Race for top 4 | Finito.

Care_de_Bobo said:
No, they literally made that rule up when Liverpool won the 2005 CL but didn't even manage to finish top 4 in their own league. Would have been embarrassing for them not to have the holders in it the following season.
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To be absolutely precise: up until that point if the Champions League winner didn't qualify for next year's competition via their league finish, it was left up to the domestic league to decide which team they want to nominate. For example, Real Madrid finished 5th in La Liga in 2000 but won the Champions League and La Liga fecked fourth placed Real Zaragoza without a moment's hesitation.

In 2005, the Premier League didn't want to screw over Everton so Liverpool would have been out but for a massive campaign that saw UEFA relent and allow Liverpool to start in the first qualifying round. Technically they weren't counted as an English club that season, hence getting drawn in the same group as Chelsea. At the same time, UEFA clarified the rule: the CL winner always qualifies for the competition but if they come from an association that already has 4 CL places, that association won't get a 5th slot even if the CL winner doesn't finish in the top 4. Thus if Spurs had finished fourth in 2006 but Arsenal won the CL (neither happened obviously but bear with me), Spurs would have been fecked.

This got changed a few years ago and now the top leagues can have a maximum of five participants. Now the only way the 4th placed team in the Premier League can miss out is if both the Champions League and the Europa League is won by a Premier League club that finishes outside the top 4. Which theoretically could have happened, for example, in 16/17 where Arsenal were really close to a CL win while we won the Europa League. And by really close I mean they shipped ten in two games against Bayern in the round of 16.
 
Maybe I'm a debbie downer , but finishing fourth and celebrating just feels wrong to me.
 
It's in the bag, if we can't get 1 point from 2 home games, we don't deserve to be in the top 4.
 
We should be aiming for 3rd. But watching our neutered attack led by our 80 mil wing wonders of Antony and Sancho is churning.
 
Eric_the_Red99 said:
Obviously we should do, especially as both games are at home, where we’ve been very good. But say we lose against Chelsea - something well within the bounds of possibility - I would be extremely nervous about the Fulham game. We’ve got a team of mental midgets, who crumble under the slightest pressure.
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We lost 1 game at home in the league this season. And it's opening game. We don't look like crumbling at home if we're talking about getting 1 point
 
Siorac said:
To be absolutely precise: up until that point if the Champions League winner didn't qualify for next year's competition via their league finish, it was left up to the domestic league to decide which team they want to nominate. For example, Real Madrid finished 5th in La Liga in 2000 but won the Champions League and La Liga fecked fourth placed Real Zaragoza without a moment's hesitation.

In 2005, the Premier League didn't want to screw over Everton so Liverpool would have been out but for a massive campaign that saw UEFA relent and allow Liverpool to start in the first qualifying round. Technically they weren't counted as an English club that season, hence getting drawn in the same group as Chelsea. At the same time, UEFA clarified the rule: the CL winner always qualifies for the competition but if they come from an association that already has 4 CL places, that association won't get a 5th slot even if the CL winner doesn't finish in the top 4. Thus if Spurs had finished fourth in 2006 but Arsenal won the CL (neither happened obviously but bear with me), Spurs would have been fecked.

This got changed a few years ago and now the top leagues can have a maximum of five participants. Now the only way the 4th placed team in the Premier League can miss out is if both the Champions League and the Europa League is won by a Premier League club that finishes outside the top 4. Which theoretically could have happened, for example, in 16/17 where Arsenal were really close to a CL win while we won the Europa League. And by really close I mean they shipped ten in two games against Bayern in the round of 16.
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Unnecessary context, I feel.:)
 
Stop stop stop. If we are not able to get 1 point from two home games against two teams who have nothing to play for, then we have anyway nothing to do in Champions League no matter how many new players we buy.
 
Drifter said:
Maybe I'm a debbie downer , but finishing fourth and celebrating just feels wrong to me.
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After our start to the season to finish in CL is a great achievement. Also fecking over pool who will be hurt financially by no CL is fecking great.
 
The Dane said:
Stop stop stop. If we are not able to get 1 point from two home games against two teams who have nothing to play for, then we have anyway nothing to do in Champions League no matter how many new players we buy.
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I stopped reading at the first word. I’m really curious to know what you said.
 
