Last year's Europa League final was contested by two wonderfully well-run clubs. As Gian Piero Gasperini pointed out, the meeting between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin provided compelling proof that 'smaller' sides could still achieve great things in the money-saturated modern game through hard work, organisation, unity, shrewd signings, a thriving youth sector and a clear footballing philosophy.
What, though, does Wednesday's all-English Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United say about the state of the sport? Neither set of supporters are happy with the way in which their club is presently being run, while both teams have performed absolutely atrociously in this season's Premier League.
Consequently, the mere presence of Spurs and United in such a showpiece event has, in the words of Ange Postecoglou, "upset a lot of people" - chief among them Arsene Wenger, who has sparked a major debate over whether the winner of Wednesday's game in Bilbao deserves to qualify for next season's Champions League...