Nobody cares about the trophy itself, it's the CL place that it brings.
You can't really scoff at it since City and Liverpool fans were desperate for CL football this time last week. It's an easier route to the same goal
If we win the Europa league
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You can't really scoff at it since City and Liverpool fans were desperate for CL football this time last week. It's an easier route to the same goal
I wanted us to go on and win it when we got dumped out of the CL under Fergie and was quite annoyed when we were eliminated by Bilbao. If you're in a competition then you want your team to win it, simple as. I enjoy every trophy we win, whatever its significance.
The OT crowd will be up for it, I'm sure. It's a circumstantially big game for us, and the fans know they can lift the team to the final. I definitely expect periods of nervousness, but overall one of the better atmospheres this season (although wouldn't take much!).
I'm not desperate for anything but for what it's worth I hope United do make CL. It is of no benefit to City to have United playing easier games in the EL.
They choked? Yeah it's very hard to given any credit to ManUtd. It's really hard.
We played well and deserve credit, but they simply didn't turn up to the races. They can play far better than they showed. Dismissing them as a pub team as someone declared is absurd.
Before winning the EL ensured qualification for the CL, I'd agree with you. It was a mickey mouse competition which just meant disruption to an already difficult domestic league season. Now, it's a really big deal, particularly with us not being in the top 4.
To be honest, even if we were comfortably in the top 4, it'd still mean a lot to me. It's an actual trophy, and it's not easy to win. In fact, due to the scheduling, it's physically more taxing than playing in the CL.
I remember the Cup Winner's Cup final beating Barcelona in the final and beating a bunch of crap teams before then. That felt great too, even though we are Manchester United. That was an even smaller European trophy than the Europa league is now.
Then you have recentish EL winners who went on in subsequent years to be a major force in the CL (e.g. Mourinho's Porto, Atletico Madrid) and you realise winning this trophy could even be a hint of future more major successes. I'll be gutted if we don't win it.
Agreed, we shut them down well and Aspas resorted to throwing himself to the ground every chance he had and crying to the referee.
They are not a pub team, they are very good team but they didn't choke or bottled it. ManUtd played the game that don't suit them, they can't press high or make runs behind the defense because we set up the game to counter that.
Exactly. We made them look lot worse than they are. They are a good team and dangerous if defense line is higher or try to play from the back.
That's not really proper 'context' though, is it? More accurately, none of the biggest clubs want to be in it, as it would indicate they have fallen short in the league.
In the 'context' of them actually being in it though, I'm sure they would all want and expect to win.
Well I disagree, they choked at home which is understandable given the occasion and the importance of the match that got built up by their manager and media. It happens.
How did they choke? If they created numerous chances and somehow failed to finish then you can tell they choked, if they were nervous and made silly mistakes then you can say they choked, if they were overwhelming favorites but somehow failed to win then you can tell they choked.
Your point is "they are a good team but didn't win at home" so they choked which is weird. They are good team but not better than ManUtd. On their day they can destroy teams with their counter attacks, it's good that we didn't let them do that.
They simply didn't play to their ability. In part that was because of our tactics, but it was also because (you obviously disagree) the occasion got to them. They looked a bit rusty as well which is understandable given how much they've been resting their players which is probably a mistake in hindsight.
Didn't press very well in the middle of the park, defended pretty badly (Alvarez who is normally a bit shit, played very well and kept them in the tie) and they made bad decisions at times in the final third when they're normally a bit more decisive. Could simply be they peaked in the first third of the season, but they certainly weren't playing at that level against us.
Fat lot of good qualify for the CL ever does for you guys anyway!? My hunch is that we'll win it (again) before City manage it.
They pressed in the midfield, did you miss how Pogba just shrugged them off and made them look like boys?
The excuses you are using can be used against any team when they win a game, so it's just meaningless excuses.
What OTHER English teams are still in Europe I asked you.......
.....sound of howling wind, mournful bell ringing in distance.
.....sound of howling wind, mournful bell ringing in distance.
To be fair it was seriously competitive last year. Liverpool had to beat us and Dortmund and were still beaten in the final by Sevilla.
Speak for yourself.
I care a lot about the trophy. If we're in a competition, we should win it. Every time.
It`s not mental. We were the only team that took that stupid league cup seriously, even Liverpool got to the semis with their almost U21 team, and the quality in Europa League this year is so low we didn`t have any other choice, we have to win this. For the real quality and level of the team you always have to look at the league`s table. It was a bad season, it will still be a bad season when we win the cup, but with a kind of positive perspective for the next season.
That's one of the most stupidest posts I've seen in a long time! We've never won this trophy before and nobody cares??
You're wrong, completely wrong. I would be completely gutted if we lost it now. Yeah we could get a CL place and end up back in the Europa League next season.
