Lets Talk Football

I think only people who complain are clubs from England, everyone else looks very serious about the trophy. I also think EL trophy matters and everyone who plays should go for it.

__________________
“By definition, you have to live until you die. Better to make that life as complete and enjoyable an experience as possible, in case death is shite, which I suspect it will be.”

Mostly it's the English teams which complain about it (though, ironically, I can remember Parma playing the kids a few years ago as they didn't want to be in it but kept winning and got to the quarters as I remember it, Poor Parma, what they wouldn't give for that now) as they don't need the money. Finishing higher in the league is more important because it brings in more money. The only thing there could be about the Thurs/Sun is that there seem to be more further afield destinations in the EL. That, and we play a faster game, more end to end so the players have to be better athletes. But the main reason is the money, as it usually is.

Just to clarity, I think most/all English clubs would start to take it seriously once you get to the quarter/semi final stage, but it's such a ridiculously long slog to get there (plus the whole stupid third place teams from the group stages of the CL coming in) that it's not really worth what it 'costs' you in the league. I do think the Premier League is more important than the EL (and the CL for me, but that's just me) but that doesn't mean a team shouldn't try to win it.

I know talk of coefficients is deathly boring, but it is something the Premier league is going to have to take more seriously if we want to keep the places we have which, ultimately, would result in a loss in revenue and prestige if it's gone for too long.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

I wouldn't mind seeing the EPL teams drop out of the Champions league but that's not going to happen because of the money involved now.
Unfortunately it's too much about the money now.
This is the 2nd weekend I haven't looked forward to the soccer,the interest has gone.It's taken a while but I think I'm finally there,no heart,no soul....just plastic manufactured players.

They won't drop out of the CL. It's the fourth place that's at stake atm. Were we to lose it, then only the top three would qualify, with the third place team having to go through the last stage of qualifying for the Group stages.

Yesterday went, pretty much, as I thought. I hoped for a 1-0 win, but figured a 1-1 draw would be a little more likely. I was pleased to see Vardy get the Prem record, though. I've seen a few people talking about Vardy to United this January, but what would be the point? We don't play in a way which plays to his strengths and, if we were going to, LVG would probably have kept Chicharito, as that's his game, too.

I think that, eventually, the CL will become the European Super League (or something like that) and the big European clubs will leave their national associations and just play each other. It might be another 20 years or so, but once enough new/younger fans get used to it, I think that's where the money will be, with a league of 10-15 clubs and no relegation.

I hope Italy get's it's 4th place back, my favorite league.



That would be horrible...I doubt fans would allow it, it would destroy individual leagues.

I'd rather we kept the place for the sake/prestige of the league, but I'm not really that bothered about European competition so it's not a big deal to me. I'm far more excited by the league or even the FA Cup. But for younger fans I'd expect them to care more about the CL and fans my nephew's age will grow up with just the league and the CL.

As for the super league, I just think there's so much money there and that'll make it happen. I think the only reason it hasn't happened (or isn't underway) already is because UEFA keep bowing to their demands. But I think they're only putting off the inevitable. With the tv money going up and up and (I think) the leagues are not doing much to make it more even, the competition will die and more and more fans will naturally follow the teams that are successful and on TV the most, as has already happened. The more that happens, the more it will happen and the less the teams will have to worry about the fans.

With the TV audiences growing around the world the playing field has levelled a bit. The huge grounds aren't the massive advantage they once were, which is one of the reasons you're seeing 'smaller' teams compete more in England. If the same happens in other leagues I see no reason why the 'elite'/glamour clubs won't use their USP and band together to keep themselves safe.

I've just put Talksport on, something I rarely do. They're talking about whether or not Wayne Rooney has had it. Like this is news?!?!?!

Or so I thought. Turns out, you can still get people on the radio blaming LVG or saying he'll be back. The power of the press or blind love for your club?

Manchester City, Everton, and Stoke City into the League Cup semi-finals. Will Southampton or Liverpool join them?

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Now, Liverpool join them, do you think Liverpool can into the final?

Another weekend of madness in the Premier League.

I predict a Manchester City/Liverpool final.

There's a final I don't want to see.

I see LVG is talking about us needing to finish our chances. No ****, Sherlock. It'd be much easier if we'd bought a couple of strikers in the summer. If only to replace the ones he let go.

BTW, this is the team which is currently top of the league.



That's Leicester City at their Christmas party.

Some nice drama in the Champions League. United are eliminated, while City manage to top their group.

That wasn't the result or game that I was expecting, but it was the most likely outcome. Thursday's here we come. If we can actually play a bit better, get some more shots on target and have a little luck in front of goal, we might be able to get somewhere.

I think it's a sad indictment, both of the team and, moreso, LVG's tactics and team selection, that we've not looked like an attacking threat since Luke Shaw's injury. I can't believe how much we've missed a 20 year old left back.

For all of these problem though, it's United refusal to rebuild the team after Ronaldo and Tevez left that we're reaping now.

Absolutely disasterous for UTD. This is another competition that we simply can't win yet will probably be expected to go far at the very least. Season just goes from bad to worse.

__________________
Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

Advancing to the next round of the Champions League:

Real Madrid
Wolfsburg
Atlético Madrid
Manchester City
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Chelsea
Zenit

Paris Saint Germain
PSV Eindhoven
Benfica
Juventus
Roma
Arsenal
Dynamo Kyiv
Gent

Heading to the Europa League:

Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester United
Sevilla
Galatasaray
Leverkusen
Olympiacos
Porto
Valencia

Heading to the next round of the Europa League:

Molde, Liverpool, Krasnodar, Napoli, Rapid Wien, Braga, Lazio, Lokomotiv Moscow, Basel, Tottenham, Schalke, Athletic Bilbao, Fenerbahçe, Sion, Borussia Dortmund, Midtjylland, Villarreal, Marseille, Saint Étienne, Sporting CP, Fiorentina, Anderlecht, Sparta Prague, Augsburg

United lose at Bournemouth. I'm not complaining.

Nor am I. I don't think it's a surprise at all. Which is the really sad part. While they had a little bit of luck with the first goal, they should've scored a couple more, so they fully deserved their win. I don't know what I thought the most likely outcome was, which probably means that I rated our chances of winning about the same as losing or drawing. So about a third. Against Bournemouth. Is it OK to cry now? It's been a bad week. Just to rub it in City got lucky in injury time. Liverpool will probably go and win tomorrow, too, just to really round the weekend off for me.

I do agree with LVG about one thing, though. We're mediocre. I don't know that we're underperforming because I don't know that we can do better. Should be able to do better? Yes. But can? I don't know that. If fans/people think United should be at the level of Barca/Real/Bayern/PSG etc, then you have to spend that money and we haven't. SInce the Glazers took over we've had very lean spells with spending, but the team which was in place beforehand, plus cheaper players who worked well/we got at the right time, along with the genius for Sir Alex, covered it up. Obviously since finishing 7th they've kicked it up a notch, but we're starting from a lot further back.

That said, I've no idea what LVG actually wants from the team. I can't tell from the way they play nor from the interviews he gives afterwards. Win, lose or draw it never seems any clearer to me. I thought I did. I thought what he wanted was pretty much what we see, but more decisive and with a finisher in front of goal like Gomez when he was at Bayern, but not buying a top striker and letting two strikers go (plus Wilson on loan) means he can't be thinking this way atm.

When we get our defenders back, maybe we'll go back to boring everyone to death but not losing? God. I don't know which fills me with dread more.