Pressure is growing on Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou and the Europa League is unlikely to offer any respite
Today at 11:08 AM
Anyone who placed a pre-season match bet between Tottenham and Manchester United will be in a right old pickle.
As things stand, both sides are unable to pull out of the nosedive which is threatening to drag them into a relegation fight.
United manager Ruben Amorim has already admitted demotion is a ‘possibility’ while recognising his job in already under threat and calling his Old Trafford team ‘maybe the worst’ in the club's history.
Highly regarded when he was in charge at Sporting, Amorim has barely got his feet under the table and needs two or three transfer windows to bring in the personnel to slot into his favoured system of three at the back.
The United manager stubbornly refuses to change his style of play, even to get results in the short-term. Sound like anyone? Hmmm. Oh yes, tonight’s opposite number Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian is being pilloried for sticking to his philosophical guns, although when his team sat back in the second half against Wolves they dropped two late points and when he changed his system to three at the back at Everton it was an unmitigated disaster. Lose some, lose some eh?
Both clubs are also led by owners who promised big in the current transfer window but who have so far failed to deliver while all around them are making moves.
Spurs, whose chronic injury list took a turn for the worse with Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma all being ruled out of the defeat at Goodison Park, risk crashing out of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and possibly the Europa League in the next three weeks if they do not bring in fresh faces.
It has to be said, however, that they look the better option to finish a forgettable Premier League campaign higher in the final standings than United as treatment-room casualties have started to return.
Both sides are in European Thursday night action, with Spurs travelling to Germany to take on a Hoffenheim team who are also in trouble at the wrong end of the Bundesliga table.
Four points from their last two games looks set to be enough for Spurs to avoid the play-offs but may have to settle for a point in Germany at 3/1 with William Hill.
United entertain a Rangers side which is a country mile behind leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership but which plays to a higher standard in Europe. This has the all the hallmarks of another draw, which is 19/5 with Ladbrokes, Coral and Hills.
• Paula Badosa caused an upset when she beat Coco Gauff in the women's singles quarter-finals at the Australian Open but defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will be too strong in their last-four duel and is 3/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral to win 2-1 while Iga Swiatek is 8/13 with bet365 to meet her in the final by defeating Madison Keys in straight sets.
• Novak Djokovic continues to defy time, defeating young upstart Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight of the Australian Open, and he is 4/6 with BetVictor, BoyleSports and others to stay on course for an 11th trophy in the first grand slam of the year by beating Alexander Zverev.
• QPR, Leyton Orient, Crewe, and Notts County form Saturday's Football League acca.
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