Champions League is back, Play-off for it, a SOL Acronym etc
Few months ago I left a comment on another blog asking fellow Gooners to choose between either
Arsenal get knocked out by Porto and win the Premiership
OR
Arsenal finish 5th and win the Champions League
Votes were casted in equal amounts for both from the few that responded. Winning the Premiership would be sweet considering how we were ridiculed pre season in the prediction stakes. On the other hand, winning the champions league would be just as impressive for obvious reasons.
Saying that, if the proposal to introduce a play-off for the 4th Champions league spot was implemented, 5th could be just as good as 4th. Even though the team in 4th could have been some 15 points ahead of the next team. Yeah but isn’t the play off system working in the lower leagues? It does but I’m sure if there was the choice, most managers would rather see the top 3 get promoted straightaway without any hassles.
I was little surprised when I read that Everton’s David Moyes felt the play off proposal was “unfair”. A change in system would greatly benefit his team. Or would it? When Everton finished 4th few seasons ago they still didn’t make the Champions League proper and didn’t even have the consolation of the Europa league as they do now. Should you go back further, Moyes’ Preston lost to Bolton in 2001 in the play-off final. At least if you win these play offs you have a guaranteed set of fixtures whereas if the system was introduced to bring competition in the EPL, it might do the opposite and stagnate the quality. A team that finishes in 7th place could quite easily get knocked by an organised lower ranked team in the Champions League qualifiers and this could happen time after time.
Great thinking by the Premier League.
Back to the current edition of the Champions League and I put myself to watch United somehow sneak another win, this time at Milan. I say “sneak” because although Milan weren’t as clinical and looked sluggish for large parts of the game, Utd weren’t that good themselves. A sign of a good team is when they win despite not being at their best. A sign of a good team is also when they enjoy more than their fair share of luck. From what I saw, Utd were extremely fortunate that Milan didn’t tie their shoelaces properly today.
Porto will be a lot more formidable than Milan. They got their act together and nearly sent Utd out of the CL last year. Only the thunderous shot from Ronaldo saved Utd and this year Chelsea struggled twice to beat them. We’re missing Almunia Gallas, Song, Arshavin, Eduardo as well as Van Persie. That is pretty much half the spine of the first team. We might just need to tweak our strategy a little. When a team is missing a core like that, we can’t expect them to go out trying to blast the opposition from start to finish.
A cagey Arsenal makes for nervous viewing because we’ve rarely shut out the opposition. The most recent result against Liverpool should help however. We beat them twice without being too awesome. Good defending, good defending and bam score on the break. Back to 2003-ish style of play. It can be done.
SOL acronym
With Gallas not being fit enough to play, Arsene has suggested Campbell could get his first start in the Champions League since his goal for us in Paris. The other day I accidently found that SOL stood for Shout Out Loud, particularly applicable sometimes when communication is needed. Today I looked at a list of acronyms to see if it could be bettered. Top of the list, SOL – Sadly Outta Luck. Which could explain why our players are forever drifting towards the treatment room. Or on a positive note it could stand for Solution, which isn’t really an acronym but fitting as Sol Campbell might be the defensive rock we need in Portugal.
The Champions League is back and guess what? We’re in it to win it. And while we’re watching our boys battle to go through just spare a though for the Spurs fans who will be watching Eastenders.
if we win the cl wouldn’t we be certain to be entered in a qualifier round for the cl regardless of what position we come in (as happened with liverpool a few years back)?
it would be ridiculous after all if the CHAMPIONS of the biggest competition in world club football didn’t get at LEAST a qualifier chance to enter the cl and play against all those teams who finished not even champions of shit leagues.
as has been suggested elsewhere, i think winning the fa cup should take the guaranteed cl spot which 3rd place currently takes and 3rd has to play a qualifier.
it would certainly give everyone a reason to take the fa cup seriously and reignite that passion some teams (especially arsenal) have lost for it.
and if the winner of the fa cup has finished high enough in the league to already be qualified without it, then the other finalist gets the place. if the other finalist has already got a place then 4th place in the league gets a qualifier. can you imagine arsenal fielding a weakened team in the fa cup next year if they knew they may need to win it to qualify next year? every team would have to fight tooth and nail for their spot.