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Thread: This Weekend’s Other Games 16-19th

  1. #211
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    Quote Originally Posted by RedNoodle View Post
    We need to bin off the EL if we don't make the CL. We don't/won't have the squad to be able to fully compete in more than one competition. So with that being the case we have to focus on the league, not on playing teams we've never heard of in the arse end of nowhere just for the chance of us possibly sneaking into the CL should we miss out qualifying via the league once again.
    You're well entitled to that view of course and I can understand why some would feel that way.

    However, the (comparatively) weaker standard of the Europa means that the group stages can be negotiated more easily than that of the Champion's League. That's an opportunity to blood some youth/fringe players that the Champion's League rarely permits.

    Then the knock-out stages only consist of an extra two-legged round. Two extra games, total - that's if you reach the Final.

    Progressing a decent way through the tournament keeps the co-efficient ranking up, we have a chance to win the Tournament outright (another trophy) and you can get excellent ties now and then - Dortmund at Anfield (Origi, Coutinho, Sakho, Lovren) was an absolute blast to watch.

    Champion's League is vastly preferable. But I wouldn't let the risk of a couple of longer-distance trips and two extra games put us off.

    To each their own.

  2. #212
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    Its such a snobby attitude but I can't get excited about the Europa at all.
    I used to love the comp when it was the UEFA but it's just been de-valued now to the point where its a distraction. The prize is there at the end but it just seems like a really long drawn out haul to make it.
    We shouldn't turn our noses up at European football though I guess?

  3. #213
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    The old UEFA cup was harder to win than the European cup, you were paired against the best of the rest, unlike now where teams finished 6th or 7th in their leagues. Would hate to go back to thursday night football, having tasted the proper competition for a few years now.
    If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just put it in the net, and we'll talk about the other options later... Bob Paisley.

  4. #214
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    Quote Originally Posted by teesred View Post
    We shouldn't turn our noses up at European football though I guess?
    Indeed we shouldn't. I mention how important the co-efficient is a bit too much at certain points of the season, but having a good one is such an investment in your future.

    Let's look at the sides who have 100 points or more over the last 5 seasons. It's the top 9 sides and we are 9th in that list -

    Bayern - 134
    Real Madrid - 126
    Barcelona - 122
    Man City - 120
    Juventus - 120
    Atletico - 115
    PSG - 113
    Man United - 106
    Liverpool - 101

    Now, guess which of those sides has a "dead" season in their last 5 years? It's us. The points for our 5 seasons is as follows -

    16/17 - 0
    17/18 - 30
    18/19 - 29
    19/20 - 18
    20/21 - 24

    Now, when we go into next season, we lose the 0-point score from 16/17 that has held down our points tally for years. The last thing we want is another 0-point season through no European attendance as we won't be rid of it until the 26/27 season if it happens* - which would be a real pain.

    The seeding / co-efficient system is seriously rigged to favour the better teams. When I step away from my Liverpool bias, I want a better system. But while it's in its' current state, we should make it work for us.

    If we get a 19-point season in Europe in 21/22 (obviously hope for more as it probably means we went really far!) then our score would look as follows -

    17/18 - 30
    18/19 - 29
    19/20 - 18
    20/21 - 24
    21/22 - 19

    Total - 120

    Our chances of being in the top 8 (or maybe top 5!) would be pretty good. That means potentially very favourable seedings, which has these upsides -

    - High chance of avoiding Group of Death in respective tournament
    - High chance of easy group in respective tournament
    - Easy group meaning that chances of not qualifying are heavily reduced
    - Easy group means that in the unlikely event of not qualifying from group (Champion's League), we are unlikely to finish last in group, so would still have Europa as a safety net and a deep run in that can keep the points up

    Being an ever-present in Europe has serious upsides. Look at the Mancs - haven't been near a Champion's League final in years, but are higher-ranked than us, as they're always there. Likely to win a European trophy this season and have an excellent rating going into next season's Champion's League.

    *Aware that changes are coming in the Champion's League so it may not be AS relevant but it's better to be consistently doing well*

  5. #215
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    Leno scores an own goal, disastrous goalkeeping error, looking at Martinez's performances for Villa you have to say Arsenal sold the wrong keeper
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  6. #216
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    Martinez threw one in the other night too, to be fair.

  7. #217
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    Sep 2006
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    At least the Covid absence will have given the Arsenal faithful a good chance to work on a The Smiths inspired song for Willian "Willian, Willian he's done, really nothing"
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  8. #218
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    Sep 2006
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    Well, at least the commentators agree with me that offside decisions should be adjudged by the position of the players feet, for me with the exception of players in the box for crosses, IE if a players head is further forward than any other players when the ball is crossed, otherwise you can't benefit from any part of your body other than your feet being ahead of a defender
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

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