Manchester United have one more chance to earn Champions League place

Manchester United’s draw against Southampton on Wednesday night means that winning the Europa League is now their only hope of securing Champions League football next season.

The highest number of points United can now achieve is 69. This guarantees they won’t make it into the top four through the Premier League. The team in fourth, Arsenal, are already on 72 points. Manager Jose Mourinho seems to have accepted this fate.

After his team’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the manager made clear that he had chosen to heavily rotate the squad because he had other priorities.

"When people say that we gamble by going for the Europa League, well we didn’t gamble… In this moment the Premier League for us is just matches we didn’t want to play. – Sky Sports"

His comments have caused some debate, as is the norm for the Portuguese manager. Firstly, is he a bit foolish to pin all of his team’s Champions League hopes on winning in Europa? Although the Red Devils are into the final, their opponents, Ajax, will not be easy to beat.

Ajax are second in the Eredivisie. They have scored 79 league goals to United’s 52. They are clearly a threatening side and will want to win as much as their opponents. Mourinho surely knows this, but it is questionable whether his team will be able to secure that trophy.

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Manchester United have won 17 games and drawn 15 in the league this season. Jose Mourinho is a stubborn manager with his tactics and previously this has paid off for him.

But this season he has struggled to make the impact that the club and fans were expecting after the underwhelming seasons from David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. Is it risky for him to rely on one game to give the club what it needs?

The other issue that comes from the predicament United are in is that they should be in a better one. Managerial issues aside, the team itself have been incredibly passive in their style of play, despite the numerous ‘big’ names and talent throughout the squad. They did win the League cup this season, but for a team of this magnitude, is that enough consolation?

It is questionable whether Mourinho has figured out how to utilise the creativity he has on the pitch. Players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are capable of playing beautiful football and getting goals. But if they were being led in the right way, the team would be coming away from games with more points than they have done.

It makes sense for Manchester United to now focus on the Europa League as their last hope for European football next season. But Jose Mourinho shouldn’t be excusing his team’s poor performances in the Premier League in place of that final.

Next: Pep Guardiola unhappy after first season at City

From Mourinho’s managerial history, his excuses often become his downfall. To restore Manchester United to what they were under Sir Alex Ferguson, the new manager needs to set his standards higher.