Eng teams in CL. Is that 2 draws and 4 defeats? Does the tough league with no

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03-12-2026, 08:51 AM
Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult

Eng teams in CL. Is that 2 draws and 4 defeats? Does the tough league with no

winter break cost us?

Tbh, last night was the worst I've seen us play in ages.

We won't win anything with forwards playing like that.

Has the double pivot hurt us? When we inverted the LB and played a box MF, Dec got forward to inside left more. Likewise for all that JT gives us defensively, we've lost BW's overlaps.

In short, while JT and Hinchappy have improved us defensively, as has the Dec'n'Zubi double pivot, has it lost us too much going forward? Or would fit and firing Odin and B sort that out? I think it's both.

Maybe MA should think about bringing on BW and Cala as well as 3 forwards when looking for a goal?
03-12-2026, 09:00 AM
redgunamo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult

winter break cost us?

Tbh, last night was the worst I've seen us play in ages.

We won't win anything with forwards playing like that.

Has the double pivot hurt us? When we inverted the LB and played a box MF, Dec got forward to inside left more. Likewise for all that JT gives us defensively, we've lost BW's overlaps.

In short, while JT and Hinchappy have improved us defensively, as has the Dec'n'Zubi double pivot, has it lost us too much going forward? Or would fit and firing Odin and B sort that out? I think it's both.

Maybe MA should think about bringing on BW and Cala as well as 3 forwards when looking for a goal?

We didn't need goals, we merely needed a result we could take back to the Emirates.

That was the whole point of the league phase blowout.
03-12-2026, 10:52 AM
pjlincs

Best League in the World TM
03-12-2026, 11:39 AM
redgunamo

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjlincs

Best League in the World TM

That's reasonable. Try picking six teams from any other league, you'd mostly be struggling after two or three.
03-12-2026, 02:21 PM
WES

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjlincs

Best League in the World TM

The presence of Newcastle and Spurs in the CL says much more about the CL qualification process than it does about the quality of the PL imo.
03-12-2026, 03:11 PM
PSRB

Quote:

Originally Posted by WES

The presence of Newcastle and Spurs in the CL says much more about the CL qualification process than it does about the quality of the PL imo.

spurs only qualified because the 3rd place teams in the CL didn't drop down into the EL and then they beat one of the worst ever United teams.
03-12-2026, 03:17 PM
Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSRB

spurs only qualified because the 3rd place teams in the CL didn't drop down into the EL and then they beat one of the worst ever United teams.

Neither of which I have a problem with. I never like the idea of the third place teams dropping down. The UEFA cup or Europa league was basically a European division two. And the teams in that should have a chance to win it. And you want the winners to qualify for the Champions League.
03-12-2026, 03:43 PM
WES

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult

Neither of which I have a problem with. I never like the idea of the third place teams dropping down. The UEFA cup or Europa league was basically a European division two. And the teams in that should have a chance to win it. And you want the winners to qualify for the Champions League.

Why do you want the winners to qualify for the CL, GG? I've always hated that rule.

Quality is not determined by a knockout competition, it is determined by consistent success extended over a league season. Those teams not good enough to make it to the CL on that basis don't deserve to just because they won a second rate cup competition consisting of a bunch of also rans and nobodies.
03-12-2026, 04:51 PM
Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult

Quote:

Originally Posted by WES

Why do you want the winners to qualify for the CL, GG? I've always hated that rule.

Quality is not determined by a knockout competition, it is determined by consistent success extended over a league season. Those teams not good enough to make it to the CL on that basis don't deserve to just because they won a second rate cup competition consisting of a bunch of also rans and nobodies.

Because it's a sort of promotion. I think they should be there instead of the likes of Kairat or whoever. It offers a route to those teams who wouldn't be able to get there otherwise.

If they ever expanded the CL to such an extent that we in Eng got 6 automatic places as well as spots for the winners of the CL and EL, I'd be happy for one of those 6 spots to go to the FA Cup winner to make the cup important again.
03-12-2026, 06:18 PM
Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by WES

Why do you want the winners to qualify for the CL, GG? I've always hated that rule.

Quality is not determined by a knockout competition, it is determined by consistent success extended over a league season. Those teams not good enough to make it to the CL on that basis don't deserve to just because they won a second rate cup competition consisting of a bunch of also rans and nobodies.

I think i agree. What does it say about a competition that the prize for winning it is not having to compete in it the following year?

If we are severing the links by not allowing teams to drop down from the CL (and I agree we should stop that) then we should also sever that link.

We've ended up with an atrocious spurs side qualifying for the champions league after a season where they were utterly atrocious
03-12-2026, 09:46 PM
7sisters

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter

I think i agree. What does it say about a competition that the prize for winning it is not having to compete in it the following year?

If we are severing the links by not allowing teams to drop down from the CL (and I agree we should stop that) then we should also sever that link.

We've ended up with an atrocious spurs side qualifying for the champions league after a season where they were utterly atrocious

In other news. How the fark are a talented squad like Palace drawing with a bunch of part time kebab grillers from Cyprus ? I think that comes close to achieving Spurs levels of embarrassment.
03-12-2026, 11:07 PM
Peter

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7sisters

In other news. How the fark are a talented squad like Palace drawing with a bunch of part time kebab grillers from Cyprus ? I think that comes close to achieving Spurs levels of embarrassment.

AEK Larnaca are no mugs.

I couldn't even type that sentence and keep a straight face :-)