European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

[Top Flight]

Celtic were bl**dy awful last night.

They have no quality in their side. They're not equipped for champions league football. They will just get humiliated.

[Sanguine]

Agreed on the CL, but I do rather think Dembele is going to enjoy league defences.

[AthleticoSpizz]

It's alright, Celtic will dish out the hammering on their own turf in the return leg.

Right?

good luck tonight Celtic

[double d]

5 each on red imps to win and qualify

[AthleticoSpizz]

Wonder what size the crowd will be?

If the whole of Gibraltar turned up to watch, it would still only half-fill the ground tonight.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Imps 0-3 down at HT

Just two goals in the second half and they are through.

[Stranded]

Michael Hector sent off on his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt as they struggle past 3rd Division Magdeburg in the 1st round of the German FA Cup.

Only one realy shock so far as Sportfreunde Lotte (3rd Division) beat Weder Bremen 2-1.

And a few stuffings handed out by Bundesliga clubs with Koeln winning 7-0, as did Darmstadt. Hoffenheim hit 6 and Bayern 5.

Dortmund start tonight against Eintracht Trier.

[Winston Smith]

Argie season kicks off tonight. There has been loads of changes in recent years to play with the format and see if it makes it better, as well as moving it around date wise as they have been aiming to get it aligned to the European seasons for a while.

2 years ago they promoted 10 teams from the 2nd division to make the top division 30 teams. The season was then made up of everyone playing each other once (luck of the draw over whoyou played at home or away) and then you had a special 30th game which was against your local rival played at the reverse ground to wherever it has already been played.

that was much criticised but then they found they were stuck wit 30 teams in the top division and couldn't find a fair way to kick 10 out again. So last year they kept it 30 teams but split that into 2 leagues of 15, proper home and away games against everyone in your zonal league then, as they loved it so much, they kept the additional derby match. The winners of each zonal league then play each other in a one off match at a neutral ground and the winner is the overall winner. Lanus were the winners last season

I believe they have gone back to one big 30 team league this season with everyone playing each other once.

[Sanguine]

Don't know much about the league - but I remember it being a goldmine on Championship Manager 01/02; with enough transfer budget it was straight to Argentina for Aimar, Riquelme, Peralta and Saviola.

[Winston Smith]

only ever played one edition of Championship Manager which was, I think 99/00. It was all about Martin Palermo. Break the bank for him if you must, just make sure you get him as he scored outrageous amounts of goals.

[Stranded]

Champions League changing from 2018-19.

Top 4 leagues will be guaranteed 4 clubs in the group stage. So Spain, Germany, England and Italy will have 4 teams guaranteed assuming today's co-efficient ranking. Thats half the group stage from just four countries.

[Winston Smith]

Big gap on the coefficient points between Italy in 4th and France in 5th too so very likely to stay as it is

Just noticed that France, Russia & Portugal are extremely close on points in 5, 6th & 7th. not sure how much of a diff that makes to CL or EL but could easily see those places swapped around each season they are so close

[Sanguine]

Champions League changing from 2018-19.

Top 4 leagues will be guaranteed 4 clubs in the group stage. So Spain, Germany, England and Italy will have 4 teams guaranteed assuming today's co-efficient ranking. Thats half the group stage from just four countries.

Essentially guarantees those 16 places forever, given the gap to France in 5th in the UEFA coefficient. PSG would probably have to win it 3 times on the bounce to change anything.

In practice what this change means is that the 3rd place team from Italy (currently ranked 4th) and the 4th placed teams from England, Germany and Spain, will no longer have to enter the play-off round (as City just did). Italy will also get an additional place in the CL, and that team will also automatically enter the group stage. So that's 5 extra automatic entrants.

To accommodate the changes, they will either have to reduce the number of other automatic spots - probably those going to the 2nd placed finishers in France and Portugal, or reduce qualifiers from the playoff round. Given Dundalk and Young Boys made the final playoff round, I can't see this changing much by the time group stage is reached.

[Sanguine]

Big gap on the coefficient points between Italy in 4th and France in 5th too so very likely to stay as it is

Just noticed that France, Russia & Portugal are extremely close on points in 5, 6th & 7th. not sure how much of a diff that makes to CL or EL but could easily see those places swapped around each season they are so close

Everyone gets 3 Europa League places - but in the CL, 7th ranked gets 2 places, whereas 5th and 6th gets 3.

As above, PSG might be the key there.

[Stranded]

Big gap on the coefficient points between Italy in 4th and France in 5th too so very likely to stay as it is

Just noticed that France, Russia & Portugal are extremely close on points in 5, 6th & 7th. not sure how much of a diff that makes to CL or EL but could easily see those places swapped around each season they are so close

Everyone gets 3 Europa League places - but in the CL, 7th ranked gets 2 places, whereas 5th and 6th gets 3.

As above, PSG might be the key there.

So assuming that remains unchanged France & Russia will get 2 auto entrants to the group stage. So that's 20 teams from those 6 leagues alone plus the Europa League winners getting auto entry. So Portugal may get 1 auto spot/

UEFA say they are keeping the Champions and non-champions qualifying route which currently gives 10 teams, and probably will in the future.

Potentially could see a wider mix of qualifiers as in the non-champions route there won't be any teams from the 4 top leagues in there.

[double d]

Or they increase the number of teams or groups. I always think it would be nice to have a proper champion league with literally just champions

[Winston Smith]

I always think it would be nice to have a proper champion league with literally just champions

very much this ^

[Sanguine]

I always think it would be nice to have a proper champion league with literally just champions

very much this ^

How it used to be.
People like Kesmond have complained that the likes of Liverpool 'only' had to beat relatively poor sides to reach the latter stages of the competition. And that point has merit really. In a champions cup Chelsea, say, could get to the semi-finals and play no-one better than Benfica.

And, money.

[double d]

Not to discredit any team that does (recall Liverpool doing it when they won v AC Milan on penalties) but they finished 4th the season before and won it. A pure Champions League with like the top 16 Champions would be Epic, 2 to 5th or whatever from the leagues could play another tourny.

[Stranded]

Or they increase the number of teams or groups. I always think it would be nice to have a proper champion league with literally just champions

Would be great but never going to happen. Even if they cut it to 16 teams and the Champions of the 16 strongest leagues qualified, it would be even more lopsided than now. Line up this year would be:

Bayern
Barca
Leicester
Juventus
PSG
CSKA Moscow
Benfica
Dynamo Kiev
Club Brugge
Besiktas
Viktoria Pilzen
Basle
Dinamo Zagreb
Olympiacos
PSV
Astra Giurgiu

Actually looking at that list, it could be a lot more fun. Sod it have an open knock round of 32 first, no seeding. Be great if Barca v Bayern was a qualifier.