There have been quite a few seasons like this since UEFA expanded the PL intake to four teams, often looks like a case of no one wanting to humiliate themselves in the following year's CL as they know deep down they are nowhere nearly good enough to make a dent in it. If I had my way, the CL would be just the actual champions in smaller leagues plus runners up from bigger leagues and the EL would be those in 3rd and 4th. Even discounting COVID affected seasons, in 2018/19 we finished 27 points behind the actual champions. Entry into a "Champions League" looks farcical at that point. Similar is the play off system in the lower divisions whereby injury or plain bad luck can see a team who accumulated significantly more points and finished 3 places higher can lose out to obviously less deserving opposition.
I think it usually is, we're just noticing it more recently due to the profile of teams involved in that battle (Arsenal, United and Chelsea). It draws more attention to the fact that there usually aren't 4 teams in the PL who are good enough to be more than stocking fillers in the CL itself. The fact that we were still in the race for 4th within a few weeks of last season finishing, despite being crud for half a year prior, is the most damning proof that the PL's 4 spots were allocated due to financial and not footballing clout.
You do know that the countries with 4 spots have them because of the performance of their clubs in previous years.....
No. We get four spots because we finance the competition. Hang on, that might be The Eurovision Song Contest come to think of it.
English teams tend to do very well in European competitions though. The all English finals recently back that up.
Tend to do very well in the Champions League. Less so in the Europa and we didn't even turn up for the other thing.
Leicester conceding another goal in injury-time and it’s from a set-piece. In other news, water is wet.
since 2015/16 which pretty much coincides with the europa league winners qualifying for the next seasons CL half of the finalists have been English which is n't to shabby as they well be at least the 5th best english team .
Arsenal seem to be on the up at the moment don't they? Of course lots of things can change, and to a certain extent our fate is in our hands as we still play Arsenal and ManU. My main point is to reflect on how recent subjective decisions affect all this. Now you can argue all you like about whether we deserve to be fighting for top 4, or whether our squad is any good, but fact is that until a couple of games ago we were well in the mix, and are not exactly out of it now. But our relative position to other teams has changed, and not that fairly I would suggest. For example, in Arsenal's match against Wolves, they seem to have benefited from a challenge on the keeper not being given as a foul and then they score. Actually I don't think it was a foul, but this of course is inconsistent when you look at the "goal" we scored against Southampton when the challenge on the keeper was given as a foul. Result is an extra 2pts to them and a loss of 2pts to us. That's quite a swing based on inconsistent refereeing. Another example is I would suggest much worse. The authorities cowardly and disgraceful decision (and I chose those words carefully) to allow Arsenal to postpone their game against us. There was no covid basis for it, and it saved them from a likely defeat. And yes we can still beat them in the rearranged match, but they are going to be fielding what - 8 or 9? - players than wouldn't have been available for the original match. On such decisions CL places are determined, and who is to say that a win in that match might have bolstered our fragile confidence going into later matches? No not sour grapes, things that happened that shouldn't have.
Arsenal have backed Arteta significantly during his time as manager, he’s over 2 years in and has got rid and signed a lot of players including selling/releasing the likes of Ozil and Aubameyang and been allowed to spend big money on young players. At the moment things look like they’re going to pay off for them, when you look at their form and run in, I’d make them favourites for 4th
Taking into account making Romero permanent my calculations suggest we've spent more than Arsenal over the period since Arteta was appointed. In fact only Chelsea have spent more as far as I can see. And that doesn't include Ndombele, Lo Celso, Sessegnon or Clarke.
Not sure the evidence supports the claim Utd have, Now had you said bought some of Europe's best players from 5 years ago, there might be a debate......
