Fútbol chatter

[c172]

It's good to see San Diego FC starting fairly strong. I'm kind of sorry they didn't enter the US Open Cup, but that's a controversial tourney, anyway. Hoping we can get a CONCACAF spot.

[english si]

Talk about a 'flash in the pan'!  Leicester City going down?!

Southampton have sacked two manangers since they last scored a goal at home!

It's more shocking that it took this long for them to officially sink than that they have.

I know Southampton have been atrociously bad, but Leicester have been worse at everything - other than getting points (and the Saints have started getting better at that since the drop - if Leicester don't, then Saints might overtake them).

[JayhawkCO]

Talk about a 'flash in the pan'!  Leicester City going down?!

Southampton have sacked two manangers since they last scored a goal at home!

It's more shocking that it took this long for them to officially sink than that they have.

I know Southampton have been atrociously bad, but Leicester have been worse at everything - other than getting points (and the Saints have started getting better at that since the drop - if Leicester don't, then Saints might overtake them).

Leicester sacked Steve Cooper when they were two points above the drop. Since, they've gone 2-2-17 in the League. Grass isn't always greener.

[thspfc]

Spurs and Man U are very lucky there's only 17 EPL-caliber teams in England this year.

[JayhawkCO]

Spurs and Man U are very lucky there's only 17 EPL-caliber teams in England this year.

And yet somehow, one of those two clubs is likely to make Champions League next year.

[english si]

Leicester sacked Steve Cooper when they were two points above the drop. Since, they've gone 2-2-17 in the League. Grass isn't always greener.

Yes. And no goals at home since two of their big rivals for next season (Southampton and West Brom*) have hired and fired managers that lasted significantly less time than their goal drought - yet Ruud remains**. (8 December for Leicester's last goal at the King Power, breaking a 141 year old record a game or two ago. Southampton hired Juric 22-12 and sacked him 7-4, West Brom hired Mowbray 17-1 and sacked him 21-4).

Jamie Vardy is very much not having a party.

In some ways it's good that Leicester didn't even get the points deduction they were due on a technicality. Their terribleness can be blamed on no one but themselves.

West Ham were 14th, and Everton 16th when they got new managers early January. West Ham are now 17th (and the only team not yet safe), but Everton are now 13th - showing that the grass is sometimes greener.

*Who are hoping that the grass is greener this season, by sacking Mowbray tonight. While the last two games have dramatically lowered the odds, there's still a chance they might get into the play offs - but not if they were playing the way they did under Mowbray.
**He get Man U from 14th to 13th as interim manager, while the current manager has done the opposite. Perhaps it's not him, but the Leicester players.

Spurs and Man U are very lucky there's only 17 EPL-caliber teams in England this year.

12, not 17. They are however, lucky that the 8 terrible teams include 3 of whom are significantly worse than the other 5.

I believe Spurs were delighted with Arsenal's win at the weekend - it granted them safety at last.

[JayhawkCO]

I believe Spurs were delighted with Arsenal's win at the weekend - it granted them safety at last.

We were never actually in a relegation fight, despite what the red-team pundits and/or the pessimistic part of our fanbase would have you believe. Still, a terrible season by many measures that somehow includes two cup semis.

[SEWIGuy]

Parachute payments are really making the promotion and relegation battles pretty boring lately.

[JayhawkCO]

Parachute payments are really making the promotion and relegation battles pretty boring lately.

The League One and League Two promotion races are pretty interesting. Less so for the Championship.

[SEWIGuy]

Parachute payments are really making the promotion and relegation battles pretty boring lately.

The League One and League Two promotion races are pretty interesting. Less so for the Championship.

Correct. I should have specified Premier League and Championship.

[english si]

The League One and League Two promotion races are pretty interesting. Less so for the Championship.

The Championship only got boring about three games ago (less than 2 weeks ago) when Sheffield started to fall behind the pace, handing the two automatics to Leeds and Burnley yesterday. And lets not forget that on Thursday every team from 14th up had a mathematical possibility to go up (and every team from 12th down was mathematically possible to go down). It's still the case that 10th can make the play offs.

