Is Manchester United Cursed By La Liga Teams In Europe?
Manchester United is set to play Athletic Bilbao in the UEFA Europa League semifinals on Thursday. The Red Devils are back on the big headlines of European competitions again, although it is not the tournament they would like to be a priority. However, big clubs respect every competition that they compete in, and Manchester United is doing exactly that.
However, there is a major curse flowing around Manchester United’s fate in Europe. Since the days of Jose Mourinho at the helm, the Red Devils have been constantly found out by La Liga teams in European competitions. Will the trend continue as they take on Bilbao in the Europa League semifinals? Only time will tell, but it is important to assess this.
2018-2021: Jose Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer
Manchester United won their last European trophy under Jose Mourinho, landing their first-ever UEFA Europa League in Stockholm in 2017. Despite finishing sixth, the Red Devils were in the Champions League and safely finished top of their UCL group. Then, they played Sevilla in the Round of 16 in the Champions League, a team with a ton of experience playing knockout tournaments.
However, Manchester United crashed out in the second leg at Old Trafford to Sevilla, which was the beginning of the end for Mourinho at Old Trafford. Things had improved drastically 12 months later under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as United beat PSG to secure their Champions League quarterfinal birth. However, they lost to FC Barcelona 4-0 on aggregate.
In the 2019-20 season, Manchester United once again found themselves in the Europa League. They met Sevilla once again in the semifinals and had a chance to avenge their UCL defeat. Despite taking an early lead through Bruno Fernandes, the Red Devils capitulated and lost 2-1. In the 2020-21 season, United had crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages but landed a spot in the final of the Europa League.
Interestingly, they seemed to have found the code to unlock La Liga teams as they beat Granada in the Europa League over two legs. However, they found themselves in the final against Unai Emery’s Villarreal. Once again, the La Liga curse struck as United as the Red Devils lost to Villarreal in a long penalty shootout. The last moments of the match saw David de Gea miss his penalty.
2022-2024: Erik ten Hag
In the 2021-22 season, Manchester United had high hopes as they re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo. Furthermore, the additions of Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho showed ambition from the board. However, their luck in European competitions remained the same for them. Despite barely getting out of their Champions League group stages, they had Atletico Madrid waiting in the Champions League Round of 16.
Despite getting a heroic 1-1 draw away from home, Manchester United lost 1-0 at Old Trafford and crashed out of the tournament. This was also the last Champions League edition Ronaldo played. At the end of the year, the Portuguese sensation pulled the plug with the club and moved to Al Nassr. Under Erik ten Hag, United first played in the UEFA Europa League and had Sevilla once again in the quarterfinals.
United drew 2-2 in the first leg despite having a two-goal lead through Marcel Sabitzer. However, the capitulation in the final minutes of the first leg and the injury to Lisandro Martinez ended their European hopes. The Red Devils lost 3-0 in the away leg to maintain their La Liga curse.
Final Thoughts
Manchester United is locking horns with a La Liga team once again on Thursday, and this time, the manager is Ruben Amorim. Although the results in the Premier League have been disastrous, they have a chance to salvage their season in the Europa League. A stat to please United fans? In their last Europa League title win, they beat a La Liga team in the semifinals to progress to the final. That time, it was Celta Vigo. This time, it better be Athletic Bilbao.
