How will you feel if we miss out on Europa League?

[Trav Le Bleu]

Not bothered. Historically, teams who just scrape into the Europa cup struggle in the league the next year.

[StriderHiryu]

Playing in Europe means Sunday matches, which is really annoying. However, I would be disappointed if we don't make it because with the players and squad we have, we should be in 7th position. Take nothing away from Burnley who have had a terrific season, but whereas they have over-performed, we have under-performed. If you ask fans around the country who the best players are outside the top 6, Mahrez, Vardy, Maguire and Ndidi will be the names that come up, not Barnes, Wood and Defour. Burnley have some good players too (Tarkowski), but whilst 8th looks good on paper (if we even get that position), it's a missed opportunity.

 

I also feel that to progress as a club we need to establish ourselves as perennial European qualifiers.

[CarbonVirtine]

What's the difference in prize money between 7th and 8th in the Prem? Or. more to the point, 7th and 9th?

[ZeGuy]

13 minutes ago, MattP said:

They weren't on a plate, but my word we couldn't ask for a better chance could we?

 

A Man City side with a load of kids in and a Chelsea side that has barely won a match this year, both at home, followed by Bristol City and Southampton in the Semi-Finals.

 

It rarely gets much easier than that.

 

Look at the run Man U had last year to win it, Celta Vigo and Ajax in the SF and Final - we beat better teams than both of them in Sevilla. 

 

It's not outrageous to suggest we could win the Europa.

It is highly unlikely and that's being optimistic.

 

We are actually changing our playing style, have no bench depth and are about to lose one of our best players.

 

Ndidi got suspended and we made Newcastle look like Real Madrid.

 

Comparing us to ManU and hoping us to win the EL is not adequate. 

 

 

Edited 11 April 2018 by ZeGuy

[Guest MattP]

Just now, ZeGuy said:

It is highly unlikely and that's being optimistic.

 

We are actually changing our playing style, have no bench depth and are about to lose one of our best players.

 

Ndidi got suspended and we made Newcastle look like Real Madrid.

 

Comparing us to ManU and hoping us to win the EL is not an adequate comparison.

Just last season we knocked out the team who had won three Europa League titles on the trot.

 

I'm not comparing us to Man U, no idea where you got that from. I'm saying look who they beat to win it - is it really implausible we couldn't beat Celta Vigo and Ajax?

[ZeGuy]

12 minutes ago, MattP said:

Just last season we knocked out the team who had won three Europa League titles on the trot.

 

I'm not comparing us to Man U, no idea where you got that from. I'm saying look who they beat to win it - is it really implausible we couldn't beat Celta Vigo and Ajax?

We also won the League.

 

ManU won the EL, so yeah somehow you're comparing us to them, or Arsenal for that matter, if you think we could win it. Which is absurd, because we're worlds away from them in terms of football quality and are simply not equipped to sustain the marathon that the EL is. Burnley are going to crash out the EL very early next season.

 

Sure beating Ajax or Celta Vigo is within our reach. Beating every single team that the EL will throw at us during one complete season (bear in mind we'll have to face some of the teams which directly qualified to the CL) isn't.

 

It also means that one will throw away PL games. Lots of them.

 

A lot of you are making this team far better than it actually is. We're in a transition phase. Let us first sort out the old guard, find our adequate style of play, keep a manager for at least a full season, recruit some good players, obtain good performances over a season.

 

Then and only then, one can think about the bigger stage.

[Happy Fox]

How will it affect Puel should be the question, a P45 and a hefty bonus, seeya mate in the French rivera!!!

[Callabinho]

It’s only a burden if you approach it in that way. United didn’t, and saw it as an opportunity to get into the CL if they couldn’t in the league. There’s a stigma attached to the Europa league, it’s as if it’s beneath us, premier league teams should be in the championship league.... we underestimate and undervalue what the competition brings, financial reward, global recognition and a place in the champions league. The set up is no different to the champions league, just that everything is a day behind. For a team like us winning the Europa league would be a goldmine.

