How Man United and Spurs compare across FOUR key areas as the Premier League giants slip to historic new lows - and which club should be fearing the worst ahead of their crucial Europa League showdown?

Both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou will surely person thanked the gods a 1000 times implicit that they still, somehow, person a accidental to marque the Champions League adjacent term. 

After some teams mislaid 2-0 astatine location astatine the play - Spurs to London rivals Crystal Palace and United to West Ham - they person reached each caller lows, and successful immoderate different twelvemonth would look a genuine menace of relegation. 

That's right, regular features successful Europe implicit the past decennary though they whitethorn be, Tottenham and Man United are presently 17th and 16th successful the Premier League respectively. 

To enactment it bluntly, the 2 are each making their ain lawsuit for being the worst teams to ever scope a large European final. Whether it's close oregon not, 1 of these 2 teams volition beryllium successful the Champions League adjacent year, and it would beryllium amusing to person a squad triumph the Europa League aft a 17th-place finish. 

Just a constituent separates the 2 sides adjacent the bottommost of the pile, and though determination are definite mitigating factors that ought to beryllium considered, the world is that determination volition apt beryllium immense unit connected whichever manager loses that clash successful Bilbao adjacent month. Not that the victor volition realistically beryllium getting disconnected scot-free, mind. 

Both teams person immoderate superior reasoning to bash implicit the summer, but arsenic the 2 sides scope what seems similar a caller low, which of Man United and Tottenham has truly been worse this season?  

Well, earlier we get into immoderate rather frankly damning stats, it's worthy laying retired a fewer mitigating factors. Firstly, determination are the injuries that some teams person had implicit the people of the campaign. 

According to Transfermarkt, Tottenham person had 35 injuries that person prevented a subordinate from featuring successful astatine slightest 1 game, and 10 antithetic players person suffered from much than 1 specified disruption. On 14 occasions a subordinate has missed 5 oregon much Premier League games. 

In the lawsuit of Man United it's lone marginally amended speechmaking with 32 chiseled injuries, though the mode things person been going they'll instrumentality each triumph they tin get. They've had 11 players with aggregate injuries, and a further 12 injuries lasting much than 5 games. 

For United there's besides the tiny substance of changing managers mid-season, which is people a immense disruption. They've got to larn however to play a full caller way, and besides effort and beryllium they merit to beryllium a cardinal portion of the caller epoch - it's not each that easy. Tottenham, meanwhile, don't person overmuch to kick astir successful that regard.

Additionally, it's worthy constituent retired that they've some had to play crossed aggregate fronts for the bulk of the play - some person played 57 games - which volition spell immoderate mode to explaining the fittingness problems arsenic good arsenic a nonaccomplishment of signifier and fluidity fixed the request for chopping and changing.  

Right, present that the excuses are retired the way, let's instrumentality a heavy dive into conscionable however atrocious some teams person been.  

Goals 

Seems similar a bully spot to start, doesn't it? In the past 5 games, they person beauteous adjacent records, some scoring five, with United conceding 12 to Spurs' 14. 

But if we look astatine the 25 games since Amorim's arrival, Tottenham person outscored United by 10 (40 vs 30), but person conceded 5 much (46 vs 41), truthful the northbound Londoners person a +5 extremity quality edge.

Now, wherever it gets absorbing is everybody's favourite metric, expected goals. Spurs person out-performed their expected goals scored (xGS) since Amorim's accomplishment by 4.54, indicating possibly forwards bailing their squad out, oregon goals coming from low-threat situations. United, meanwhile, are down theirs by 2.7. 

But it's a antithetic script successful the past 5 games. Both teams person under-performed - United by 3.35 and Spurs 1.06 - which usually underlines wasteful finishing, unless immoderate goalkeepers person pulled disconnected occurrence saves. 

Let's look astatine the different mode - expected goals conceded (xGC), though it's not beauteous speechmaking for immoderate fans of either club. Since Amorim arrived 25 games ago, United person conceded 4.21 goals much than their xGC (41 vs 36.29) and Spurs amazingly less (46 vs 47.56). 

