[Archived] Champions League 2013/2014 (and Europa league!)

[cn174]

What are the qualifying rules for the Europa league? The Prem tables always have a dotted line under fifth, but doesn't pretty much every club in the top half get a crack at it?

I looked them up before actually.

5th is the allocated spot for Europa league.

Then it is FA Cup + League Cup.

Man City won the League Cup, which means this year 6th place will also be a Europa league spot.

The FA Cup spot can't be given to the league because even if Arsenal win, the other three still in aren't going to finish in the top 4, so therefore it will go to the runner up of the FA Cup.

So we just have to hope Man U dont scrape into 6th place

[Al]

Man U not in the Champs League next year Would love it if they don't sneak into the Europa League either!

That would be fantastic but surely too much to hope for.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

I hope they do get into Europa League......early qualifiers mean they'll have to cut short their money-making pre-season tours.

Plus midweek trips to Eastern Europe during the season would be another hindrance. I appreciate they'll probably just mostly play their reserves/youngsters but every club suffers domestically from playing in that competition.

[davulsukur]

I agree with Salgado, Europa league would be a drain for Utd.

I would also imagine most Utd fans would consider the Europa league beneath them with the amount of CL experience they have.

I hope they do finish 6th.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Semi final draws -

Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea

Real Madrid vs Bayern

Juventus vs Benfica

Sevilla vs Valencia

[thenodrog]

Man U not in the Champs League next year Would love it if they don't sneak into the Europa League either!

That would be fantastic but surely too much to hope for.

Correct Al..... pretty sure they will change the rules to get em in.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Jose's tactics looking good at h-t in tonight's semi-final?

[Silas]

Jose's tactics looking good at h-t in tonight's semi-final?

When Jose does it, it's "brilliant" and "superb" in the words of Lee Dixon tonight.

When Sam does it with West Ham it's anti-football and 19th century football.

Double standards to the extreme. Especially when you compare the resources of say West Ham v Chelsea, and Chelsea v Athletico Madrid.

At least the smaller clubs have an excuse in the fact they would struggle to compete so have to resort to defence. What's billionaire financed Chelsea's excuse with their 50 million pound striker?!

[arbitro]

What an absolute bore fest we saw tonight. A game with no chances, poor passing, littered with tactical fouls and time wasting. Still it was good to see the odious Terry hobble off - nothing trivial I hope.

[M-K]

Barcelona handed a transfer embargo for all of next season after poaching youngsters:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/barcelona/10739015/Barcelona-handed-one-year-transfer-ban-for-breaking-rules-over-international-transfer-of-under-18s.html

Nice to see FIFA taking a firm line on this sort of thing and perhaps this will put conspiracy theories about Barca getting favourable treatment to bed.

Wouldn't be surprised if an appeal cuts the ban out though...

Unsurprisingly, at the first threat of legal action the embargo has been 'suspended'.

No doubt that's the last anyone will ever hear of it, and in three years time the news of the punishment either being rescinded or replaced by a 20 euro fine will not even be reported.

Next up for the list of completely unenforceable regulations that won't even be tested in court: Financial Fair Play.

[Adam C]

Aye M-K football is totally rotten. FIFA and UEFA have no teeth and I would love to have their disciplinary committee ruling over me any time I mess something up. I was especially disgusted after the calciopoli scandal when all the big clubs got their sentences reduced. I remember fines for racism being pathetic as well compared to the resources of the clubs targeted.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Aye M-K football is totally rotten. FIFA and UEFA have no teeth and I would love to have their disciplinary committee ruling over me any time I mess something up. I was especially disgusted after the calciopoli scandal when all the big clubs got their sentences reduced. I remember fines for racism being pathetic as well compared to the resources of the clubs targeted.

Not that they are gummy, just mainly corrupt......just an opinion!

[speeeeeeedie]

I think it will be a Chelsea-Real Final.

Chelsea will make short work of Atletico.

Munich were poor yesterday. They have to score at home, with Ronaldo and Bale both fully fit they'll get picked apart on the counter..

[M-K]

Bayern were really dull until about the last five minutes. They seem to do that in every game I see them play (which isn't many, admittedly). Crushingly dull possession football in the opposition's half, with no real urgency about it - Real should have been out of sight by half time, despite having about 10% of the play.

