2024/2025 International Club Football Thread

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Has there ever been a Europa final with 2 teams so low in their respective leagues?
El Crapico is amazing.

Well, one of those two teams is going to win a major European trophy this year. How about you guys? Enjoy!

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Slava

Well, one of those two teams is going to win a major European trophy this year. How about you guys? Enjoy!

You haven't won anything yet; dont get cocky too soon!
I won't lose any sleep over United winning another trophy.

[devo22]

I'm not going to get cocky or laugh at Arsenal fans even if United manage to win the EL. Doesn't change the fact that it has been a pathetic season and the club is miles from where it should be, and the odd trophy here or there won't change that. Arsenal has a better squad, is playing better football and is way more competitive than United. And with Gyokeres and Zubimendi probably coming in, that won't change anytime soon.

If United win the EL, it's more relief than anything else. It certainly wouldn't be a reason to laugh at other teams. Lots and lots of work ahead for United either way.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

You haven't won anything yet; dont get cocky too soon!
I won't lose any sleep over United winning another trophy.

I’m not cocky at all. We’ve beaten United three times this year and if anything that makes me more concerned. But it’s hilarious to me that you (and a lot of others, to be fair) are taking shots at this being such a terrible final, a back door to CL, and an easy ride. I have no doubt that if Spurs finished 4th and weren’t in the finals the comments would be “top four isn’t a trophy and you haven’t won anything”.

The truth is, winning Europa is a big trophy. The league position is basically irrelevant. Tottenham has had 20 games with their full back four this year, and in those 20 were 15 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. So sure…the league form was brutal, but there’s an obvious explanation there.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Slava

I’m not cocky at all. We’ve beaten United three times this year and if anything that makes me more concerned. But it’s hilarious to me that you (and a lot of others, to be fair) are taking shots at this being such a terrible final, a back door to CL, and an easy ride. I have no doubt that if Spurs finished 4th and weren’t in the finals the comments would be “top four isn’t a trophy and you haven’t won anything”.

The truth is, winning Europa is a big trophy. The league position is basically irrelevant. Tottenham has had 20 games with their full back four this year, and in those 20 were 15 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. So sure…the league form was brutal, but there’s an obvious explanation there.

I didn't say any of those things.
Just a genuine question as it is a little crazy to see 2 teams struggling so much in the table in the final of a major European trophy (and El Crapico is just funny).

FWIW, I give both team credit for getting there, don't believe it's an easy ride to a final and don't really care about the Champions League qualifying part.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Slava, your problem with the "back door" comment is that you assume it has a negative connotation. I already said it's not an illegitimate way in, it is absolutely a valid qualification method. But you've effectively admitted it is the back door way by continuing to point out the atrocious performance in the remainder of the season, "doesn't matter". And it makes it for fun for both teams cause now this season is either a big stepping stone in rebuilding, or the most humiliating season in modern club history.

And yeah, banging on this being the trash final isn't anything other than pointing out two teams who both have won below 50% of their games this season are playing for a trophy. But I'm optimistic the crappiness will breed a very fun Final. Or it'll be a 120 minute torture chamber. We'll find out in a few weeks.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Both lose 2-0 today; both into the bottom 5 of the league.
It certainly is an even match up.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Slava, your problem with the "back door" comment is that you assume it has a negative connotation. I already said it's not an illegitimate way in, it is absolutely a valid qualification method. But you've effectively admitted it is the back door way by continuing to point out the atrocious performance in the remainder of the season, "doesn't matter". And it makes it for fun for both teams cause now this season is either a big stepping stone in rebuilding, or the most humiliating season in modern club history.

And yeah, banging on this being the trash final isn't anything other than pointing out two teams who both have won below 50% of their games this season are playing for a trophy. But I'm optimistic the crappiness will breed a very fun Final. Or it'll be a 120 minute torture chamber. We'll find out in a few weeks.

That’s because the back door comments are entirely a negative connotation. It’s entirely to give the impression that one of these teams is going to be in CL next season and they don’t deserve it.