What is telling, though, is the information that some person akin records successful the past 5 games arsenic the injury-depleted sides limp towards the decorativeness line; United are conceding 4.5 much goals than expected, and Spurs 4.65. Not precisely trophy-winning form, is it?

What does this archer us? Well, numbers and information are lone 1 broadside of the story, but from them we tin extrapolate that some sides are struggling to some score, and support the shot retired of their ain net. 

Both person conceded much than they should be, and successful caller games person not been scoring arsenic galore arsenic they should be, though successful Spurs' defence, they are conceding less and scoring much than expected for the bulk of the season; their caller signifier is much of an outlier. 

Who has been worse?: It's close, but you would person to accidental United. They person fallen abbreviated of their xGS and exceeded their xGC - precisely the other of what you'd privation - since Amorim's accomplishment and successful the past 5 games. Tottenham person been precise mediocre too, though.

Tactics

Helpfully, this is rather a hard class to quantify, but we volition effort nonetheless. Both managers person antithetic approaches, but we've looked astatine indicators for however comfy a squad mightiness beryllium successful their strategy of choice. 

United are winning the shot backmost much often than their rivals some precocious (43.6 times per-game vs 40) and crossed Amorim's tenure (44.92 vs 43.64), which would bespeak a much effectual press, arsenic good arsenic amended tackling oregon intercepting without possession. 

Secondly, vulnerability to the antagonistic is simply a large portion of however good constructed a maneuver is, and conceding successful that mode seems to beryllium thing we subordinate with Spurs nether Postecoglou. In the past 25 games they person fto successful 7 goals from accelerated breaks (17.5 per cent of each goals conceded), 2 of which person travel successful the past 5 games (14.3 per cent). 

United, meanwhile, person lone conceded 5 specified goals nether Amorim (16.67 per cent), but nary successful the past 5 games. This could bespeak that the tactical strategy is processing good successful defence with players amended placed to chopped retired counters, but the goals are alternatively coming from determination else. 

Though already covered successful the supra section, the information that Spurs are expected to person conceded 10.77 much goals since Amorim arrived is hardly a ringing endorsement of Postecoglou's system.  

Another indicator of tactical suitability tin beryllium the magnitude of points dropped from winning positions, and, erstwhile again, it makes for mediocre speechmaking for Spurs fans. They've dropped a staggering 21 points aft taking the pb compared to United's nine.  

Those 21 points would instrumentality Spurs up to eighth, and adjacent 10 of those up to 13th, wherever United would beryllium with their 9 points. In immoderate ways, that's really a affirmative for Spurs, due to the fact that it astatine slightest shows that they shouldn't beryllium this acold down the array based connected however often they instrumentality the lead. United, really, tin person acold less complaints. 

Admittedly, this is not a cleanable representation of however well-suited a squad is to their tactical system, but it astatine slightest highlights definite cardinal areas wrong a strategy wherever 1 squad is out-performing the other. 

Who has been worse?: Well, Tottenham are seemingly much exposed connected the counter, less-effective successful the press, and person dropped much than fractional their existent points full from winning positions. United person been acold from amazing, but determination has been astatine slightest 1 squad worse than them successful those stats. 

Passing and possession 

Not each squad needs to win by holding onto the shot for the full game, though it would beryllium reductive successful the utmost to suggest either of these broadside were Route One specialists. 

How good a squad operates wrong possession inactive shows however ascendant a broadside tin beryllium wrong a match, and physique up pressure, arsenic good arsenic different much intangible traits similar composure, question crossed the field, quality to dictate the tempo of a game, among different things.  

First off, we person looked astatine the passing numbers for some teams, and mostly speaking they person reasonably akin accuracies implicit the past 25 games, but it is successful the past 5 games that United's mediocre passing rears its head, portion Spurs are performing somewhat better.

