That's football. Sometimes you will have good luck and sometimes bad luck. Last season Bayern was quite lucky, this season not so much. There's always another season.
Agreed. Actually, Bayern looked like they were going to rampage right into the finals again earlier in the tournament.....ah...such is life. Can't have those guys get too happy anyway.
True, but it's another year until the business-end of the next CL season begins. However, if - and it's a big if! - Schalke advances to the semis, I'll get over Bayern's unlucky exit. Man, Bayern's really my Bundesliga foe next to Wolfsburg. I never thought I'd be this disheartened by a Bayern defeat... Didn't feel like that last year vs. Inter.
Well i think last year defeat was more heartbreaking as it cost bundesliga the additional CL spot for this year
It would have been an additional CL spot for next season (2011-2012), ie the 4th place finisher in the 2010-2011 Bundesliga Season would have qualified for the CL.
Forget the coefficiency...Hannover will play the CL because they have earned that right - good for them. If they make it, I'll be very happy for what they have accomplished - what ever happens, happens. That's like saying, "Don't date the prettiest girl in school because she'll dump you once the senior year is over..."
Seriously, it's not like they've earned it or anything like that Remember that everyone starts with 0 points, and they've got more so they earned it.
No doubt, that they well deserved to play in Europe. But when you are talking about Hannover, they are club with less money than other teams in Germany. They will be ranked 4 in Group stages, which is mean, maybe they will be in group included Chelsea and Real Madrid ! also they have Never experience to play in Europe ( it's will be no problem if they played in Europe League in past years). So, it's very risky for German football! while in Mainz, the important players are in loan ( Fuchs, Holtby) and Schürrle will leave in summer to leverkusen! But in Bayern and Hamburg.. more experience + much money + already fantastic squad + good ranking in group stages. That's it. But in all, Hannover and Mainz deserve to have the chance. But if it come to my wishes I'll prefer Bayern and Hamburg.
Don't worry. Unless Hannover overtake Leverkusen (what I doubt) they will start in the CL play-offs at best. They're bound to lose the play-offs so there is a slight possibility that in EL group phase they won't end dead last. However if they finish this season 4th or 5th they will start in EL qualification and probably won't even reach the group stage. Edit: Chelsea and Real can't be in the same group anyway, because both are in pot 1.
At the new point system this would be a catastrophe. The qualification to the CL group stage gives 4 bonus points, which equals 2 wins in the old 2 point system, that is applied for the ranking. So with the points in qualification (1 for win, 0.5 for draw) a club collect make easily in total close to 10 points even if it becomes last in the CL group stage. Why? Alemannia Aachen made it (as cup final participant) in 2004/05 into the group stage and survived the group. Hannover and Mainz have working teams and a lot more of potential.
Yes, but Aachen was seeded and you can't expect Hannover 96 to be a seeded team in the play-offs. It's possible of course.
Yes, it will. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method4/trank2011.html They're currently 8th in the team ranking and this probably won't change until the end of the season.
Yea, I think we can kiss catching Spain good bye. Not that it would've meant anything besides a little prestige. Hanging onto 3rd is all that matters. It looks like a rough year is brewing unless Schalke can pull a turnaround.... We could easily have a measly: - 1 EL team (Hannover, and they are not a lock at all but 50/50 to progress) - 3 CL teams (two of which will have bad seeds. I think Dortmund = 4th pot and Leverkusen = 3rd pot) Italy remains the threat despite them being ~11 points behind for 2012. Hard to foresee the Portugals/Frances/Russias making up the 15 - 20 points. On the plus side Italy is not looking great either. Palermo already out. Roma lost 1-0 today, so they *might* get bounced. Most likely they will still manage to have 3 EL teams (Lazio, Udinese, Roma) and 3 CL (AC, Inter, Napoli). Napoli will be in the 4th pot, i think for CL seeding.
Germany won't loose the 3rd spot this year either way, problem is letting Italy gain on Germany's lead which is pretty drastic. So far the start has been disastrous though. I would like Bayern to get either Milan or Napoli in the group stages, just to see how each match ends and it will be fun to get another Italy vs Germany battle. I don't know what to expect from either Leverkusen or Dortmund in CL, Leverkusen especially when they lead in German cup 3-0 and then went on to loose 4-3. If they do that there, than what can happen to them in Champions League?