Author: Emlyn Begley
Getty ImagesEmlyn BegleyBBC Sport journalist7 hours ago782 CommentsNever in the history of European competition has a final been played between two teams so out of form. The winners of Wednesday’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham in Bilbao could be the lowest league finishers ever to win a major European trophy.And they will certainly become the lowest team to ever qualify for the European Cup or Champions League.United sit in 16th place in the Premier League, with Spurs 17th – and a combined 39 league defeats.The only league games either have won since 2 February have been against sides who were relegated – or each other.Their points tally could have had them relegated in some previous seasons.”I can’t remember such a game which was so highly pressurised for both teams,” said former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.And yet one of them will celebrate glory – and a return to the riches of the Champions League next season.Who has had the worse season?To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedBBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel and chief football news reporter Simon Stone, who will both be at San Mames for the final, have had their say on whose season has been worse.Mokbel on Spurs: “Underperformed, underachieved, unacceptable. Domestically, at least.”While Tottenham will cling on to hope of somehow turning a catastrophic season into a historic one, there can be no running away from the fact that results and performances have been largely disastrous.”Twenty-one defeats in the Premier League and counting. Of course, all that will be forgotten if Spurs lift the Europa League trophy on Wednesday night.”Whether that is enough to keep Ange Postecoglou in a job, however, is the million-dollar question with all the indications pointing towards the Australian departing regardless of the outcome in Bilbao.”The fact Postecoglou’s tenure in north London looks set to end imminently illustrates just how pitiful their domestic campaign has been.”In their defence, injuries have debilitated Tottenham’s season. They have lost key players for long periods of time.”But this is an expensively-assembled Tottenham squad – one that includes the club-record £65m signing of Dominic Solanke.”United are in a season of transition, having changed managers midway through the season.”It’s different for Tottenham. Following Postecoglou’s encouraging first season in charge, in which Spurs finished fifth, this was a team set up to compete for Champions League qualification.”Instead, they could finish one place above the relegation zone. That’s undeniably poor.”Stone on United: “Manchester United have been worse because much of the damage has been self-inflicted.”United were the ones who reflected on Erik ten Hag’s tenure, both in the wake of their 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last May, then after the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, and decided to stick with him.”United gave him money to spend, specifically on Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee in the summer, then sacked him after nine games.”And United told Ruben Amorim he had to start immediately, not wait until the summer to join from Sporting.”Now, the safety net is Bilbao and then that United hit the ground running at the start of next season, which would justify the refusal to wait for Amorim.”But, in the here and now, United have been woeful.”There have been periods in games when they have looked fluid and their passing triangles have worked.”However, Rasmus Hojlund has not looked a threat at one end of the field and basic mistakes have undermined them at the other.”With six minutes left of extra time in their Europa League quarter-final against 10-man Lyon, it was not easy to strike a single optimistic note on United’s behalf. Somehow, they rescued themselves.”Since then, United have got one point from five Premier League games. No-one has done worse than that. “By any measure, this is United’s worst season since the 1973-74 relegation campaign. And they announced financial losses of £113.2m last September.”To spend so much and be so bad really takes some doing.”Who are the worst European winners ever?To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedOnly two teams have won a European trophy after finishing below 12th in their domestic league.That includes the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup, Uefa Cup, European Cup, Champions League, Europa League and newish Conference League.The lowest-ranked team yet was West Ham just two seasons ago when they finished 14th in the Premier League but won the third-tier Conference League.The highest Manchester United or Spurs can finish is 14th – with several results having to go their way. The other lowest finishes have all come in various iterations of the Europa League.Inter Milan finished 13th out of 18 teams in Serie A in 1993-94, only staying up by one point (in the old system of two points for a win), but won the Uefa Cup.And a team finishing 12th have won it three times – Arsenal in