 

If you approach anything in a half arsed manner you’ll fail, prepare properly and theres no reason we can’t win in.... Burnley have set their sights on it and will achieve it, we will fall away because we simply don’t have the metal to see it through. 

[lancyclaret]

Maybe both Puel and Dyche don't want to finish 7th if they fear an adverse effect in the next PL season .

 

Let Everton have 7th?

Edited 11 April 2018 by lancyclaret

[WestLothianFox]

Would the players do the same as they did when we were in the Champions League, give it all in those games and not bother with the league games? With the squad we have, we would have a relegation fight on our hands. We need to improve the squad first.

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

9 minutes ago, Callabinho said:

It’s only a burden if you approach it in that way. United didn’t, and saw it as an opportunity to get into the CL if they couldn’t in the league. There’s a stigma attached to the Europa league, it’s as if it’s beneath us, premier league teams should be in the championship league.... we underestimate and undervalue what the competition brings, financial reward, global recognition and a place in the champions league. The set up is no different to the champions league, just that everything is a day behind. For a team like us winning the Europa league would be a goldmine.

 

If you approach anything in a half arsed manner you’ll fail, prepare properly and theres no reason we can’t win in.... Burnley have set their sights on it and will achieve it, we will fall away because we simply don’t have the metal to see it through. 

You make some sound points, I’ll add though (I’ve just googled it) it can take up to 21 games to win the Europa league, this may be for teams dropping out of the Champions league I’m not sure, this is a massive drain on any side, I don’t believe our squad has the depth or quality to cope at this moment in time.

[tiredclimb]

Call me mad but I would rather qualify for Europe properly rather than scrape through in 7th thanks to a series of cup related events. I don't think we are prepared for Europa League and the actual league at the same time. Look how bad our domestic season was whilst in the CL. We are no more prepared now than we were then. Sure we might get a few aways in the far flung reaches of Europe but we would be out of the competition before Christmas in my opinion. 

[Captain...]

It depends why, if we surrender meekly to Burnley and throw away another 3 points I’ll be pissed off, not because of the Europa League but because I expect us to go after every team and fight for every point. If we do that between now and the end of the season and lose out to Burnley because they are the better side then fair enough.

 

The Europa League can be a poisoned chalice but we all strive for success at the highest level possible and competing in Europe is one of the things we all want.

 

If we continue to throw away the opportunity then we should be ashamed, if we give it everything and Burnley do better then that’s sport and we console ourselves with the knowledge that we won’t be travelling to the arse end of nowhere every other Thursday.

[Donut]

59 minutes ago, MattP said:

They weren't on a plate, but my word we couldn't ask for a better chance could we?

 

A Man City side with a load of kids in and a Chelsea side that has barely won a match this year, both at home, followed by Bristol City and Southampton in the Semi-Finals.

 

It rarely gets much easier than that.

 

Look at the run Man U had last year to win it, Celta Vigo and Ajax in the SF and Final - we beat better teams than both of them in Sevilla. 

 

It's not outrageous to suggest we could win the Europa.

This is just daft

 

For Chelsea's bad form, theyre still Chelsea lets be realistic, they can compete with the absolute best in Europe. And so can Man City, yes a changed team but that doesn't automatically mean we could have won.

 

And it is outrageous to suggest we could win the Europa League. we got nowhere near winning the champions league when we got knocked out by Atletico. Atletico are in this seasons Europa League, as are other big champions league dropouts. and its half a season of games in between league games.

 

We would never have the luxury of giving one competition or the other like a bigger team, so it really is a daft suggestion to be honest.

Edited 11 April 2018 by Donut

[Donut]

48 minutes ago, MattP said:

Just last season we knocked out the team who had won three Europa League titles on the trot.

 

I'm not comparing us to Man U, no idea where you got that from. I'm saying look who they beat to win it - is it really implausible we couldn't beat Celta Vigo and Ajax?

Its not implausible in one off games, anyone can beat anyone.