League One has been somewhat dull at the top outside of two teams battling for 2nd and 6th - Birmingham sowed up a top 2 finish, and then the title, very early despite having played 2 games less than the pack. Yes, Wycombe and Wrexham keep changing who's in the 2nd automatic promotion spot - mostly due to playing at different times - but, while Charlton and Stockport are not far behind, they've not yet really posed a threat* to the W teams. And the top 5 got so far ahead that it was just a two (and sometimes three) horse race for 6th.

They are both interesting, but in different ways - still pretty wide open in the Championship, two 2-horse races in League One.

*Well, until yesterday's 0-4 win at Adams Park for Charlton.

We were never actually in a relegation fight

Where did I say you were?

You were, however, a couple of bad results away from being dragged into a relegation fight (unlike Southampton who were a couple of good results away from finally getting into the fight to stay up. Never happened though!). And the safety given out by Arsenal beating Ipswich means just as much to Man U and Spurs as it does Everton or West Ham - perhaps a bit different for the Europa League semi-finalists as they haven't had the threat of the drop come up for years and were never quite bad enough to fall into the fight this season, but they can now not worry about the league and focus on the three games to get into the Champions League. Safety is a big sigh of relief for all the teams saved by Arsenal! And Everton and Man U have double reason to celebrate as it stopped Liverpool winning the league this weekend. Spurs will happily gift them the points they need (if they still do) on Sunday though...

[toxicstar27]

Inter vs Barcelona in the Champions League today was absolutely insane. I really thought Barcelona were gonna win the whole tournament.

[JayhawkCO]

Inter vs Barcelona in the Champions League today was absolutely insane. I really thought Barcelona were gonna win the whole tournament.

PSG has looked like the most complete team for me since they signed "Kvaradona".

[english si]

PSG has looked like the most complete team for me since they signed "Kvaradona".

And as the remover of 3 of the 4 English teams (City lost to Madrid in the play offs to enter the round of 16), with each of them winning a match against them*, the EPL can hold its head even higher about its performance in Europe this season if PSG beat Inter.

All 4 teams made it to the Champions League knock-outs (even if City was only a playoff), getting 3 of the 8 seeded places with 1st, 3rd and 8th places (and City in 22nd). 3rd and 4th in the Europa League league stage, with both teams making it to the final. 1st in the Conference League league stage with that team also making the final. That's rather good going, even if it's not great in the UCL knock-outs (unless they lost to the winners, which makes it less bad).

Anyway 9 teams in Europe next season (6 in the UCL!) and perhaps 10 with 3 in the Europa League (if Chelsea come 7th and win the Conference League and Palace win the FA Cup, then 8th gets the Conference League spot).

And the hilarity of one UCL place going to someone that cannot finish higher than 12th and could finish 17th (and are currently sitting in 15th/16th not even at the 40 point mark with 3 games to go).

*Arsenal in the League stage, but losing both ties in the semi.

[NWI_Irish96]

Tottenham ends up winning the Europa league.

[english si]

Tottenham ends up winning the Europa league.

But will they beat Man U in the League? They are a point behind, but Man U are playing need-to-win Villa chasing Champions League, whereas Brighton just need a point to clinch 8th place. Spurs' goal difference of +2 is far better than Man U's of -12 (can you imagine a team in the Champions League that, the season before, let in not just more goals than they scored but a significant number more - the right team won last night!) so a point will probably be enough unless Man U suddenly play a lot better than they have been.

And there's other questions - can either Europa League finalist make it to 40 points (the traditional bar for safety which not clearing, but staying up, is seen as lucky and clearing, but going down is seen as unlucky)? Which one will be the worst team to stay up this season (OK, West Ham and Wolves could also take that crown)?

Anyway 9 teams in Europe next season (6 in the UCL!) and perhaps 10 with 3 in the Europa League (if Chelsea come 7th and win the Conference League and Palace win the FA Cup, then 8th gets the Conference League spot)

Apparently if Chelsea comes 6th and win the UCoL, and Newcastle finishes 7th, then it also happens due to the European Performance spot being a later effect added after places are allocated (first domestically, then then European competition winners if necessary). And so, with Chelsea in 6th and Newcastle in 7th (and so having the UCoL place from the EFL Cup win rather than handing it to the next highest league place, ie Chelsea in 6th, due to qualifying for UCL/UEL) and, or just Chelsea in 7th, then Chelsea wouldn't have qualified for any European competition domestically and their UEL berth for UCoL winners would be an extra place, rather than a upgrade of an existing European place. And then the bonus UCL spot pushes the 5th place Europa League spot down to 6th (or 7th if its already-qualified Chelsea), which pushes the UCoL place from 7th/Newcastle-who-just-happened-to-finish-7th to 8th.

