Our best chance of Champions League next year

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Absolutely pleased we're in the Europa League, instead of dropping out altogether. Hope we take it seriously; would love to win it. (For the pleasure of it, not so much for CL qualification)

I just wanted to put some hard evidence up against the tired old adage that the Europe League is now the best chance of getting into the Champsions League next season. It's a realistic route, but to me it's got to be harder than top 4. We've reached 4th or above 3 times in recent years, yet haven't won the UEFA cup since the early 80s, and haven't gone further than the quarter final in more recent times.
I know, it's just 9 matches vs. the rest of the season. But that's not how it works in practice.

Anyway, current best (shortest) odds from the people whose job it is to work this stuff out:

Top 4: 6/5 (or 1.2 to 1)
http://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/top-4-finish

Europa League winners: 15/2 (or 7.5 to 1)
Europa League Winner Betting Odds | Football

Would be good if people can keep adding updated odds as the matches go by.

Edit: just to be clear I'd much prefer we win the EL than focus on top 4.
 
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I would rather focus on winning Europa for the glory of winning something rather than for the CL carrot. I don't want to fall in to this trap of celebrating finishing in top 4 as a benchmark achievement like our neighbors down the road.

I understand CL has its importance for financial reasons and player recruitment etc.. but its a competition we ahve zero chance of winning. Don't get me wrong I want us to finish as high as we can in the league but I would much rather actually win something.
 
I would rather focus on winning Europa for the glory of winning something rather than for the CL carrot. I don't want to fall in to this trap of celebrating finishing in top 4 as a benchmark achievement like our neighbors down the road.

I understand CL has its importance for financial reasons and player recruitment etc.. but its a competition we ahve zero chance of winning. Don't get me wrong I want us to finish as high as we can in the league but I would much rather actually win something.
Add to this - another European trophy in our cabinet more than that lot down the road (let's face it, they won't be winning a European trophy any time soon) and they can shut up about finishing above us "every year". We are still the more successful club in European competition & another notch on that particular bedpost would be rather pleasant.
 
I find it amazing that people laughed out loud out loud out loud at Wenger saying 4th place was like a trophy, then put forward that exact same argument when it applies to us
 
Don't really like the EL format, it's far from the glory that was the UEFA Cup but it's a trophy and quite frankly I'd take finishing 8th for a FA cup or EL win.
 
Agree with all the above, I really dislike the narrative that has surrounded our taking part in the EL as purely a route to the CL.

I really don't care about that- the sight of our lads lining up at the final would be unforgettable, who cares if it's not the Champions League.
 
Now we have skipped the group stages, the EL for me got exciting.....Id rather win the EL than have another plucky CL run that ends in the quarters.

We can win it, if we make it a target, but that comes at a cost in the PL. Id be happy to take that chance, and as many others seem to feel now, the novelty of "top 4" is well and truely over and done with. I think Leicester kind of blew that wide open to be honest.....anything but winning the PL is not an achievement.

Who'd have laughed at us coming 3rd, or even 6th if we had won the EL too eh?
Its a good way into the CL, but I also think we are capable of a top 4 finish.

Saying that though Id happily come 5th and win just the FA Cup.
 
Now we have skipped the group stages, the EL for me got exciting.....Id rather win the EL than have another plucky CL run that ends in the quarters.

We can win it, if we make it a target, but that comes at a cost in the PL. Id be happy to take that chance, and as many others seem to feel now, the novelty of "top 4" is well and truely over and done with. I think Leicester kind of blew that wide open to be honest.....anything but winning the PL is not an achievement.

Who'd have laughed at us coming 3rd, or even 6th if we had won the EL too eh?
Its a good way into the CL, but I also think we are capable of a top 4 finish.

Saying that though Id happily come 5th and win just the FA Cup.

We haven't really prioritied cups much under Poch but considering the strength of our rivals I doubt we will put in any form of title challenge. Having the chavs wins the league will be more bareable with our own silverware.
 
Now we have skipped the group stages, the EL for me got exciting.....Id rather win the EL than have another plucky CL run that ends in the quarters.

We can win it, if we make it a target, but that comes at a cost in the PL. Id be happy to take that chance, and as many others seem to feel now, the novelty of "top 4" is well and truely over and done with. I think Leicester kind of blew that wide open to be honest.....anything but winning the PL is not an achievement.

Who'd have laughed at us coming 3rd, or even 6th if we had won the EL too eh?
Its a good way into the CL, but I also think we are capable of a top 4 finish.

Saying that though Id happily come 5th and win just the FA Cup.

Great post and I am genuinely pleased that a lot of our supporters feel the same way I do. After the Leverkusen match I was of course disappointed that we had been knocked out. However, as I sat and actually thought about it after the CSKA result I wasn't too bothered. Sure we could have gotten a glamour tie against Real or Bayern etc.., which would have been fun but our run would end there. The thought of having a real chance of winning Europa League is much more intriguing imo.
 
It would be nice to win a cup, but there is much less chance of us winning the Europa than getting top four.

- top four is exactly that, there are FOUR positions and all get CL. Compare that to the Europa League where you have to win and only one club does.
- to finish top four you can lose games, it's not a problem, but in a cup competition you cannot lose games/ties or you are out and that is it.
- clubs raise their game for cup competitions, whereas things are more relaxed and predictable in the league.
- luck (both in-game and who you are drawn to play) plays a much bigger role in cup competitions than the league which is played over many more games. We aren't the luckiest club out there, but even if we put aside that idea, luck is random and is far more likely to cost you in a cup competition than the league.

I personally think we have a great chance of getting top four if we can sort our shit out. This season we are playing weird and inconsistent so I am not sure what to expect.
 
- clubs raise their game for cup competitions, whereas things are more relaxed and predictable in the league.

Everyone except us! We send out kids and squad players and/or can't be bothered way too often.

I really hope we take Europa and the FA Cup seriously. We are now 10 points off Chelski, priorities need to be adjusted. If cup runs cost us some points in the league so be it
 
Now we have skipped the group stages, the EL for me got exciting.....Id rather win the EL than have another plucky CL run that ends in the quarters.

We can win it, if we make it a target, but that comes at a cost in the PL. Id be happy to take that chance, and as many others seem to feel now, the novelty of "top 4" is well and truely over and done with. I think Leicester kind of blew that wide open to be honest.....anything but winning the PL is not an achievement.

Who'd have laughed at us coming 3rd, or even 6th if we had won the EL too eh?
Its a good way into the CL, but I also think we are capable of a top 4 finish.

Saying that though Id happily come 5th and win just the FA Cup.
This is where Poch has to make a very serious decision. We know we haven't managed cups & the league too well with our squad & have ended up empty handed to finish in the top 4. Been there, done that. Maybe, just maybe, prioritising the cups (EL & FA) over the league would allow us to keep our strongest XI fit to give both a real good go, whilst allowing the squad players to get valuable game time in the league, perhaps playing more regularly as a group & with some of the more senior players playing a part.

Personally I wouldn't care if we finished 8th,9th or even 10th if we brought home a trophy or two this year because I would know that it was given a different priority. Our squad is neither strong enough or experienced enough to fight on all fronts when we consider injuries, fatigue & suspensions have & will play their part.

If we don't take the cups seriously, then I think it's a missed opportunity.
 
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