 

Its implausible to suggest youll knock Celta Vigo out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday between the games, then knock Ajax out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday in between, then knock out Man Utd over two legs, play on the sunday in between, then play a one off final against a team that will most likely be better than us like Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund etc etc.

 

And that's assuming you've gone through the group unscathed which would be no bargain either. Long arduous trips to far away destinations like Turkey, Israel, Azerbaijan etc

[Happy Fox]

1 minute ago, Donut said:

Its not implausible in one off games, anyone can beat anyone.

 

Its implausible to suggest youll knock Celta Vigo out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday between the games, then knock Ajax out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday in between, then knock out Man Utd over two legs, play on the sunday in between, then play a one off final against a team that will most likely be better than us like Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund etc etc.

 

And that's assuming you've gone through the group unscathed which would be no bargain either. Long arduous trips to far away destinations like Turkey, Israel, Azerbaijan etc

 

Embrace it mate it isn't as far as Australia!, 5 hours away by flight is okay..

 

[Hammo]

I would view it as another opportunity missed to achieve something notable and historic.

 

Irrespective of how qualification for the Euroopa League would affect our Premier League form next season, for a club our size to play in Europe is a considerable feat and should be wholeheartedly embraced, not sniffed at.

 

Anyway, beat Burnley and we could still do it - if the players can actually be arsed, that is. But maybe, sadly, they feel like some of the posters on this thread...

[Guest MattP]

48 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

We also won the League.

 

ManU won the EL, so yeah somehow you're comparing us to them, or Arsenal for that matter, if you think we could win it. Which is absurd, because we're worlds away from them in terms of football quality and are simply not equipped to sustain the marathon that the EL is. Burnley are going to crash out the EL very early next season.

For the second time, I'm not comparing us to them - I'm saying we could have won the Europa League with the route they had to it, that isn't a comparison.

 

17 minutes ago, Donut said:

This is just daft

 

For Chelsea's bad form, theyre still Chelsea lets be realistic, they can compete with the absolute best in Europe. And so can Man City, yes a changed team but that doesn't automatically mean we could have won.

 

And it is outrageous to suggest we could win the Europa League. we got nowhere near winning the champions league when we got knocked out by Atletico. Atletico are in this seasons Europa League, as are other big champions league dropouts. and its half a season of games in between league games.

 

We would never have the luxury of giving one competition or the other like a bigger team, so it really is a daft suggestion to be honest.

Totally baffled at your logic that we couldn't win the Europa League because we got nowhere near winning the Champions League, ridiculous comparison. The team we knocked out in the last 16 of that, Sevilla, had just won it three years on the bounce.

 

Using that logic, Manchester United couldn't win it, given they were knocked out in the CL Group Stage, yet they won it. Then Sevilla, who went out at the last 16 stage, also couldn't win it, despite actually winning it three times on the trot.

 

That's beyond daft.

 

11 minutes ago, Donut said:

Its not implausible in one off games, anyone can beat anyone.

 

Its implausible to suggest youll knock Celta Vigo out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday between the games, then knock Ajax out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday in between, then knock out Man Utd over two legs, play on the sunday in between, then play a one off final against a team that will most likely be better than us like Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund etc etc.

 

And that's assuming you've gone through the group unscathed which would be no bargain either. Long arduous trips to far away destinations like Turkey, Israel, Azerbaijan etc

The same Dortmund you talk about were dumped out in the QF this season by Red Bull Salzburg. Atletico are only in the competition because of some seriously freakish results in the Champions League.

 

You've literally gone and made up the worst case scenario there to try and suit your argument, no one has ever had a run that tough to win the Europa League. Celta Vigo and Ajax was pretty standard last four and final before this season.

[Voll Blau]

Mad that people aren't bothered about playing in Europe, especially given we could genuinely win it. That said, the reasonable part of my brain knows it's just a nice bonus if we get in and that my bank balance will thank me if we're out of it.

[Donut]

5 minutes ago, MattP said:

For the second time, I'm not comparing us to them - I'm saying we could have won the Europa League with the route they had to it, that isn't a comparison.

