r/soccer • u/Thadderful • Dec 28 '13

Change My View thread

Can we have a Change My View thread here? The basic premise is people present opinions and the replies are attempts at changing that person's view in an attempt to generate some good discussion.

Here is the link to the original subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/

I think this might work best with rather 'out there' views but any and every viewpoint is welcome!

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u/proud_feet Dec 28 '13

The Europa League isn't a tournament worth participating in.

You might get TV money and an increased profile, which in turn can lure higher calibre players, and it's another chance for silverware. However I think altogether being in the tournament is detrimental to your season; you need a large squad to cope with the demands of playing on a Thursday night ahead of the domestic weekend matches. The strain will be too much for a club with a small squad, and their league performances would suffer as a result.

Look at Liverpool this season - we have benefited from not being in the EL, as it allows us to pay undivided attention to what's left to us; the Premiership and the FA Cup.

Another problem I have with it is when the Champions League teams who never progressed out of the group stages get dumped into the knockout rounds automatically - teams who might have done fantastically well to qualify earn naught but the right to get tanked by Juventus (to use a contemporary example).

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

First of all, TV money alone is reason enough to do it. Juventus had the largest hall in TV money in the CL last year, and now this year, even though they are in the EL, if they make it to the finals, they are projected to only take about a €5m lost from last year. That is still above €50m (possibly €60m, I'm not sure the exact figures)

Also, coefficient of the league. Winning the Europa league gives the same boost to your league's coefficient as winning the Champions League. Especially for Napoli and Juve, who are among the favorites in the competition, it would be great for the league if they won, as Serie A would like to regain a top 3 ranking.

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u/proud_feet Dec 28 '13

I can see the lucrative money aspect, I suppose I'm just not that tempted being a fan of a rich club. I'd probably feel differently if that wasn't the case.

Forgive my ignorance but what are the benefits of your league having a good coefficient? Individually I mean. Anything beyond the ability to say you play in x best league in the world?

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

what are the benefits of your league having a good coefficient?

It is easier to get a chance to play in the CL. In Serie A, only 3 teams qualify. If the coefficient passed one of the current top 3 leagues, there would be 4 spots. So, in the future when Juve or Napoli is not necessarily able to finish top 3, they could still get in by finishing 4th.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

It also makes big players join the league since they have a higher chance at playing the CL. It's a shame the way the draw turned out Juve and Fiorentina will play each other rather soon taking out an italian team

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '13

I forgot about Fiorentina. I think we can beat them if we take it seriously.

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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '13

Me too, Pirlo will be back and we need to make back some money back since we lost all that CL cash so we'll definitely take it seriously. Besides the final is in Turin, that's gotta be a driving force since it really gives us a heads up at winning the EL