The UEFA Cup final staged a down-and-out Premier League match: Tottenham has defeated Manchester United three times in the season, and tactics have become the key to the decisive victory?

In the 2024/25 season, the UEFA Cup unexpectedly became the redemption stage for two down-and-out Premier League giants. Manchester United and Tottenham, these two teams are deeply trapped in the Premier League this season - the former strong teams ranked only 14th and 16th, have successfully won the finals in the UEFA Cup journey. This showdown not only carries the last hope of the two teams this season, but also will have a profound impact on the situation of the Champions League next season.

Judging from the updated championship prediction of the data website OPTA, the probability of Manchester United and Tottenham winning is basically the same, showing a 55-5-0 win.

However, looking back at the domestic front meeting record this season, Tottenham maintained an overwhelming advantage over Manchester United and achieved a remarkable three-kill feat:

In the two-leg matches in the Premier League, Tottenham defeated Manchester United with scores of 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, showing strong dominance;

And in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, Tottenham also narrowly won 4-3. However, it is worth noting that Tottenham once led 3-0 in this game, but goalkeeper Foster made low-level mistakes in front of the goal twice in the last part of the game, which allowed Manchester United to catch up to 3-4. In fact, these two goals were more due to the imbalance of the goalkeeper's mentality under the leadership, and it has little to do with the layout of Tottenham coach Postkoglu.

In fact, if you analyze the tactical systems of the two teams, you can basically find that the main reason why Tottenham VS Manchester United's performance is dominant this season: Tottenham under the coaching of Australia and Poland, it has incorporated the coach's extremely offensive football concept. In offensive organization, Tottenham prefers to advance quickly from the backcourt. The two full-backs often receive midfield positions, echoing the central defenders, forming a solid ball-handling triangle. The central defender pulled to the wing road at the right time to broaden the offensive width. Other midfielders flexibly switch positions. Through the "third-person movement" tactic, they accurately find teammates in the middle and burn the attack to the hinterland of the opponent's penalty area!

In the third offensive zone, Tottenham mainly uses crossing and low crossing tactics, while centers such as Solank and Johnson promptly stepped forward to the near post to grab the point; secondly, the full-backs cooperated tacitly, using the advantage of numbers to create one-on-one single-handed opportunities to tear open the opponent's defense line; third-quarter defenders' flexible position transfers during offense are also crucial. They sometimes recruit and participate in the middle organization, and sometimes forward to provide width, adding more offensive routines to the team!

In contrast, Manchester United has been stubbornly using the three-center-back system on the defensive end since Amorin took office this season. This defensive system that is not yet mature in Manchester United is facing teams like Tottenham that plays offensive football, the drawbacks and loopholes are undoubtedly revealed; first, the frequent inward cuts of Tottenham's fullback and the flexible running of the wingers often disrupt the defensive position of Manchester United's three central defenders, making Manchester United's defense line lose sight of the other; second, when Manchester United's wingbacks cut inward, they often fail to fill in time when defending Tottenham's fullback cuts, creating a lot of offensive space for Tottenham. Third, Tottenham's offensive players can find pass lines and shooting opportunities in the gaps in the Manchester United's defense line, while Manchester United's defensive players find it difficult to effectively limit Tottenham's offensive rhythm.

From this we can see that Postkoglu's offensive football tactics did show a strong restraining effect when facing Manchester United's three-center-back defensive system.

Overall, although Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur's chances of winning in the UEFA Cup final seem similar, Tottenham has a greater chance of winning in this UEFA Cup final with their outstanding record against Manchester United this season and the advantages of coach Postkoglu's tactical system. This final is not only a battle of honor, but also the only way for the two teams to return to the Champions League next season. Is it whether Tottenham continues its advantage over Manchester United to complete four season kills, or is it that Manchester United successfully takes revenge? Let's wait and see.