They're so much like Barcelona were, except instead of Messi they have Robben as their only genuinely incisive player. And what's all the fuss about Ribery? He seems pretty ordinary, despite rating himself as the best player in the world.

Hope they get beaten properly in the next leg, but having said all that they'll probably win 3-0 to make the final.

[Guest Norbert]

Terry, Ramires and Cech are all injured I think, and they have 1 or 2 who are banned as well. So it would be interesting to see the team.

And Bayern are as toothless as Barcelona were at times. Pass pass pass pass pass etc.

[Audax]

Terry, Ramires and Cech are all injured I think, and they have 1 or 2 who are banned as well. So it would be interesting to see the team.

And Bayern are as toothless as Barcelona were at times. Pass pass pass pass pass etc.

Ramires will be banned from League play but can play in the Champions League I think.

http://news.yahoo.com/chelseas-ramires-hit-four-game-ban-183113514--sow.html?.tsrc=appleww

"London (AFP) - Chelsea midfielder Ramires will miss the rest of the club's Premier League campaign after accepting a four-match ban for violent conduct on Thursday."

[rigger]

I looked them up before actually.

5th is the allocated spot for Europa league.

Then it is FA Cup + League Cup.

Man City won the League Cup, which means this year 6th place will also be a Europa league spot.

The FA Cup spot can't be given to the league because even if Arsenal win, the other three still in aren't going to finish in the top 4, so therefore it will go to the runner up of the FA Cup.

So we just have to hope Man U dont scrape into 6th place

Unless The Arse finish seventh.

[M-K]

Bayern are as toothless as Barcelona were at times. Pass pass pass pass pass etc.

It's such a boring way to play.

When look at Barcelona's stats not so long ago, you'd think they'd be like the Harlem Globetrotters of football - they had the world's top three players, a forward who scored 50 goals a season, and the opposition rarely got a touch. I watched them a lot, expecting to see something amazing, but the reality was pretty disappointing. Five minutes of unbroken possession without a shot on goal doesn't make for a great spectacle, and whenever they lost the ball they'd con the ref into giving them a free kick so they could have it back.

Any team with direct players like Ronaldo and Bale is going to be better to watch, I think.

[Guest Norbert]

I don't doubt the skill about the way Pep's teams do it, but sometimes his hatred of a good striker negates that dominance of possession. You need to actually attack quickly on occasion. Bayern appear to be picking up Barcelona's bad habits.

[roverandout]

Bayern need a world class striker to finish off chances, mandzukic is @#/?

[Salgado Is A Hero]

They don't create many chances to be fair. The first real chance that I remember them having the other night was Gotze around the 80th minute mark. Madrid had about 3 clear cut chances before that.

They need to go back to being a team that's a mix of possession, counter-attacking, being direct with Ribery and Robben running at defenders etc.....now they're just possession based and it's hard to create chances against really well-organised defences.

Plus Guardiola never has a Plan B.

Can definitely see Madrid scoring in Germany so I think Real will go through.

The other game will probably go all the way to penalties.

[somersetrover]

Bayern need a world class striker to finish off chances, mandzukic is @#/?

He's not that bad he's just not really a Guardiola player as his main strength is his aerial ability. He'll probably be off anyway in the summer when Lewandowski joins.

[wolfie]

For those that find Pep's teams difficult to watch, we're not alone.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germany/2014/03/12/4678532/bayern-will-be-unwatchable-like-barcelona-beckenbauer

[thenodrog]

For those that find Pep's teams difficult to watch, we're not alone.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germany/2014/03/12/4678532/bayern-will-be-unwatchable-like-barcelona-beckenbauer

Crikey now even the Kaiser himself is agreeing with me! He must be an avid follower of my posts! I've been saying for ages how brilliant but ultimately mind numbingly boring Barca's football is.

[Baz]

Crikey now even the Kaiser himself is agreeing with me! He must be an avid follower of my posts! I've been saying for ages how brilliant but ultimately mind numbingly boring Barca's football is.

Imagine how many Barca could have scored in every game if they actually really went for it.