UEFA Europa League final: lowdown on Manchester United
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Article summary
What's their pedigree and how did they get here? A closer look at Manchester United ahead of their UEFA Europa League final meeting with Villarreal.
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Team news
Possible XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelöf, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba; Cavani
Pedigree
UEFA ranking: 8
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League finals: 1
Previous final appearance: W 2-0 vs Ajax (2017)
Top-flight titles: 20
FA Cups: 12
Final league position: 2nd
Route to the final
Qualified: Transferred from UEFA Champions League
Round of 32: 4-0 Real Sociedad (4-0a, 0-0h)
Round of 16: 2-1 AC Milan (1-1h, 1-0a)
Quarter-finals: 4-0 Granada (2-0a, 2-0h)
Semi-finals: 8-5 Roma (6-2h, 2-3a)
Overall: P8 W5 D2 L1 F18 A6
Top scorer: Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani (5)
Why this is their year
Last season's semi-final defeat by Sevilla hurt Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his players. United had paid a heavy price for their profligacy – and are determined not to make the same mistakes this time, as evidenced by their ruthless first-leg display against Roma as they look to end their longest run without a trophy since the 1980s.
Tactics
Solskjær normally sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation but has been known to deploy a 3-4-1-2 system, and has even experimented with a 4-4-2 diamond.
Key players
Bruno Fernandes His goals and assists – 28 and 18 respectively in 57 appearances this term – speak for themselves, but his leadership qualities are no less important to this United side.
Edinson Cavani Like a seasoned athlete, the Uruguayan is finishing the season with a blistering kick – averaging well over a goal every 90 minutes since mid-April.
Harry Maguire The United skipper has played over 50 games for the club this season, orchestrating the back line. Should he not recover from an ankle injury to play in Gdańsk, his absence would be a big blow.
Potted history
England's most decorated club won their first title in 1908, but it was under Sir Matt Busby (1945–1969) that the Red Devils truly established themselves as a force at home and abroad, winning the European Cup in 1968.
The arrival of another long-term manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, brought a return to glory, winning 38 trophies during his 26-year spell in charge, including two more European Cups. United have an estimated 750 million fans worldwide.
