Carragher stunned by what Neville just said about Tottenham and Man United
Tottenham’s clash against Manchester United in the Europa League final has garnered a lot of interest.
The narratives surrounding the game are endless, with both clubs arguably more concerned with avoiding defeat than actually winning the trophy in what have been historically poor Premier League campaigns.
One point separates the two sides at the foot of the table, leading to their respective managers to fall under considerable scrutiny, though the stakes are higher for Ange Postecoglou.
He will be hoping to rewrite history by guiding Spurs to the major trophy that has eluded them for so long, although the recent injury to Dejan Kulusevski will not have helped the Australian’s cause.
Gary Neville would pick almost every Spurs player over United
United’s superior pedigree, having lifted two domestic cups in the last two years and got over the line in the Europa League in 2017, may give them an edge in this tie.
However, history may not be the defining factor for prominent pundit Gary Neville, who has commented on Spurs’ far more potent playing squad.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, he listed Tottenham’s first team, before commenting, “When you look at those players, like for like with United’s, only Bruno [Fernandes], in my opinion, would get into the first eleven at Spurs.”
| Team | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals for | Goals against | Points |
| Manchester United | 10 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 53 | 39 |
| Tottenham | 11 | 5 | 20 | 63 | 59 | 38 |
He later added, “The goalkeeper is a 50/50 split as I don’t like Vicario and I’m not a fan of Onana” before listing the Tottenham players once more and saying he thinks they are better on paper.
The Lilywhites will also look to harness belief from their perfect record against the Red Devils this season, having already beaten them three times.
Spurs must stop Fernandes
Fernandes, who has been linked with a move away from Man United, has been directly involved in 43 per cent of his side’s league goals this season, scoring eight goals and registering ten assists.
In European games, he has been even more prolific, often jumping between the centre of the park and the number ten role to influence games.
The United captain is the lynchpin of Ruben Amorim‘s side, and Postecoglou must formulate a plan to nullify his impact on the game.
Even if it’s not in Postecoglou’s nature to deviate from his attack-focused tactics too much, he has displayed more flexibility in the Europa League and will once again have to adapt for this encounter.