#2 The Ajax resurgence must be completed
One of the most striking arguments for why United don’t deserve to be crowned Europa League winners is that their Dutch counterparts Ajax simply deserve it more. The Eredivisie side obliterated Lyon in midweek, after having demonstrated incredible psychological prowess to dispatch Schalke 4-3 on aggregate in the last round. As things stand then, it seems Peter Bosz’s side will lock horns with the Red Devils in the final.
The Amsterdam Arena, soon to be named officially after Ajax and Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff, has been a fortress in the Europa League, with the club having conceded just three goals at home in the competition this term.
It is not, however, robust defensive football which leaves opponents quaking in their boots, but the youthful exuberance and flair with which they attack. The average age of the side which beat Lyon was just 22 years and 137 days and of the ten youngest XIs put out in this season’s competition, Ajax have fielded nine of them.
It’s been a fairy-tale campaign for the Netherlands’ most successful club and if there’s any justice left in football, they’d secure the title with victory, most likely over United, in the final.
