Manchester United signed Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League this season.
If the Red Devils want to win European titles this season, they must pass the most successful team in the history of this competition.
United had only met the Andalusian side in their two previous competitive matches, but both had seismic ramifications at Old Trafford.
Let’s dive into the short but colorful history between United and Sevilla.
The first meetings between United and Sevilla came in the last 16 matches of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League.
Having drawn the first leg 0-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, United were firm favorites to bury their Spanish opponents in England.
But Seville refused to stick to the text. Wissam Ben Yedder scored two late goals to send the visitors into an indomitable lead. Old Trafford stunned, and not even the consolation of Romelu Lukaku could raise spirits enough to return.
Coach Jose Mourinho was expected to lead at the time united In the final stages of the competition and faced questions in the days following the shock elimination. But in typical Mourinho fashion, he defended himself and shifted the blame back towards the club in a one-on-one that lasted 12 minutes.
You can read the full text / watch the madness below to keep yourself entertained, or scroll all the way down / click on the next heading in the table of contents to jump into United’s latest battle with Sevilla. Your call, but it’s worth reading or listening.
“I tell the fans that the fans are the fans and they have a right to their opinions and reactions but there is something I used to call ‘legacy of football’. I don’t know if I’m trying to translate from my Portuguese, which is almost perfect, relative to my English, which is further It’s about perfection – ‘football legacy’, what a manager inherits,” Mourinho began.
“It’s something like the last time Manchester United won the Champions League, which didn’t happen very often, it was in 2008. Since 2011: 2012, in the group stage, the group was almost the same group we had. This season – Benfica, Basel and [Otelul] Galati from Romania. out in the group stage.
“In 2013, at Old Trafford in the round of 16, I was on the other bench. In 2014, I was knocked out in the quarter-finals. In 2015, there was no European football. In 2016, European football is back. In the group stage, it goes To the Europa League and in the second knockout of the Europa League.In 2017, play the Europa League, win the Europa League – with me – and return to the Champions League.In 2018, win the group stage with 15 points out of 18 possible and lose at home in the last 16.
“So, in seven years with four different coaches, he has not qualified once for Europe, twice been knocked out in the group stage with the best being the quarter-finals. That is the legacy of football.
“If you want to go to the Premier League, the last win was 2012-13 and in four consecutive seasons United finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. So in the last four years the best has been fourth. That’s the legacy of football that means when you start The process You are here, you are there or you are there, is a legacy.
“And if it’s the fans that I will always respect – and I always respect – if the fans and a lot of them are the ones you talk to, a lot of them are the ones I talk to, and I’m very lucky. The people you talk to are very disappointed and the ones I talk to know what football’s heritage is, What is the process and when do I arrive.
“When I got to Real Madrid, do you know how many players have played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League? Xabi Alonso with Liverpool, Iker Casillas with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United. All the others until the quarter-finals. Definitively, this is the legacy of football.
“These stats are real. To give you a couple more concrete things, in the last seven years Manchester City’s worst position in the Premier League has been fourth. In the last seven years Manchester City have been champions twice and if you want to say three times, they’ve finished second twice This is the legacy.
“Do you know what a legacy is too? Does that [Nicolas] Otamendi, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, [David] Silva [Raheem] Sterling pound , [Sergio] Aguero, it’s investments from the past, not from the last two years.
“Do you know how many United players left the club last season? Look where they play, how they play, if they play. That’s football’s heritage.
“One day when I leave the next manager for Manchester United I will find him here [Romelu] lukaku, [Nemanja] Matic of course [David] De Gea many years ago, they will find players with a different mentality, a different quality, a different background, a different stature, and knowledge.
“For some reason you go to the Champions League quarter-finals like today and there are four clubs that are always there, always there. Barcelona has always been there for the last seven, eight years, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and then of course shows up every now and then, another club like Inter, like some clubs. The other ones are like Monaco last season, but the clubs that are always there are there for a reason.
“The good thing for me and the amazing feeling for me is that I’m on the exact same page as the owners, like Mr [Ed] Woodward, mr [Richard] Arnold, we’re on the exact same page, we agree on everything, about investments, that we have what we’ve got, and the investments we’re going to make are going to be season after season, we’re exactly on the same page, so life is good. I have a great job to do.
“Yesterday I met a new guy with us who works in the club in a different area who came from another club and I asked him ‘Why did you decide to come? “This person told me I did a great job at another club, at this club I have a huge job and I’m coming for the challenge.
“Well done, my decision was based on the same thing. I could be in another country with the league in the pocket, the kind of league you win before it starts, but I’m here and I’ll be here and no way I’m going to change my mind.”
“I don’t know if you know the expression but there’s a symbol I like – ‘Every wall is a door’. I won’t run away or hide or cry because I heard some shrugs. I won’t disappear from the tunnel. I run straight away. Next game I’ll be the first to come out. Respect.” Fans, I am not afraid of my responsibilities.
“When I was 20, I was nobody in football, I was somebody’s son, with a lot of pride.
“Now with 55 I am who I am, I did what I did, because of the work and because of the talent and my mentality. So they can be together.
“I understand that for many years, it’s been really hard for people who don’t like me — ‘Here he is again, here he wins again. For 10 months I didn’t win anything, the last trophy I won was 10 months ago, I beat Liverpool and Chelsea, I lost to Sevilla and now it’s time for them to be happy.
“I learned that in my religious formation, be happy for the happiness of others, even if others are your enemies, so be it.
“I am a very lucky guy and I am really happy to be who I am.”
read the following
If you read or watch Mourinho’s rant, well done. You deserve a nice, long shower. This section won’t be long, don’t worry.
The coronavirus pandemic meant the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League ended behind closed doors in Germany, with all matches from the quarter-finals onwards to be played after the conclusion of domestic seasons.
United struggled past Denmark’s Copenhagen to set up a semi-final clash with Sevilla, who just edged out Nuno Espirito Santo’s wolves.
Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils an early lead from the penalty spot (as was usual during lockdown), but Suso equalized midway through the first half.
Luuk de Jong scored a late goal for Sevilla, who were thanked by Morocco goalkeeper Bono after continuing to shut out the likes of Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba.
Can United avenge these losses in the Europa League this season?
In this edition of The Promised Land, part of the Network’s 90 Minutes podcast, Scott Saunders and Rob Blanchett discuss Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s meeting with Man United, the FA Cup clash with Fulham, reported interest in Jude Bellingham and more. If you don’t see this embed, click here To listen to the podcast!