[Senator Clay Davis]

They don't deserve it lol. But to quote Clint Eastwood and Snoop from the Wire, "deserve got nothing to do with it". You will have earned it, and that's all that matters.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Kulusevski out for Spurs, will miss the final.

[devo22]

pretty epic collapse by Ajax in the Eredivisie. With 5 games to go, they were 9 points ahead of PSV ... then they drew against Sparta Rotterdam at home, lost 4-0 at Utrecht, lost 3-0 at home against Nijmegen. Today only 2-2 at Groningen, after conceding deep in injury time. Now PSV has taken the lead, with only one game to go.

[GirlySports]

Hard to believe.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1922395803999461839

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

pretty epic collapse by Ajax in the Eredivisie. With 5 games to go, they were 9 points ahead of PSV ... then they drew against Sparta Rotterdam at home, lost 4-0 at Utrecht, lost 3-0 at home against Nijmegen. Today only 2-2 at Groningen, after conceding deep in injury time. Now PSV has taken the lead, with only one game to go.

Wow. I just read an article about it...they really bottled it. I mean, thats a pretty epic collapse.

[devo22]

pretty cool to see Red Bull falling apart, both in Germany and Austria. In Germany, RB Leipzig finished 7th and will therefore not play in Europe for the first time in 8 years. They have no permanent manager at the moment (Zsolt Löw took over after they fired Marco Rose, but they will look elsewhere for a long-term replacement) and could face a major squad overhaul this summer ... the likes of Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko will probably leave the club.


And in Austria, three clubs are still in the mix for the championship with one game to go ... but RB Salzburg isn't among them, as they are only in 4th place. After 10 straight titles, they won't win silverware for the second season in a row, and they face similar problems like their sister club. They fired Pep Lijnders (Klopps assistant in Liverpool) at Christmas, but his successor Thomas Letsch hasn't been much better. The squad is a mess, and while they could still finish 2nd and go to the CL qualification round, a 4th place finish would mean Conference League. Abysmal for a club that has more resources than the rest of the league combined ... but their work has been shambolic ever since sporting director Christoph Freund left for Bayern Munich in summer 2023. It's been nothing downhill since then.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

pretty cool to see Red Bull falling apart, both in Germany and Austria. In Germany, RB Leipzig finished 7th and will therefore not play in Europe for the first time in 8 years. They have no permanent manager at the moment (Zsolt Löw took over after they fired Marco Rose, but they will look elsewhere for a long-term replacement) and could face a major squad overhaul this summer ... the likes of Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko will probably leave the club.

And in Austria, three clubs are still in the mix for the championship with one game to go ... but RB Salzburg isn't among them, as they are only in 4th place. After 10 straight titles, they won't win silverware for the second season in a row, and they face similar problems like their sister club. They fired Pep Lijnders (Klopps assistant in Liverpool) at Christmas, but his successor Thomas Letsch hasn't been much better. The squad is a mess, and while they could still finish 2nd and go to the CL qualification round, a 4th place finish would mean Conference League. Abysmal for a club that has more resources than the rest of the league combined ... but their work has been shambolic ever since sporting director Christoph Freund left for Bayern Munich in summer 2023. It's been nothing downhill since then.

Your hate for Red Bull is one of my favourite things.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Locke

Your hate for Red Bull is one of my favourite things.

nah, hate is too strong of a word. I reserve that for a specific set of clubs

there's a lot of people in Germany who really hate them. I just dislike the construct as a whole, with a feeder club right at my doorstep, that's all. I could live with it if they had shown the commitment to really challenge Bayern and knock them off their porch for a change, but they were happy to just spend their way into a top 4 position and make the CL.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

nah, hate is too strong of a word. I reserve that for a specific set of clubs

there's a lot of people in Germany who really hate them. I just dislike the construct as a whole, with a feeder club right at my doorstep, that's all. I could live with it if they had shown the commitment to really challenge Bayern and knock them off their porch for a change, but they were happy to just spend their way into a top 4 position and make the CL.

I can understand that. Its different as hockey fans because our teams have feeder clubs in a lower division, but thats not how it works in football.

We'll see how Red Bull do in the future now.