2023/24 - The Race For..................

[Mate]

England's chances are now hanging by a thread. Aston Villa will have to win the UECL, and all three matches, and hope Germany completely fail in the semifinals.

So Germany just need a win and a draw or 3 draws from the six semifinal fixtures

Thanks. That probably ranks around a 5% chance.

Personally I see Bayern reaching the CL final and Leverkusen winning the EL.

 

[RuskyM]

As with most things in life, I blame Eddie Howe.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Tbh this random 5th place would feel like a back door entry to the CL, I’d rather we finish 4th and deserve to be in the CL or we finish 5th and we treat the EL seriously next season and it can be part of our development under Ange, also benefit it we wouldn’t have to play a full strength XI in both competitions so not as much pressure on massively improving the squad in summer, 3-4 would be ok compared to needing 5-6 for a CL campaign.

We’ll be fine either way but if we win the NLD then who says 4th is off the cards?

 

[npearl4spurs]

I think we can do em as well...Palmer aside, theyre a very average side

I think our view of them hasn't quite caught up. I'm starting to wonder if they were a very average side, and maybe still are, but it has to be said they are good to very good at home. They are now 8 unbeaten in the league, lost once in their last 12 fixtures overall (Cup final loss to Pool), and their home form since October is 15-6-1. Including when they drew City 4-4 in November, they've scored 29 goals at home in the league in 10 fixtures. Not the most encouraging reading...

Sorry to bring yall down with the facts (stubborn things). I always love your optimism Pinky and appreciate it from @bubble07 as well...I love being optimistic and naturally am about just about everything, even Spurs - but over the years that's kinda been beaten, crushed, destroyed, broken, and torn out of me. Still there, mind you, and weirdly always highest at the times we let down the most

I love watching and supporting this group of players and the manager but I have to say I'm quite more nervous than I would have expected I'd be for this run of fixtures say 5 weeks ago when we looked the dog's bollocks at Villa. I was licking my lips for this run-in then. Now, I'm trusting that these two weeks on the training pitch as a mini pre-season will give Ange and the staff ample time to coach the team and progress us along. Despite the way it might sound, I am hoping to be encouraged by the growth in our performances in some big high-pressure matches.

 

[cockerel downunder]

Tbh this random 5th place would feel like a back door entry to the CL, I’d rather we finish 4th and deserve to be in the CL or we finish 5th and we treat the EL seriously next season and it can be part of our development under Ange, also benefit it we wouldn’t have to play a full strength XI in both competitions so not as much pressure on massively improving the squad in summer, 3-4 would be ok compared to needing 5-6 for a CL campaign.

We’ll be fine either way but if we win the NLD then who says 4th is off the cards?

Completely agree on 5th place, if that’s where we finish then Europa is just fine. Harry Kane might never have got a run of games without it!!!

it feels to me our end to the season could either be spectacular or a disaster from here.

Or, you know, somewhere in between ;-)

 

[Styopa]

Harry Kane might never have got a run of games without it!!!

I think Harry was so good and so determined that he would have forced way into the first team sooner or later regardless of whether we were playing in the Europa or not.

But in general I am struggling to think of many players we have brought through via the Europa. It’s often mentioned that it gives the young players an opportunity to develop. But other than maybe Harry who are all the young players we have developed through the Europa?

 

[Legacy]

I'm one of the people who is of the opinion that a season with Europa League football would be more beneficial to the squad at this stage. I'd be concerned, with the strain we've seen on players this season, adding a minimum of 8 Champions League games would end with us having a season wide injury crisis like Newcastle have had. Europa League football would at least add more games to the schedule while also allowing a bit of rotation and the opportunity to give first team minutes to some of the talented youth.

However, it is unbelievably typical Spurs luck that the first time English teams doing well in Europe would actually be a direct benefit to Spurs, almost every team bombs out of Europe by the quarter final stage.

 

[easley91]

Who says we're 100% in Europa? The season isn't over and we can catch/overtake Villa.

 

[robhumphreys]

Who says we're 100% in Europa? The season isn't over and we can catch/overtake Villa.

You're right its not 100% Europa. We could be in the conference league!!!

