Rio Ferdinand believes that Tottenham Hotspur have a clear blueprint to beat Manchester United in the Europa League final and has revealed why he is concerned ahead of the big showdown in Bilbao.
Both Spurs and United are desperate to get their hands on the trophy after their abject Premier League campaigns, and there has been some fighting talk from the Red Devils ahead of the game.
Ruben Amorim claimed Man Utd have an advantage since they know how Tottenham play, insisting that Ange Postecoglou’s men do not tend to throw any surprises.
The club’s captain has conveyed a similar sentiment, with Bruno Fernandes insisting Man United know what to expect from Spurs, who tend to play aggressively on and off the ball.
Rio Ferdinand says Spurs can exploit Man United’s Achilles heel
Ferdinand has said the aggression and physicality associated with Tottenham have proven to be United’s undoing time and again this season.
The Red Devils legend suggested that Ruben Amorim’s men have simply not been able to keep up with any Premier League side physically for 90 minutes this season, and he fears that it could be more of the same in the final.
Ferdinand told talkSPORT: “The worrying thing for me from a Man United perspective is that…I’ve always said it, I’ve said it on my podcast for the last couple of months, physically we can’t keep up with any team in the Premier League.
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“If they go man to man and go toe-to-toe with us, we’re at a disadvantage because our profile of our players at Man United are not players that can run as hard and as fast, and as long, and they’re not as powerful as other teams.
“That’s a big thing in the Premier League. In Europe, we’re overpowering every team. There’s only one team I’ve watched us play against in the Europa League that we struggled against and thought, ‘Ooh, that was a bit too close for comfort. Rangers, who are more akin to a Premier League side, are physically.
“That’s the concern for me in the final playing against a Premier League team, who have beaten us three times, that physically can, minimum, match us.”
Tottenham are not preoccupied with what Man United do
Spurs can take confidence from their flawless record against United this season, but from the noises coming out of Tottenham, it appears that their players are not overly focused on the opposition.
When asked about going up against United, Bissouma insisted Spurs are only focused on being at their best rather than worrying about what Ruben Amorim’s side do.