 

Totally baffled at your logic that we couldn't win the Europa League because we got nowhere near winning the Champions League, ridiculous comparison. The team we knocked out in the last 16 of that, Sevilla, had just won it three years on the bounce.

 

Using that logic, Manchester United couldn't win it, given they were knocked out in the CL Group Stage, yet they won it. Then Sevilla, who went out at the last 16 stage, also couldn't win it, despite actually winning it three times on the trot.

 

That's beyond daft.

 

The same Dortmund you talk about were dumped out in the QF this season by Red Bull Salzburg. Atletico are only in the competition because of some seriously freakish results in the Champions League.

 

You've literally gone and made up the worst case scenario there to try and suit your argument, no one has ever had a run that tough to win the Europa League. Celta Vigo and Ajax was pretty standard last four and final before this season.

I don't think its baffling to suggest winning two legged ties against teams who are equal to you or definitely better than you throughout the whole of a Europa league campaign is at best a tall order.

 

We beat Sevilla.....over two games. Sevilla have a track record of finishing consistently higher up la liga than we do the Premier League, and consistently playing in Europe.

 

They are better than us. The fact we beat them over 2 games doesn't mean that we are undisputedly better than them.

 

So whilst its possible we could go through all the two legged knockout ties, the reality is next to zero.

Edited 11 April 2018 by Donut

[Captain...]

8 minutes ago, Donut said:

Its not implausible in one off games, anyone can beat anyone.

 

Its implausible to suggest youll knock Celta Vigo out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday between the games, then knock Ajax out over two legs, play a league game on the sunday in between, then knock out Man Utd over two legs, play on the sunday in between, then play a one off final against a team that will most likely be better than us like Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund etc etc.

 

And that's assuming you've gone through the group unscathed which would be no bargain either. Long arduous trips to far away destinations like Turkey, Israel, Azerbaijan etc

Mate we won the fvcking league impossible is nothing. Middlesbrough and Fulham both came close to winning the Europa League as did Rangers. A kind draw and we could have gone far in the tournament maybe at the expense of other competitions. It’s not just about the quality of the opposition but what other distractions they have, Atletico are challenging for the title, Lazio, Marseille, Sporting, RB Leipzig and CSKA are fighting for CL qualification of the current quarter finalists Arsenal and RB Salzburg are the only 2 that will see this as a competition worth prioritising.

[mozartfox]

Relieved.   The most important thing for us is preserving our PL status and rebuilding the squad.  Too many additional games unless we chop out and replace the excess deadwood with quality that hits the ground running and we promote 2/3 of the current under 21's.  Given our recruitment history of late, the 'replacement with quality' part, is not going to be easy.

[foxy boxing]

It would be nice to get more European game time but I am not going to tear my hair out because we missed out on it. If we are in it, were in it, and if not were not.

[Captain...]

2 minutes ago, mozartfox said:

Relieved.   The most important thing for us is preserving our PL status and rebuilding the squad.  Too many additional games unless we chop out and replace the excess deadwood with quality that hits the ground running and we promote 2/3 of the current under 21's.  Given our recruitment history of late, the 'replacement with quality' part, is not going to be easy.

That is the safe sideways pass in midfield of a comment. No risk, no reward. MON isn’t remembered for preserving our premier league status he is remembered for cup wins and European nights. Sunderland spent years preserving their premier league status and look where they are. 

[mozartfox]

I

10 minutes ago, Captain... said:

That is the safe sideways pass in midfield of a comment. No risk, no reward. MON isn’t remembered for preserving our premier league status he is remembered for cup wins and European nights. Sunderland spent years preserving their premier league status and look where they are. 

If we had a midfield and a captain that did more than pass the ball sideways, I might share your optimism.  Read what I said, recruitment first before flying off to Siberia to play Lokomotiv Bogski on a Thursday night before playing Man City on the following Sunday.

 

What the fuch Sunderland has got to do with us is baffling.

Edited 11 April 2018 by mozartfox
why not