It’s really something that Spurs could be looking at a potential 9th place finish, behind the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Villa. Imagine predicting that at the start of the season.
 
A top four finish will be progress. It's not worth celebrating but should certainly be acknowledged.
 
Cloud7 said:
It’s really something that Spurs could be looking at a potential 9th place finish, behind the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Villa. Imagine predicting that at the start of the season.
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How Kane still plays for them is a fecking joke. Why on earth did he sign that last contract?
 
Siorac said:
To be absolutely precise: up until that point if the Champions League winner didn't qualify for next year's competition via their league finish, it was left up to the domestic league to decide which team they want to nominate. For example, Real Madrid finished 5th in La Liga in 2000 but won the Champions League and La Liga fecked fourth placed Real Zaragoza without a moment's hesitation.

In 2005, the Premier League didn't want to screw over Everton so Liverpool would have been out but for a massive campaign that saw UEFA relent and allow Liverpool to start in the first qualifying round. Technically they weren't counted as an English club that season, hence getting drawn in the same group as Chelsea. At the same time, UEFA clarified the rule: the CL winner always qualifies for the competition but if they come from an association that already has 4 CL places, that association won't get a 5th slot even if the CL winner doesn't finish in the top 4. Thus if Spurs had finished fourth in 2006 but Arsenal won the CL (neither happened obviously but bear with me), Spurs would have been fecked.

This got changed a few years ago and now the top leagues can have a maximum of five participants. Now the only way the 4th placed team in the Premier League can miss out is if both the Champions League and the Europa League is won by a Premier League club that finishes outside the top 4. Which theoretically could have happened, for example, in 16/17 where Arsenal were really close to a CL win while we won the Europa League. And by really close I mean they shipped ten in two games against Bayern in the round of 16.
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:lol:
You couldn't resist sticking a boot in..
 
Cloud7 said:
It’s really something that Spurs could be looking at a potential 9th place finish, behind the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Villa. Imagine predicting that at the start of the season.
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Even after the start, they had their best start in ages and we're still one of the favourites when Conte was sacked
 
Makes me sick watching Liverpool like. Didn’t have a clear chance and one mistake and they score. Not to mention 10 mins added on time hahaha must have got a World Cup referee in just incase.

But anyway, fight for top 4 is pretty much buried now but interesting to see who gets third.
 
Eric_the_Red99 said:
Obviously we should do, especially as both games are at home, where we’ve been very good. But say we lose against Chelsea - something well within the bounds of possibility - I would be extremely nervous about the Fulham game. We’ve got a team of mental midgets, who crumble under the slightest pressure.
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Mental midgets? I wouldn't go that far. There was pressure on today, but we got it over the line. Give the players some credit.
 
Liverpool are amazingly wonderful and extremely good, you can’t count them out. They could easily get 6-7 more points in the remaining 1 game.
 
Chief123 said:
I stopped reading at the first word. I’m really curious to know what you said.
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I probably should have quoted the post who said that the race for top 4 was far from over, but that is what I was referring to. It is over, or if not then there is something seriously wrong which cannot be solved by just buying more players. That is what I meant.
 
Drifter said:
Maybe I'm a debbie downer , but finishing fourth and celebrating just feels wrong to me.
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It means progress. It means ETH can bring in any player he wants, within budget. It's a big step in the right direction.
 
As I said we should be good from here. Shame Liverpool got the equaliser but if you told us they'd draw today and we would win then we'd have taken it so happy days.
 
laughtersassassin said:
As I said we should be good from here. Shame Liverpool got the equaliser but if you told us they'd draw today and we would win then we'd have taken it so happy days.
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Yeah, can't complain about Liverpool result even if they scored towards the end, them drawing is still brilliant result.
 
I feel we have it now. Chelsea are awful so we should get a point at least.

I say go full strenght vs Chelsea and rest tired key players like Casemiro, Bruno and Rashford final day if they need to rest and we have secured top 4.
 
Where’s all the wet wipes that said we were going to bottle top 4 to Liverpool like it was factual?
 
We draw against Chelsea twice a year. It will be a good result for us and their best result this season, its done.
 
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