IT IS the worst ‘big match’ successful Premier League history.
The archetypal clip that 2 of English football’s alleged elite person met astatine specified an precocious signifier of the play with some clubs languishing successful the bottommost fractional of the table.
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GettyGlory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur, anyone? Or glory, glory, Man Utd for that matter?
Not erstwhile the 2 clubs contesting this underachievers derby caput into the play successful 13th and 14th positions. And by kick-off astatine 4.30pm connected Sunday, that could adjacent work 15th against 16th.
If Sky are billing this arsenic Super Sunday, they volition beryllium doing truthful with lingua firmly successful cheek. And neutrals tuning successful volition consciousness similar rubber-neckers astatine a car-crash site.
Not since some clubs were relegated from the apical formation successful the 1970s person either experienced rather specified a dire campaign.
In the Big Six era, we person ne'er seen the like. Only Chelsea’s meltdown successful 2015-16 compares to the play either Spurs oregon the Red Devils are suffering.
And this is nary abrupt implosion similar the 1 which ended Jose Mourinho’s 2nd Stamford Bridge reign. For United and Spurs, this represents a reckoning aft years of flawed decision-making and chronic mismanagement.
Losing has go a atrocious wont for both, seeing them overtaken by smaller clubs specified arsenic Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham, arsenic good arsenic a resurgent Nottingham Forest nether erstwhile Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Ange Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged Spurs ended a fearfulness tally of 1 constituent from 7 games with triumph astatine Brentford successful their past league outing.
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But they person been dumped retired of some home cups since.
United person mislaid 5 of their past six league games astatine Old Trafford, and adjacent though their distant signifier has been amended nether Ruben Amorim, this has been a shocking play adjacent by the dismal standards of the post-Ferguson era.
The similarities are glaring.
Two tactically-dogmatic managers wedded to their philosophies, intransigent successful the look of decision — Postecoglou’s compulsion for playing retired from the back, Amorim’s adamance that his 3-4-3 is non-negotiable.
Two uncommon English overlords successful the boardrooms, some giving overseas owners a bully name.
Spurs fans volition protestation against Daniel Levy, yet his estimation for penny-pinching looks absurd erstwhile held up against Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting since helium became a number proprietor astatine Old Trafford — wherever different raft of demoralising backroom redundancies is successful the offing.
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PATwo squads bereft of confidence, some lacking effectual on-field leadership, wherever elder players person failed to grasp the nettle, meaning promising youngsters are incapable to thrive.
Is determination immoderate mode retired of this decease spiral for either club? And conscionable however debased could they fall?
At slightest the bottommost 4 are truthful distant that relegation should not beryllium a superior concern. It is easier to reason the lawsuit for a swift turnaround successful fortunes astatine Spurs and Big Ange has been doing truthful successful each media appearance.
Tottenham’s wounded database has been utmost — losing a first-choice keeper, an full backmost 4 and a quartet of attacking players would nonstop astir teams into a nosedive.
Not that this excuses location defeats by Ipswich and Leicester, nor the mode of their gutless capitulation astatine Anfield successful the Carabao Cup semi-final 2nd limb arsenic Liverpool cruised to a 4-0 win.
But United’s aboriginal struggles nether Amorim are a affirmative for Postecoglou — impervious that changing managers successful mid-season doesn’t needfully supply a bounce.
Spurs person the modern infrastructure which United crave.
Yet their magnificent stadium suggests a shiny caller Wembley of the North astatine Old Trafford is improbable to person immoderate affirmative interaction connected United’s semipermanent playing prospects either.
The struggling North London nine person besides recruited promising young players successful the past 2 windows, a way Ratcliffe intends to follow.
Everyone wants a semipermanent program but successful the knee-jerk ‘now culture’ of the Premier League, however soon is the future?
Tottenham person already defeated United doubly this play — a 3-0 drubbing astatine Old Trafford and a crazy 4-3 victory successful the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
With immoderate fit-again reinforcements expected, a 3rd occurrence implicit their chap situation nine could beryllium mood-altering.
For United, the representation is much bleak.
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GettyThere is nary battalion acceptable to emergence disconnected the attraction table.
Indeed, aft loaning retired Marcus Rashford and Antony successful January, without recruiting immoderate replacements, determination is simply a superior dearth of attacking players successful Amorim’s squad.
The Portuguese brag indispensable limp done to the extremity of the season, hoping for different miraculous Cup tally similar the 1 which gave Erik 10 Hag a reprieve past year.
And past possibly a large summertime revamp — not that respective akin revamps person worked astatine United successful caller years.
Could the Europa League correspond a lifeline for either club?
Earlier this season, Mourinho — who managed some — declared that the Red Devils and Tottenham were the 2 steadfast favourites to triumph the Europa League, owed to the Premier League’s economical clout.
This ought to beryllium existent but the world is different. No English nine has won Uefa’s second-tier contention successful the past 5 seasons, with lone Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United reaching the last during that time.
For now, though, we person a gathering of glum and glummer — a macabre circus, with the losers sentenced to further humiliation and ridicule.
Roll up, rotation up, for the top sewage amusement connected Earth.
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