course, this final in Bilbao in, what is it, 13 days time, Jonathan, and Charlie's mentioned this before. Yes, I mean, it could go either way, but ultimately for one manager, it is more critical than for the other. And that is Ange Postakoglu.

We always ask you this, especially on a Thursday night when Spurs have played, you put the Ange lens on things. So what's going to happen if Spurs do win that Europa League final? Does he stay? So, I mean, there does appear to be this consensus that he's gone either way, right? And I just, I don't know. I don't think the players are playing like they think he's gone in the summer either way. I've certainly haven't heard any indication from the club that that's a decision they've made.

I just think people kind of underestimate what it's going to feel like if Spurs break that 40-year European trophy drought. What it would do for the mentality of Tottenham Hotspur to win a Europa League and to do it against Manchester United as well, to do it against multiple European Cup winners and Premier League winners.

The way it would change the way Spurs are seen, and if you go through Europa League winners in the past, most of them are already continental giants. But for the teams that aren't, for teams like Atalanta and Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevilla, who hadn't won anything in about 60 years before they won their first UEFA Cup in the mid-2000s, these trophies are genuinely transformative trophies.

They transform the mentality. They transform the expectations. They transform the caliber of players that you could attract because suddenly the stature of the club is so much higher than it was, you know, 90 minutes earlier. And I just think if Spurs can do it, and I, you know,

I don't think they're guaranteed to do it by any means. If Spurs do do it, I think the feeling around the club is just going to be so different that it will actually be very hard to let go of Antipostacoglu after he's led them to a moment like that. And what it would mean for Spurs to do that, I just don't think it's cut and dried by any stretch of the imagination.

Can I just come back to you, Charlie, just for a brief list of follow-ups on that and how you see the Ange Potocoglu tenure right now? Back page of the Mail, by the way, again, same headline there. And we're all off to sunny Spain, full English, they say again, in the Europa Final for Bill Bowers, Spurs and United, Cruz. So what's your view on Ange tonight, Charlie?

I agree with Jonathan that if you take the game in isolation, Tottenham winning the Europa League would be one of the greatest moments of their entire history. Not just recent history, the entire club to do that. So from the outside, it would seem crazy to then...

get rid of the manager. But I think there's other factors involved there. Um, and also add the fact that I, I think Poster Cockney has become very frustrated with the situation and he might also think, right, okay, I've done, I've won the trophy. Um, and, uh, I'm going to look somewhere else. I don't think, uh, you know, we should not consider that could play a part as well. So it's, it's an uneasy situation, but ultimately I think it's a great opportunity for Tottenham, uh,

It really is. It's going to be a terrific night. And of course, for Manchester United as well. And, you know, it's a shame that we're not going to have an English club in the final of the Champions League. But I think this sort of makes up for it to a degree. Not that any of our fans would agree, but it will be a great night. And it's just a bit curious that it's only a 13-day turnaround, isn't it? There's not an awful lot of time for people to plan this trip.

Let's move on to a bit of transfer news, which is on the back page of the Eye. Napoli, Charlie, are favourites to captor Kevin De Bruyne. We know that he's leaving Manchester City. They decided not to offer him a new deal. So what do you think of that as a fit and also the league he'd be playing in in Serie A? How does that match up with his talents? Oh, I mean, I think it would be...

an opportunity here to love. Of course, Napoli are on the verge of something special this season. They've turned Serie A season around. They're three points clear with three games to go. Scott McTominay is the unlikely hero in Naples. And De Bruyne, I think, would jump at the chance. But I think it's going to be a very long queue for him. There'll be several other clubs in Italy. Of course, we've seen quite a few clubs

Premier League players go to Italy but equally De Bruyne has said that he is open to staying in England it's not the fact that Manchester City have shown him the door I think he's already said that that doesn't mean it's the end of his adventure in England but I think

Playing Serie A for Napoli, Kevin De Bruyne. I think it already feels like a good fit, so that would be a really interesting one. But as I said, there'll be some other clubs that want him, both in Europe and elsewhere around the world, because he is a brilliant player and he still has quite a lot to offer, I think. Similar coloured shirt, if nothing else, Charlie, from Manchester City to Napoli as well. Jonathan, your thoughts. Does it work for you, that combination, Napoli and Kevin De Bruyne, Kevin De Bruyne and Napoli?

Yeah, I mean, if the hunger's there, I think if you look at De Bruyne's comments since it was announced that he was leaving, he clearly still feels he could do a job for City. He clearly still feels he could do a job at the top level in a big European league. So I think if the hunger is there and the physicality, you know, he's still physically able to get around a pitch, which is going to be easier in Serie A than the Premier League. That's just a fact. And the finances work as well from a Napoli side. It's a very, very intriguing deal.

OK, let's switch our focus to Rugby Union. The Alliance squad for the Tour of Australia has been named 38-man party and Andy Farrell is obviously at the helm of it and choosing who is going to be in that. And, yeah, look, we know there Mario Toge is the captain. We know that there is an interesting situation

selection there with Pollock, just the one cap, but obviously he's brilliant. But his own son, not in the 38-man squad as it stands. What's your assessment of that, Jonathan, on the whole in terms of captain, Pollock and Owen Farrell? Yeah, so on Owen Farrell, I think it would be a slightly different situation if Rassing were playing a lot better, if they were having a good season and if Farrell were fit and in form and making a kind of an un-

unassailable case for selection and none of those things have been true over the previous few months. I think if Andy Farrell had had a route to take Owen Farrell and you know the fact that he's left two spots open suggests that that route is still open but I think if he had a

If there was an excuse to take him, I think he would take him. But then you would have to answer, you know, out of Finn Russell and the two Smiths, who do you leave out to accommodate him? You could make as much of a case that George Ford would take that slot over Owen Farrell. So that deals with Farrell.

In terms of Pollock, it's an incredibly exciting selection. Yes, he's only got one cap. He's only played, what, 20 minutes of Six Nations. But what he's shown this season and against, you know, playing against Leinster in the Aviva, which is basically an Ireland team, what he did against the Lions in Pretoria, big performances, big

away from home in hostile environments. And that's the kind of thing that-- I think that's the kind of thing that coaches notice, because it shows character. You hear people talking about his character and his cockiness, was it, that Farrell was saying today.

And this is the sort of player who can have a transformative effect on a party. He gives energy, he gives excitement. He's the sort of player that you would pay to watch. He's the sort of player who's going to sell TV packages and tickets for this tour. People are going to want to watch him. So he is one of the exciting selections. I think when they announced it, the O2 today, his selection, I think, got the biggest reception, the biggest cheer. And there were also these lovely scenes from Northampton where they were announcing it and celebrating.

and it kind of shows the affection in which he's held it must be an incredibly exciting time to be him right now yeah absolutely and just finally and in fact you know jonathan we know this is shown live on sky sports this summer but it's also one of those things you know people get up early to watch it because it's games on going on in australia you know they're in they're in the pubs early you know that spectacle of the lion's talk certainly comes around once every four years it's very briefly from you it's it's special isn't it

It is. And it's unique in sport. I mean, obviously, it's been massively commercialized. You know, you see today's launch. There is a huge commercial element to it. But the fact that it's once every four years, once every 12 years to these various nations, the fact that these four nations come together and bury their tribal rivalries, it's incredibly special. And, you know, I'll definitely make time to watch it. And I'm sure a lot of people will do the same.