It's all far too complicated.

It would take a quite specific set of results, but possibly London might have 5 teams in European competition next season (Arsenal and Spurs in the UCL, Chelsea and Palace in the UEL, Brentford in the UCoL) - they had 4 in 22/23, and definitely will have 4 next season. IIRC, a couple of Metropolitan Areas (eg Glasgow, Madrid) have managed 3, but no one else has done 4.

[SEWIGuy]

But will they beat Man U in the League? They are a point behind, but Man U are playing need-to-win Villa chasing Champions League, whereas Brighton just need a point to clinch 8th place. Spurs' goal difference of +2 is far better than Man U's of -12 (can you imagine a team in the Champions League that, the season before, let in not just more goals than they scored but a significant number more - the right team won last night!) so a point will probably be enough unless Man U suddenly play a lot better than they have been.

I think both teams, but especially Spurs, aren't going to be going all that hard on Sunday. Good news for both Brighton and Villa.

[JayhawkCO]

Tottenham ends up winning the Europa league.

But will they beat Man U in the League? They are a point behind, but Man U are playing need-to-win Villa chasing Champions League, whereas Brighton just need a point to clinch 8th place. Spurs' goal difference of +2 is far better than Man U's of -12 (can you imagine a team in the Champions League that, the season before, let in not just more goals than they scored but a significant number more - the right team won last night!) so a point will probably be enough unless Man U suddenly play a lot better than they have been.

Why do we care if we finish above United in the league? Ange said as much in his post-match press conference. Once we got knocked out of the Carabao Cup, he put all of his eggs in the Europa League basket, and he delivered on his promise.

[english si]

Why do we care if we finish above United in the league?

I know Spurs (and Man U) don't want to talk, or even think, about their league position, but everyone else wants to know which one of you is the biggest flop (and 38 games is perhaps a better judge than 90 minutes in Bilbao).

Whichever Big-6 side didn't even get into the Top-16 will be mocked about it for years to come for that whether they won a trophy or not.

If it's Man U, Spurs' poor season domestically will be forgotten due to their Europa League trophy and everyone being too busy laughing at United. Spurs should want that.

[SEWIGuy]

Why do we care if we finish above United in the league?

I know Spurs (and Man U) don't want to talk, or even think, about their league position, but everyone else wants to know which one of you is the biggest flop (and 38 games is perhaps a better judge than 90 minutes in Bilbao).

Whichever Big-6 side didn't even get into the Top-16 will be mocked about it for years to come for that whether they won a trophy or not.

If it's Man U, Spurs' poor season domestically will be forgotten due to their Europa League trophy and everyone being too busy laughing at United. Spurs should want that.

Spurs won't be able to hear any mocking because:

1. They're cashing champions league checks, and
2. They won more hardware than Arsenal, City and United combined - and maybe Chelsea too. (And no...the community shield doesn't count.)

Honestly its pretty cool that Newcastle, Palace and Spurs all got trophies this year.

[JayhawkCO]

Why do we care if we finish above United in the league?

I know Spurs (and Man U) don't want to talk, or even think, about their league position, but everyone else wants to know which one of you is the biggest flop (and 38 games is perhaps a better judge than 90 minutes in Bilbao).

Whichever Big-6 side didn't even get into the Top-16 will be mocked about it for years to come for that whether they won a trophy or not.

If it's Man U, Spurs' poor season domestically will be forgotten due to their Europa League trophy and everyone being too busy laughing at United. Spurs should want that.

I guarantee no one is mocking us this year except out of jealousy because they didn't win a trophy and the one thing that they could lord over us is now gone. It will be a sidenote at best, similar to our crappy league form the year we made the Champions League final.