It's a good trophy to win, we haven't won it till date. It's not like Manutd got dumped from CL to Europa to make it worse, we started our season in Europa so it's a good cup to win. Route to CL makes it even more attractive though.
So you're telling me that if you lot got dumped out of the CL and into the EL, you wouldn't want to win it?? I don't believe that for one minute.
You're just as deluded as your fellow Berties on Bluemoon!
Nobody gives a feck about it, it's only worth winning due to the the CL benefit from winning the thing.
If there were no such benefit then the team we played v Arsenal would have been the EL team and our first 11 would have gone all out v Burnley, Swansea and Arsenal. As we should. Pogba and Mata wouldn't have been eased a back in as slowly while Bailly and Valencia wouldn't have touched a blade of grass in Europe when they were overplayed as much.
Look at those threads at the start of the season. The EL was meant to give our squad players and youngsters games. There were posts after posts criticising Jose for playing Pogba etc in the group stages.
Circumstances has put more emphasis on winning the EL rather than wanting to win it on it's own merits.
There's a reason why the CL carrott was added to the stick after all.
If there was no CL incentive I would rather win a corner v Arsenal than the meaninless EL by itself
Has anyone mentioned it would be blessing in disguise yet?
A few people have already claimed they have, I'm another who does. It's a European trophy, a trophy we've never won.
Or really painfull and emberassing..
Let's do away with the meaningless EFL and FA Cups while we're at it. Ridiculous! Why don't you go and support Arsenal! Rather than saying nobody gives a feck about it, just speak for yourself.
Nobody of importance
Of course everybody wants to win it now, we need to.
I remember most of this forum claimed it was a blessing when we finished 7th and avoided the whole thing, people still say we threw the last few games just to make sure
Speak for yourself, I care a great deal that we win this trophy and all Reds I know feel the same way. Let’s face it we have not had that much success in Europe for a club of our stature and to add the only trophy not present in the trophy cabinet is a big deal.
I remember how good it felt to win the Cup Winners in 91 and I’m would love to experience that again with the Europa. If I’m honest I was more nervous watching the Celta Vigo game than the Arsenal one yesterday.
Rubbish. The trophy would be brilliant. Although I think if you didn't get CL with it we'd we wanting us to play kids in the Europa League. But still, the trophy would put us back on map in Europe as far as I'm concerned.
I want this trophy, mean so much for the manager, club and fans
I want us to win the Europa League so we do not have to play in the Europa League next season.
When we get through.
With all due reapect, Celta de Vigo is not coming here to beat us at Old Trafford. The EL is the only play our boys have now. They will not lose that game.
I think it's a good thing that Ibra is out. The final would be over-special if he were in it, instead of as much 'just another game' as possible. Plus, Rashford's pace against the Dutch presumed high line would be more effective. Blessing in disguise, ya ask me.
I said before our current team is more of a " Cup team " than a " league one ". We had excellent away record and we don't lose at him. Perfect for any cup competition but terrible for league, so I have no worries regarding EL.
The final with Ajax will be interesting. Ajax is a young team just like Monaco who play and score for fun, against a team who will play with open defense they'll find themselves and slaughter them as what Monaco did to City but against a team more mature tactically, they won't have that much freedom imo as what Juve did to Monaco.
They'll come to us in the final pressing a lot but Jose is for sure more mature tactically in cups finals than the entire Ajax team and I'm sure he'll deal with the final very well.
We just need to decide on a starting XI for the final and wrap it in cotton wool after Celta game and till the final, complete the rest of the league with bench+U23 players.
The final with Ajax will be interesting. Ajax is a young team just like Monaco who play and score for fun, against a team who will play with open defense they'll find themselves and slaughter them as what Monaco did to City but against a team more mature tactically, they won't have that much freedom imo as what Juve did to Monaco.
They'll come to us in the final pressing a lot but Jose is for sure more mature tactically in cups finals than the entire Ajax team and I'm sure he'll deal with the final very well.
We just need to decide on a starting XI for the final and wrap it in cotton wool after Celta game and till the final, complete the rest of the league with bench+U23 players.
Choked or not, we outplayed them. Give the boys credit for that. And I am pretty confident they will be beaten again at OT.
It's a trophy. A European trophy at that, and our European results were never the greatest.(Cup winning years aside).
Think it's more than winning a trophy, it also instills a winning mentality on a European stage for the team.
That sort of experience is priceless.
Think it's more than winning a trophy, it also instills a winning mentality on a European stage for the team.
That sort of experience is priceless.
Why can't we say we win because we were better ? why when we win it's always because the opposite team wasn't up to it ? what if our performance were the reason they couldn't play with their original pace ? why we as fans have no confidence at all that our team can play some good matches ?