joeyt Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Giving the winners of it a CL place was the nail in the coffin regarding any respectability it had as a competition. Dropping CL teams in halfway through, changing to the current awful name, and expanding the CL were all steps towards this ultimate demise. The UEFA Cup used to be a fantastic competition. Would you prefer knockouts throughout like they used to do or stick with a group stage round? Got fond memories of the UEFA Cup when it was just knockout throughout underr SBR, played canny teams (PSV, Basel, Marseille etc) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 That being said, I've never got the impression Liverpool looked down on the Europa League/UEFA Cup in the way some other clubs do. Interesting the attitude Man United fans have to it when they've won nowhere near as many of either the two European competitions as they have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Has the prize of a CL place not given it a bit more credibility in that teams take it more seriously? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Has the prize of a CL place not given it a bit more credibility in that teams take it more seriously? It's a bit of myth teams don't take it seriously IMO as it basically boils down to the top 5/6 in England don't take it seriously and then they do at the last 16 stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Yeah, I assumed it was just English clubs that don't take it seriously, because it's not the Premier League and it's forrin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 If you’re in it, you want to win it. Man Utd. have won 2 trophies post Fergie. They lost mostly because they are losers and Sevilla are winners. Few of this team know what it’s like to win competitions. They lost all their semi’s to teams that win trophies. A club their size won’t win the league without winning a cup first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Has the prize of a CL place not given it a bit more credibility in that teams take it more seriously? I get the logic but you shouldn't need the prize of another better competition to give worth to a competition in the first place. It's a retrograde step. By doing so you fundamentally devalue it. Teams are now competing to win it purely because it gets you into the Champions League, rather than competing to win it because it's a major European trophy with 50 years of history. I don't think that makes it more prestigious, quite the opposite. It makes it the same as finishing 4th place in the Premier League or Serie A. UEFA Cup lost its worth because the Champions League has become hugely inflated in terms of participants from the major leagues (4 or 5 teams getting in now). Whether that's a good thing or not is open to interpretation. Personally I think it's rubbish. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 I buy that. It has lost a good deal of its own gravitas cos of what has happened with the CL. I don't think it's rubbish though, even if it's perhaps not as good as it was - a return to the straight knockout would be way more exciting, for instance. You've still got famous old clubs, away from the boring elite, battling against each other to win the trophy. Shakhtar, Braga, Prague, Bilbao, Schalke, Celta Vigo, Sporting, Frankfurt, Wolves, Copenhagen... all far more interesting to me than the same old same old usual suspects you get in the CL year after year. Plus I love coming across teams you know either fuck all about or have fallen from grace and are reminding you that they're still there, and are strong sides in a non-elite context. Just a much more interesting competition imo simply because of the variety of teams in it. Yearn for us to be back in it. But some proper reform, that might remove the sense of 'Champions League then everything else' from European club competition, wouldn't go amiss, I'd agree. Let it stand alone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
huss9 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Pep's man city are an example of teams taking every single competition seriously, even the league cup. and if you see the players interviews after the fa cup semi final, you see how excited the chelsea players were about reaching the fa cup final - giroud in particular was ecstatic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Has the prize of a CL place not given it a bit more credibility in that teams take it more seriously? I get the logic but you shouldn't need the prize of another better competition to give worth to a competition in the first place. It's a retrograde step. By doing so you fundamentally devalue it. Teams are now competing to win it purely because it gets you into the Champions League, rather than competing to win it because it's a major European trophy with 50 years of history. I don't think that makes it more prestigious, quite the opposite. It makes it the same as finishing 4th place in the Premier League or Serie A. UEFA Cup lost its worth because the Champions League has become hugely inflated in terms of participants from the major leagues (4 or 5 teams getting in now). Whether that's a good thing or not is open to interpretation. Personally I think it's rubbish. Might gain a bit of worth back when the Europa Conference plumbs new depths next season onwards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilko Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Sergio Rico starts a CL semi fuck me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Holden Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Sergio Rico starts a CL semi fuck me. Bastard. I knew he would. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 That's some suit Nagelsmann is wearing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Has to score. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Been coming. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaKa Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Fantastic header. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 I imagine it'll go down well if FC Qatar win this trophy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Game owa. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Filthy touch by Neymar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Sergio Georgini Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilko Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 That was a blatant foul in the build up I thought. Edit: I need new glasses Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaKa Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Neymar such a weasel trying to steal the goal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mag_in_NZ Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 EPL you want to compete against FC Qatar.......give us our takeover ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 How good must the national team be when Upamecano and Laporte are uncapped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridman Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Sergio Georgini :lol: :lol: Was just rewatching The Office this week! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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