This has been billed by some as the experience vs youth match-up despite Manchester United missing the irrepressible Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to long-term injury.
On one hand, you have the controversial Jose Mourinho guiding veterans such as Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata despite some of them likely to be on the bench against Ajax. Even at 24-years-old, Paul Pogba has already played in a Champions League final and won a host of Serie A titles.
On the opposing end, Ajax will rely heavily on emerging young scorer Kasper Dolberg, Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana, and attacking midfielders Davy Klaassen and Hakim Ziyech.
While Mourinho has been able to lead Man United to a League Cup victory, the 6th place finish in the Premier League was punctuated by a brand of football considered abhorrent under Sir Alex Ferguson. Contrast that with Ajax’s attacking verve and persistent intent to attack, with the Dutch club failing to score a goal in only two league games throughout the 2016-17 Eredivisie campaign.
It would be a mistake to dismiss the Dutch club’s status as one of Europe’s elite as Ajax have won Europe’s elite competition on four occasions, three times when it was known as the European Cup and once in its Champions League format. However, Ajax have gone through a dry spell highlighted by the failure to win the Dutch League since the 2013-14 season and having failed to lift any European trophy since the 1994-95 Champions League triumph. So for Ajax it would be about prestige but also a return to glory, even if through the smaller window of the Europa League as opposed to the grandiose of lifting the Champions League trophy or securing the Eredivisie title.
For Manchester, this could very well define the club’s season. A failure to lift the Europa League would also mean United will miss on the Champions League for another season- something unthinkable during the heydays of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Mourinho justified his heavy rotation in the Premier League and his acceptance of defeats against Arsenal and Tottenham in recent weeks by insisting his focus is on the Europa League.
Mourinho is a shrewd manager and he knew Man United would need to lift the much maligned Europa League in order to bring back Champions League football to Old Trafford. With Chelsea and Tottenham miles ahead, Manchester City putting emphasis on making third, Liverpool and Arsenal battling it for fourth, Mourinho should be commended for his foresight.
However, Mourinho’s strategy will backfire and all will be lost if Ajax lift the Europa League. It is not about lifting a second trophy for the United board and fans as much as it is about making the Champions League. So why the emphasis on making Europe’s top competition when Man United are not only the top earning club in world football but in all sports? The answers are simple and extend beyond revenue and other figures.
Sure it does not hurt to have more revenue streaming in from Champions League participation via more ticket sales as well as TV rights to European football nights but it is much more than that.
A club of Manchester’s status ought to be playing in the Champions League every single year when they are considered as England and the EPL’s most successful team. Star names would hesitate about showcasing their talent at Old Trafford if the midweek fixture is in the Europa League and not the Champions League.
Some would argue Ibrahimovic joined Man United in the summer of 2016 despite the lack of Champions League football but Zlatan was almost 35-years-old and is nearing the end of his glittering career. How about Paul Pogba? It is hard to tell what was going through Pogba’s head but perhaps the lure of returning to Old Trafford to prove Sir Alex was wrong not to give him more playing time proved too enticing to refuse? Maybe it was the fact he was looking for a new challenge after Juventus repeatedly conquered Serie A?
None of us are inside Pogba’s head but to deny the significance of a massive pay package would be foolish. It is fair to say one of the main reasons behind Pogba’s move was the significant bump in his annual salary at Old Trafford. Sure Pogba was hoping for a swift return to the Champions League in 2017-18 but for him, for Mourinho, the board and the fans the only path to Europe’s elite competition is through beating Ajax.
This is Manchester’s biggest game of the season. A win for United and Antoine Griezmann’s “6 out of 10″ chances of joining Manchester could easily jump to a solid 9.
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