Only now are these MORONS realizing that Europa league is a competition of pure trash. When I first brought this up on this forum 5 years ago i was ridiculed. BUT YOU'RE NOT LAUGHING NOW HEY PUNKS? This is undeniable proof that: 1. Don't ever question me 2. English language Italian soccer journalists are clowns 3. Europa league is garbage ---------------------------------------------------------- Poisoned Europa chalice The hunt for sixth place increasingly feels like a race nobody wants to win, and with good reason, argues Susy Campanale. If the last few rounds have taught us anything, it’s that the race for European qualification will go down to the wire. The Scudetto is sealed up, it’s an interesting fight for second and the automatic Champions League spot, while Crotone and Empoli are at least keeping things mildly intriguing in the drop zone. Having said that, the fight for sixth isn’t something any team should give 100 per cent. For all the talk of there being ‘five finals’ in the remaining rounds, the truth is that Milan, Inter and Fiorentina aren’t enthusiastic about the idea of entering Europe via the back door. As Juventus will be in the Champions League and Lazio in the Europa League anyway due to their Serie A positions, it means the Coppa Italia ticket to the continent will go to sixth place. Except it doesn’t. Winning the Coppa Italia would put you automatically into the Europa League group phase. Coming sixth means going through several preliminary rounds, starting the season in July and dealing with the inevitable fall-out of injuries later on in the season. Just look at Sassuolo. Beating Milan to Europe might’ve seemed like a prestigious achievement to be celebrated, but it ultimately proved to be nothing more than an albatross hanging over their campaign. Inter don’t really want to be in the Europa League and neither do Milan. The clubs are all too aware that this’ll mean extra tightening of their Financial Fair Play parameters and very little genuine revenue from the tournament. Starting the season that early would force the cancellation of lucrative pre-season friendly tours in Asia and America. It’s almost better for the ‘brand’ to focus entirely on Serie A, shatter the FFP ceiling temporarily and try to get into the Champions League than go through the humiliation of losing to Hapoel Be’er-Sheva amid squad rotation with players who would rather be somewhere else. We all know when club directors say, “the target is to get into Europe,” what they really mean is the Champions League group phase. That’s where the prestige and the money is. The Europa League is seen not only as scant consolation, but an actual hindrance. From next year, the top four in Serie A will enter the Champions League directly and that is what these fallen giants ought to be focusing on. So keep dropping points to Empoli, Crotone and Pescara. Take the insults now and regroup for a new season, where Inter and Fiorentina will have different Coaches, Milan a supposedly bigger budget and a target genuinely worth fighting for. http://www.football-italia.net/101572/poisoned-europa-chalice
From a competitive point of view I'd rather watch the EL. The teams often play with less restriction.