 

[RuskyM]

Villa	Spurs
21/04 [Sun] - Bournemouth (H)
27/04 [Sat] - Chelsea (H)	28/04 [Sun] - Arsenal (H)
02/05 [Thu] - Olympiacos (H)	02/05 [Thu] - Chelsea (A)
05/05 [Sun] - Brighton (A)	05/05 [Sun] - Liverpool (A)
09/05 [Thu] - Olympiacos (A)	11/05 [Sat] - Burnley (H)
13/05 [Mon] - Liverpool (H)	14/05 [Tue] - Man City (H)
19/05 [Sun] - Palace (A)	19/05 [Sun] - Sheff Utd (A)
29/05 [Wed] - Conference League Final

 

[DannyNZ]

What is champ lge level. Don’t tell me Dortmund. They are not a top team but in the semis. Worst Bayern team in memory, still going.
In reality the level of top teams in Europe is nothing to be frightened of. If Arsenal had had some courage they would have got through. City are the outstanding team but nothing is certain with penalties .
Last season we got through the group stage despite being poor. Only just beat by Milan who got to the semis.
If we finish fourth we are in it and will give it a go. Bored with this we are not good enough for CL Stuff Finish 4th and go from there.

Our record against City, Pool and Arsenal this season doesn’t indicate we’d be out of our depth in CL. We’ve footed it with these teams this season and we’ll be stronger next season.

 

[easley91]

You're right its not 100% Europa. We could be in the conference league!!!

That's the spirit..

 

[Westmorlandspur]

Villa	Spurs
21/04 [Sun] - Bournemouth (H)
27/04 [Sat] - Chelsea (H)	28/04 [Sun] - Arsenal (H)
02/05 [Thu] - Olympiacos (H)	02/05 [Thu] - Chelsea (A)
05/05 [Sun] - Brighton (A)	05/05 [Sun] - Liverpool (A)
09/05 [Thu] - Olympiacos (A)	11/05 [Sat] - Burnley (H)
13/05 [Mon] - Liverpool (H)	14/05 [Tue] - Man City (H)
19/05 [Sun] - Palace (A)	19/05 [Sun] - Sheff Utd (A)
29/05 [Wed] - Conference League Final

The above table is wrong. England can get 5 more pts max. Villa win both legs of semi plus extra pt for getting to the final. Nothing extra for winning the trophy.
If we get 5 pts that takes us to 144pts . With 8 teams the average is 18.
Germany average at present is 17.928. They have 7 teams. One more point takes them over 18 average.
Basically it’s done.

 

[Saoirse]

The above table is wrong. England can get 5 more pts max. Villa win both legs of semi plus extra pt for getting to the final. Nothing extra for winning the trophy.
If we get 5 pts that takes us to 144pts . With 8 teams the average is 18.
Germany average at present is 17.928. They have 7 teams. One more point takes them over 18 average.
Basically it’s done.

Nope. There aren't any bonus points for winning the final, but you still get the 2 points for winning the match as normal.

 

[Nayim60yards]

It was never something in our control so I don't really give a toss about all the co-efficient stuff. We will finish where we deserve to based on our efforts across the whole season. No sob stories, we need to turn up mentally and physically for the run-in starting with the NLD a week on Sunday.

 

[jurgen]

The cycles of football are funny. Based on last year who would predict that the Premier League teams would do so poorly.

After all, the PL gave us the Champions of Europe, lead by a generational manager, playing football from another planet, and you’d surely have backed them to win everything for another year and keep our league coefficients sky high.

And City also won the champions league.

 

[Westmorlandspur]

Nope. There aren't any bonus points for winning the final, but you still get the 2 points for winning the match as normal.

My mistake . Germans prob just need a couple if wins now.

 

[Doctor Dinkey]

Who says we're 100% in Europa? The season isn't over and we can catch/overtake Villa.

We could also end up sixth- unlikely, but if we lose the 4 difficult games and draw against Sheffield United, then Newcastle might overhaul us. Were Chelsea to win the FA Cup that would put us in the conference league.

 

[easley91]

We could also end up sixth- unlikely, but if we lose the 4 difficult games and draw against Sheffield United, then Newcastle might overhaul us. Were Chelsea to win the FA Cup that would put us in the conference league.

So again it isn't 100% either way then like some are suggesting..

 

[tevezito]

Tbh this random 5th place would feel like a back door entry to the CL, I’d rather we finish 4th and deserve to be in the CL

And there was me thinking that was the best way in? @freeeki ?