the 1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Schalke in the 1996-97 Uefa Cup and Sevilla in the 2022-23 Europa League.That Sevilla team are the lowest-placed to have ever qualified for the European Cup or Champions League – until now.Former Chelsea player Sutton said: “There’s not going to be a great deal of quality on show. “Both sets of players will be apprehensive and nervous.”On Amorim and Postecoglou making changes in recent Premier League games, he added: “I don’t understand why they are gripped by fear. Both managers want to go into the cup final with momentum. “That really adds to the occasion and the pressure.”The sixth all-English European final This will be the sixth all-English final in European competition – with all of those involving either Tottenham or Chelsea.England is the first country to have so many in Uefa competition (excluding the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup).Tottenham beat Wolves for the 1972 Uefa Cup final and Manchester United defeated Chelsea to win the 2008 Champions League.In 2019, both finals were all-English – with Liverpool beating Tottenham in the Champions League and Chelsea seeing off Arsenal in the Europa League.Chelsea beat Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2021.Who has the best trophy record?Both managers are looking for their first trophy in charge of an English club – but they have won silverware abroad.Postecoglou, 59, has the bigger trophy haul, although he has been managing a lot longer than his 40-year-old opposite number.An important game for different reasonsTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedBoth sides will be desperate to win this match, but their incentives are quite distinct.For Tottenham, this would be a first trophy since the 2008 Carabao Cup and their first European trophy since 1984.It would vindicate Postecoglou’s early-season declaration that he always wins a trophy in his second season.And somehow their worst domestic season since the 1970s could turn out to be their best in years.”I’m sure if that happens on Wednesday night Ange will be smug walking off the pitch and say ‘see you later, I’ve told you what I do mate’,” said former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given.Sutton reckons if Spurs lose, Postecoglou may not even be in charge for the final game of the Premier League season at home to Brighton on Sunday.”If Postecoglou wins he’ll be hailed,” said the former Blackburn forward. “But just imagine the atmosphere against Brighton if Tottenham lose. “I suspect he might not be in charge if that happens because that will be as toxic as anything.”For Manchester United – who have won domestic cups in the past two seasons – Champions League qualification is the ultimate goal here.”Financially, it’s the most important match in the club’s history,” says football finance expert Kieran Maguire.Sutton feels the game is a potential “get-out-of-jail-free card” for Amorim.The Portuguese, who is hoping to oversee a summer rebuild, said: “I think [qualifying for the] Champions League is more important for everything, to prepare the next season.”We are supposed to be in the Champions League and the Europa League here is not enough, you have that feeling here. The best way to help us get to the top in a few years is the Champions League.”The key statsOpta’s supercomputer says the game will be extremely close – giving Spurs a 50.3% chance of winning.Not only have Tottenham won all three meetings so far this season, but they have led for 90% of game time. United have yet to go ahead in any game.Since Ange Postecoglou took over as Spurs boss, only Brentford have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League.Three of the past four Europa League finals have gone to penalties.In the Premier League, Spurs’ shot conversion rate of 12.8% is the sixth highest in the division. United are second bottom with 8.4%.Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Radamel Falcao (30) have scored more goals in the Europa League than United captain Bruno Fernandes (27), while he is top for assists (19) and total goal involvements (46).United keeper Andre Onana has been responsible for five errors leading to goals in all competitions this season. Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario has only been responsible for one in his two seasons.The Team Selector cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable JavaScript or try another browser.Man Utd v Tottenham combined XIChoose your combined starting XI from Manchester United and Tottenham players before the Europa League final.4-3-3Related topicsManchester UnitedEuropa LeagueTottenham HotspurFootball
