Morning all! Are we still buzzing from Thursday night's game? I went to the game with my daughter who has a basic grasp of football, i.e. the object of the game is to put the ball in the back of the net, but she gets a bit lost with all the competitions - domestic league, domestic cups, European competitions, World Cup, club teams, international teams. As I tried to explain the mechanics of the Europa League, I came to realise what a crazy and complex competition it is. You start off with knock-out qualifying rounds and gradually more teams are introduced with each successive round. OK, we're used to this in the FA Cup and League Cup, but compare to, say, Wimbledon where ALL competitors start off in the first round and when you're out, you're out. After a while it completely changes format from a knock-out competition to a league competition. After a bit of that it reverts back to a knock-out competition and to make matters worse a load of very good teams are suddenly introduced at a fairly late stage (from the Champions League) just because they have failed in their own competition. Using the Wimbledon scenario again, it's like saying that any men who get knocked out in the 4th round can enter the Women's quarter finals as a consolation prize. I say NO! This must be the only competition in any sport where, at the outset, you don't know who all your competitors will be. If the likes of Chelsea or Real Madrid can't hack it in their own competition then tough sh*t, you'll have to wait until next season. And on a final note, in the 4th qualifying round (should we get there) 12 of the 15 teams who have dropped down from losing in the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round will be unseeded, so there's a fair chance we will get one of them. (Both Spurs and ourselves/Malmo will be seeded. We could play Celtic).
have a look at this http://uk.soccerway.com/international/europe/uefa-cup/20132014/3rd-qualifying-round/r21221/
This is the best place to go:- http://www.footballseeding.com/european-cups/europa-league-13-14/ The Europa League 4th Q round has 62 teams. 29 winners from 3rd Q Round (of which we hope to be one) 18 new-comers (including Spurs, who are just joining at a later stage, and haven't been through Champions League. Also includes Fiorentina, Besiktas, Real Betis, Feyenoord, Eintracht Frankfurt, Nice to name a few) 15 teams that have been eliminated from Champions League 3rd Q round
The 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group phase enter in the round of 32 along with the 24 Europa League teams who finished 1st or 2nd in each of the 12 groups from the group phase.
Why not! I think it makes this competition more of a wild card event, and distinguishes it from other competitions, with the usual format, got no complaints myself and I like it just the way it is, you'll always get your van damns of this world complaining about the fairness of it all, but that's just life! .................
seeing as we are seeded, the unseeded teams aren't that bad. Vitesse and Nice might be a worry - or the Russian teams.
The format is an attempt to allow as many teams as possible to enter the competition from all affiliated countries. In the early k.o. Stages the so called better teams are seeded to avoid the chance of loading too many good sides early on. After the initial k.o. Results the group stage comes into force, which should once again will see the better teams progress by the very nature of the league system. The final k.o. Stages come into force to produce the excitement and anticipation you don't get in the group stages. But at the end of the day it's all about making as much money as they can.
I think it's ok as it is. I like the idea of the champions league teams coming into the tournament. Imagine AC Milan finishing 3rd in a tough group and we end up drawing them in the Europa League. I for one would love to see Swansea v Milan in a competitive match at the Liberty. Would be like a dream. Also aren't the plans from next season on that the winner of the Europa League qualifies for the following seasons Champions League ? Will certainly make the competition more of a priority for everyone. Especially those outside the top 4. Could be a way in for us. I see no reason why we can't go a long way in this tournament.... Fulham and Middlesbrough made it to finals didn't they ?
I totally agree with the OP its madness thinking about it that way and it makes you realise just how much effort will be involved just to have a respectable tournament ! I don't get too involoved in the nitty gritty as its far too complicated ffor me, we are in Europe until we are knocked out and that's how I will look at it!
It is crazy, but it wouldnt bother me if we had the chance to play a Milan, Dortmund, Madrid etc type of team at the liberty.
Imaging trying to work it all out, that must have been one hell of a nightmare. All I hope is that our names in the hat for the league part. Then we can truly sing "Were all going on a European Tour"
I am not sure about the losers from the Champions League coming in, I think if they have failed in that one then they should be out. Apart from that it is okay!