United person a 84.31 per cent passing accuracy nether Amorim (Spurs person 84.65 per cent) but successful caller weeks that drops to 81.66 per cent (vs 85.2 per cent). United are besides passing the shot 68 less times per crippled successful that period, portion Tottenham person accrued by astir 20.

In presumption of stringing unneurotic passing sequences, some person dropped disconnected successful caller weeks, arsenic you'd expect for 2 sides with players invariably injured, but Tottenham much truthful than United. 

Where United are making 0.84 much sequences of 10 oregon much passes from unfastened play successful the past 5 games compared to the remainder of Amorim's tenure, Spurs person dropped by 1.92 to conscionable 8.6 connected mean towards the extremity of the season. 

Lastly, successful presumption of passing the shot forwards and getting connected the attack, successful sheer numbers, Spurs person dropped disconnected by astir 7 progressive passes per-game (p/g), but the percent of passes that is played guardant has gone up by astir 3 per cent. United, meantime person marginally accrued successful some manners. 

So Man United nether Amorim walk the shot little often and with little accuracy than Spurs, and person deteriorated much truthful successful the past 5 games, though they are managing much sustained sequences than their rivals. 

Who has been worse?: Tottenham nether Postecoglou are not a broadside built connected possession, but they person been marginally amended than than Amorim's United with the shot astatine their feet, the second passing the shot little often and with little accuracy, contempt playing it guardant somewhat much regularly. 

Consistency and form

Finally, we travel to different difficult-to-quantify class to circular disconnected this scathing appraisal of some these 2 European finalists, with a fewer much important numbers worthy noting. 

In a basal sense, consistency and signifier are 2 words seldom utilized to picture either Man United oregon Spurs this play - astatine slightest successful the affirmative consciousness of the words. The former's longest unbeaten tally is conscionable 4 games, with Spurs managing three. 

On the flipside, United person lone mislaid 3 connected the bounce, portion their rivals person been beaten 4 times successful a row, doing truthful successful January. United are connected their worst tally of the season, though, with nary triumph successful seven. 

Not to beryllium outdone, Spurs managed that feat earlier this season, and are present connected a scarcely believable tally of 1 triumph successful 10 successful the Premier League. It's just to accidental that some sides are presently looking a small further afield than the home table. 

In presumption of the past 5 games, some teams person a azygous point, with United lone up of Spurs connected extremity difference. Both way Ipswich. In 25 games, United person picked up 24 points and Spurs 22, truthful it's not precisely just to accidental they've lone finished the play poorly - this is simply a recurring inclination successful 2024-25.

Injuries, it indispensable beryllium said, volition person ruined some sides' chances of a accordant tally of results. Postecoglou has had to alteration his broadside 91 times this play to Amorim's 86, and some person done truthful 22 times successful the past 5 games. 

Spurs person besides had to play successful 3 antithetic formations implicit the people of the season, which highlights the level of the disruption.

Who has been worse?: Again, this is hardly a lawsuit of 1 broadside being amended than the other, and is heavy influenced by injuries, but Tottenham's 22 points from 25 games, a tally of 1 triumph successful 10, AND the information they're presently bottommost of the signifier table, gives them the borderline here. 

VERDICT: Well, adjacent though it was a dormant vigor successful the consciousness it finished 2-2 by our criteria, Tottenham person conscionable edged it. United person been moderately much consistent, are amended astatine winning the shot backmost and person the tighter defence, portion besides playing the shot guardant much regularly. 

But that's hardly the golden medal it sounds. Spurs whitethorn person outscored United, but they've conceded more, are much susceptible connected the counter, and fto gaffe an astounding 21 points from a winning position. 

Though United's figures successful beforehand of extremity are a interest that immoderate instrumentality volition beryllium each excessively alert of, they astatine slightest person picked up 2 much points since Amorim's accomplishment and person ne'er been rather arsenic mediocre arsenic Spurs' existent tally of 1 triumph and 7 losses successful the past 10.

• Stats provided by Opta, unless indicated otherwise