Getty ImagesEmlyn BegleyBBC Sport journalist18 May 2025858 CommentsUpdated 20 May 2025Five Premier League teams will battle it out for three Champions League places on the final day of the season.Champions Liverpool and Arsenal have secured their place in European club football’s premier competition and a draw against Fulham on the final day should ensure Manchester City join them, after Pep Guardiola’s side beat Bournemouth on Tuesday to move on to 68 points.Newcastle are one of three teams on 66 points, alongside Chelsea and Aston Villa, with Nottingham Forest on 65 points.Five English sides will qualify for the Champions League through the league, up from the usual four, with an extra place secured because of positive results by Premier League clubs in Europe this season.Newcastle know a home win against Everton next Sunday (16:00 BST) would successfully finish the job.For Chelsea, a win would also be enough. But… they visit Forest, who beat West Ham 2-1 on Sunday to keep their own hopes alive.Forest need to beat the Blues and hope at least one team above them slips up. Villa will probably need to win at Manchester United and hope for favours elsewhere.Still following?The winners of Wednesday’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham will also qualify for next season’s Champions League, meaning there will be a sixth English team in the competition, but that has no impact on any league permutations.With Spurs and United in the bottom five of the Premier League, whoever loses in Bilbao will have no European football of any kind next season.Another European finalist, Chelsea, could have a say in what other English teams qualify for various European competitions, but more on that later.How the European battle looksWhat do the managers say?Manchester City will be playing Champions League football next season if they beat Fulham on Sunday. They should be confident of achieving that given they’ve won their last 14 Premier League games in a row at Craven Cottage.A draw will likely be enough, however, because of their superior goal difference.”We still have a lot of job to do,” Guardiola said after the victory against Bournemouth.”On Sunday we have a tough, tough opponent. “We go there to win and get the result we need to be in next season’s Champions League.”Tuesday’s win for City ended Bournemouth’s hopes of securing European football next season.They are 11th and cannot finish in the top eight.What do the experts say?Statisticians Opta give Manchester City the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League – 96.83%.Newcastle have an 81.73% chance, and Chelsea are predicted to finish there in 57.81% of their predictions.Villa are given a 43.97% hope, with Forest down on 19.66%.What relevant fixtures are left?Newcastle: Everton (H)Chelsea: Nottingham Forest (A)Aston Villa: Manchester United (A)Manchester City: Fulham (A)Nottingham Forest: Chelsea (H)Who else will qualify for Europe?Crystal Palace, who are 12th in the league, have qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, beating Manchester City in Saturday’s final.The team who finish sixth will also qualify for the Europa League.Newcastle United, as Carabao Cup winners, have earned at least a place in next season’s Conference League. If Newcastle finish in the top six, then seventh place in the Premier League will qualify for the Conference League instead.The teams who finish sixth and seventh will be the two teams who miss out on the Champions League next weekend, because there is a 10-point drop to eighth.Now… there is a chance that the team who finish eighth can qualify for the Conference League.That will happen if Chelsea finish seventh in the league and win the Conference League final against Real Betis on Wednesday, 28 May.In that scenario, Chelsea would qualify for the Europa League because of winning their final in Wroclaw.That is for quite complicated reasons – which you can read here if you like – but you might be better off just trusting us.Brighton are eighth after beating Liverpool on Monday to move three points clear of Brentford in seventh.Fulham – after a win over the Bees – are one point behind them.If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, England will have three teams in the Europa League (including the team who finish seventh) and none in the Conference League.What relevant fixtures are left?Brentford: Wolves (A)Brighton: Tottenham (A)Fulham: Manchester City (H)Bournemouth: Leicester (H)Related topicsFootball
Getty ImagesEmlyn BegleyBBC Sport journalist17 May 2025387 CommentsDean Huijsen’s £50m move to Real Madrid caps off a remarkable rise for a defender who was struggling to get in the Bournemouth team seven months earlier.The 20-year-old Spain centre-back became one of the Premier League’s most consistent centre-backs, after replacing the injured Marcos Senesi in December.The Cherries almost quadrupled their money, having paid a maximum of £15m to sign him from Juventus last summer.BBC Sport looks at the 6ft 5in defender’s rapid ascent.How good has Huijsen been?OptaHuijsen ranks highly in many different categories for Premier League defenders to play at least 1,000 minutes this season, per 90 minutes.Second for clearancesThird for interceptionsFourth for headed clearancesFourth for successful long passesSixth for centre-backs playing passes ending in the final third11th for forward passes15th for fewest goals conceded16th for aerial duelsOn top of that, in his 30 Premier League appearances, he has scored three important goals – a winner