Probably not. But it might impact on the players we can attract in the summer transfer window/ I agree it’s been a brilliant season though.
Agree it's still a good season, even a great season to finish top 6 and a cup - everyone would have taken that before a ball was kicked - but I do think not qualifying for CL is problematic as it changes the whole scenario in the summer in terms of resigning our top talent, brining in new players and the size of the budget available. Luckily we are 99.9% guaranteed Europa League as it would take Chelsea to lose 1-0 to Forest and us to be smashed by Everton by 4 or more to drop down to 7th now. The only positive is looking at the quality of the EL this season - its probably easier to win that then the League Cup or finish top 5 again so it's a possible trophy and a decent additional route to CL for the following season. If Chelsea finish 7th but qualify for EL by winning the EC, does 8th place get the conference league? More teams in Europe the better for the additional CL spaces again next year.
I don't even worry about this "CL attract top players" bollocks. Sure, we signed Tonali in the Summer of '24, which probably wouldn't have happened, but Livramento, Hall and Barnes (eurgh) were coming regardless. On the flip side you look at some of the best players in the league this season - Huijsen, Verbruggen, Van Hecke, Semenyo, Cunha, Robinson, Munoz, Kerkez, Murillo, Eze, Mbuemo, Gibbs-White and on and on - none joined for CL football, none played CL football.
Anybody else watching El Crapico tonight? What a stadium it is; hope ours ends up like that but bigger of course. Won’t be too unhappy if we end up in the Europa League. Would be great to go a long way in a European competition next year.
I'm a bit this way of thinking. I want to get a Champions League spot but for all the wrong reasons really. Money, prestige, etc. If you told me we'd get to the final of the Europa next year I'd be praying for a bad result this weekend. Being in competitions you can actually compete to win in is great and I look at Man Utd and Tottenham and it's hard not to think "we could do that".
I'd take Europa final if we also have a top 5 PL season to go with it i think. Would not be happy in the position Man U and Spurs are in. If we can't get that, I'd prefer to follow the Villa route of this year if possible
Not many people think it’s going to be easy. It will be a tough game, I expect, but I still expect us to win. League position, player quality, current form all points to us winning. But we still have to turn up. We have to hope the vagaries of luck and football don’t come into play. But all that is a far distance and another universe from your post.
A goal worthy of a final between Spurs and Man Utd. Johnson completely miscued it backwards on to Shaw who punched it in to the net.
These European refs are so much better than the PL ones. Players are throwing themselves to the floor as they lose the ball and he looks at them as if to say wtf are you doing.
Imagine trying to convince someone the prem is the best league in the world after watching this ****e.
