Postecoglou exposes tactic against United star that completely outwitted Amorim in Europa League final

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed his Bruno Fernandes tactic, which Ruben Amorim had no answer for in the Champions League final.

Europa final embarrassment

United sacked Amorim in December of last year, bringing an end to a turbulent 14-month tenure that was plagued by inconsistent performances, disappointing results and significant off-field challenges.

One of the lowest moments of Amorim’s spell was the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

With United mired in the bottom half of the Premier League table during the latter stages of the 2024/25 season, the Europa League rapidly became their sole lifeline and only chance to rescue something from what threatened to be the worst top-flight season in the club’s history.

United faced Tottenham in the final at San Mames, but their performance was tepid and left a great deal to be desired.

The Red Devils offered little in attack and could not find a way past a determined Tottenham defence, with Brennan Johnson’s 42nd-minute goal proving to be the difference.

The win ended Tottenham’s 17-year wait for silverware and gave them their first European trophy in over 40 years.

Speaking on The Overlap, Postecoglou revealed that his plan for the game revolved around neutralising the influence of Fernandes.

Postecoglou unveils Fernandes strategy

Postecoglou said, “And, you know, we’ve got a line of about seven players on the edge of our box at one stage.”

“But at the same time, I knew if we shut down Bruno [Fernandes], they weren’t going to score.”

“I just felt with United, the way they set up with Ruben [Amorim] and the kind of ways they would try to break us down if we were really solid defensively, as long as we scored, we had to get a goal.”

He added, “We were still aggressive with our press, that didn’t change.”

“But in terms of being a little bit more direct, yeah, for sure, and a lot more sort of defensively rigid, that definitely happened. But that was because I, in my mind, thought, well, what a unique opportunity.”

Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham just a few weeks after the final before the North London outfit hired Thomas Frank as his replacement. Frank lasted just seven months in the job before his dismissal.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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