against Tottenham, opener against Manchester United and equaliser against Arsenal – all in wins.Jordan Clark, BBC Radio Solent’s Bournemouth commentator, has been hugely impressed by the youngster.”He looks like he’s a second ahead of the strikers,” he says. “He reads the game so well. He’s a brilliant ball player, playing it out from the back, and he’s defensively strong, physically solid. “It’s tough to see any downsides to his game. He does the basic things well. If a player is under pressure you see modern-day defenders take risks and play it out from the back. “But he’ll assess the situation quickly and if he feels the pass isn’t on, he’ll just put the ball out of play. It’s like an old-school defender; no risks, if in doubt put it out.”Huijsen actually began the season in the starting XI before dropping to the bench for a few months before Senesi’s injury.”He played the first game at Forest and I remember saying on commentary it was the first time we’d seen him properly, a 19-year-old, but he looked like he’d been playing in the Premier League for years. “He had something about him physically, he dealt brilliantly with Chris Wood but the ball playing as well was impressive. He stood out that day. But then he had to wait for his opportunity.”The CIES Football Observatory recently put Huijsen second in the world of 2024-25 signings whose values have risen, saying the Cherries could have made a £57.7m profit had he not had a release clause.The only player above him was new Real Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who joined them on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain last year and is now worth, according to them, £153.6m.OptaHis form this season saw him make his senior Spain debut. Born in the Netherlands but raised in Spain, he had represented both nations at youth level.Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said they had been monitoring him for years and he “isn’t some new discovery”.”There are many players – and this is the best news for Spanish football – who today are still unknown to the general public and even some in the media, but not to us inside the federation,” he said.”I see him – if nothing gets in the way – as capable of playing for any team. I don’t see any limits. Huijsen is having a great season in the Premier League and is ready. I’m sure he’ll keep improving with time, naturally.”How did Huijsen join Bournemouth?Getty ImagesJuventus will be kicking themselves as they were the ones who wanted Huijsen to leave last summer.The 20-year-old joined Juve from Malaga’s academy in 2021 – with Huijsen turning down the chance to join Real instead that summer.He only played one senior game for Juve, spending the second half of last season on loan at Roma.Huijsen told Gazzetta he wanted to play for Juventus this season but was told the club needed to sell him for financial reasons and forced him out.Not their wisest decision, especially since they went on to sign Newcastle’s former Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly for £20m in January. In April, Bournemouth technical director Simon Francis told BBC Radio Solent: “Juventus might be scratching their heads at that now [how the English club got him for so cheap].”We found a fortunate time to take him out of there. [Bournemouth president of football operations] Tiago Pinto had worked closely with him before [at Roma] and gave us reassurance. “The idea was for him to come in as back-up and learn but through injury there was the opportunity for him to come into the team and he’s been there ever since.”BBC commentator Clark added: “We’d never heard of him. I don’t think there was much in terms of expecations. He looked like a player who was being signed for the future, one they’d hopefully develop and would come good eventually. It became clear quickly he was more than that.”Why did Real Madrid make their move?Huijsen was wanted by most of Europe’s top clubs – including Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Bayern Munich.BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella says Real told the player they would continue watching his career when he turned them down for Juve aged 16.”He will sign on a five-year deal with a salary of 9m euros (£7.6m) gross but expected to rise to 11m (£9.3) by the end of his contract,” said Kinsella.”Madrid found it challenging convincing his father and agents to go for Madrid with Juni Calafat and Jose Angel Sanchez handling negotiations. They believe they were offering less than some clubs in England for his signature.”The sporting project convinced Huijsen as Real told him they will build their defence around him for the next decade and believe he fits Xabi Alonso’s system of playing out from the back. “Madrid wanted him regardless but Alonso spoke to him and approved the deal.”Bayer Leverkusen manager Alonso is set to replace Carlo Ancelotti as Real boss before the Fifa Club World Cup.Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is also expected to move to Madrid on a free transfer in a defensive reshuffle.Related topicsPremier LeagueBournemouthFootball