⚽UEFA Europa League Discussion Thread -- 2021/22 Winners: Eintracht Frankfurt!

[KingsDen]

Well,  Koeman is only partly to blame for this Barcelona side. We have to accept the fact that Leo Messi was a huge solution to this Barca side's puzzle. He was holding this team together and was creating every chance for them to score. Maybe the players got very demotivated after Messi left, unfortunately.

Last season, they did not thank Koeman for what he did. This season, they put Koeman in a chaotic summer and gave him a departure of Messi at the very end of pre-season training.

Now, they blame all bad results on Koeman. Is it fair if you are observer? I don't see how to call it as fair treatment of Barcelona for Koeman.

You got the point. Even in a financially stable club, the vacuum created by the departure of a big fish like Messi needs enough time to be healed. Koeman needed sometimes to experiment and change strategies but such time was not there for him. I think he's run out of ideas, coupled with the absence of some players. Now that Aguero, Dembele and others will join Memphis, let's see if there would be a positive vibe. Any further defeat will be disastrous to the well being of the club.

[baeva]

Well,  Koeman is only partly to blame for this Barcelona side. We have to accept the fact that Leo Messi was a huge solution to this Barca side's puzzle. He was holding this team together and was creating every chance for them to score. Maybe the players got very demotivated after Messi left, unfortunately.

Last season, they did not thank Koeman for what he did. This season, they put Koeman in a chaotic summer and gave him a departure of Messi at the very end of pre-season training.

Now, they blame all bad results on Koeman. Is it fair if you are observer? I don't see how to call it as fair treatment of Barcelona for Koeman.

You got the point. Even in a financially stable club, the vacuum created by the departure of a big fish like Messi needs enough time to be healed. Koeman needed sometimes to experiment and change strategies but such time was not there for him. I think he's run out of ideas, coupled with the absence of some players. Now that Aguero, Dembele and others will join Memphis, let's see if there would be a positive vibe. Any further defeat will be disastrous to the well being of the club.

It would be disastrous, not just for the club, but for Koeman himself and his position as head coach. He can say anything to the management, they need time to adapt, etc., but they will just ask him why he gets money in such a case, if he can not properly train the team... That's all, I think they will not soon start to get a normal form

[Turbolinea]

Not both of the Turkish teams have started really good to the tournament. Fenerbahce are having a really hard time beating their opponents. They drew with Frankfurt by 1-1 and lost to Olympiacos home by 3-0. They are not a bad team and they have a decent lineup too. But something is really not going good for them. On the other hand, Galatasaray had a great start by getting four points in two games. They beat Lazio and get a point from Marseille away. I wonder if they will be able to keep this up.

[BALIK]

Last season, they did not thank Koeman for what he did. This season, they put Koeman in a chaotic summer and gave him a departure of Messi at the very end of pre-season training.
Now, they blame all bad results on Koeman. Is it fair if you are observer? I don't see how to call it as fair treatment of Barcelona for Koeman.

You got the point. Even in a financially stable club, the vacuum created by the departure of a big fish like Messi needs enough time to be healed. Koeman needed sometimes to experiment and change strategies but such time was not there for him. I think he's run out of ideas, coupled with the absence of some players. Now that Aguero, Dembele and others will join Memphis, let's see if there would be a positive vibe. Any further defeat will be disastrous to the well being of the club.

I get that, Messi was an important part of Barcelona but even the coach plays an important role in motivating the players. The other day I saw the news that Pique said that even if they played for 3 hours, they wouldn't score a goal. What does his statement indicate? Lack of motivation. Yes, they have a weaker side, but they need to be motivated enough to play even average, which they are not and Koeman is partly to be blamed for that.

[davis196]

Why the hell are you discussing Barcelona in the Europa League thread?
Is Barcelona playing in the Europa League?They might get into the Europa League eliminations by finishing on 3th place in their group of the UEFA Champions League tournament,but that's still just a possibility.
I'm expecting some Spanish or Portuguese team to reach the finals of this years Europa League.
Maybe S.C. Braga will do it.They have do it before AFAIK.Clubs that might end up on 3th place in the Champions league groups like Sporting Lisbon,Porto and Benfica are even stronger than Braga.

[TheGreatPython]

Why the hell are you discussing Barcelona in the Europa League thread?
Is Barcelona playing in the Europa League?They might get into the Europa League eliminations by finishing on 3th place in their group of the UEFA Champions League tournament,but that's still just a possibility.
I'm expecting some Spanish or Portuguese team to reach the finals of this years Europa League.
Maybe S.C. Braga will do it.They have do it before AFAIK.Clubs that might end up on 3th place in the Champions league groups like Sporting Lisbon,Porto and Benfica are even stronger than Braga.

You are on spot we need to talk about Europa League here, and we have no Barcelona right now, even I am feeling this year they are going to be here after having some poor result from 2 early matches. Right now Braga is doing very good, and they can go in better situation in next round matches Galatasaray and Lazio are also teams to watch for next round and having good results.

Napoli was my favorite, but now they are not serious about this, so I am feeling they will be eliminated soon from here, and they will keep all eyes on Italian League. Porto and Sevilla are also strong contenders for having good spot in Europa League, as these teams are not suitable for Champions League.

[coderben]

The Europa League can be one of the really interesting tournaments among the international ones. Because every game is open for any kind of surprise all the time. For example, who would have said that Legia would get a win against Leicester? But they did this. So this tournament is like an opportunity for smaller clubs to achieve the best they can. This is fun and boring at the same time. Because I don't see the same competition level as the one in the Champions League.

[babo]

You are on spot we need to talk about Europa League here, and we have no Barcelona right now, even I am feeling this year they are going to be here after having some poor result from 2 early matches. Right now Braga is doing very good, and they can go in better situation in next round matches Galatasaray and Lazio are also teams to watch for next round and having good results.

Napoli was my favorite, but now they are not serious about this, so I am feeling they will be eliminated soon from here, and they will keep all eyes on Italian League. Porto and Sevilla are also strong contenders for having good spot in Europa League, as these teams are not suitable for Champions League.

strange that Napoli does not take this tournament seriously
it seems strange

regarding Lazio, yes, we must be careful because it is a treacherous team
it may seem like you can tame it, but it's ready to stab you in the back as soon as you turn around to celebrate your victory
honestly Lazio seems like that to me, a sleeping bear but if you wake up it will tear you apart

[DU18]

The Europa League can be one of the really interesting tournaments among the international ones. Because every game is open for any kind of surprise all the time. For example, who would have said that Legia would get a win against Leicester? But they did this. So this tournament is like an opportunity for smaller clubs to achieve the best they can. This is fun and boring at the same time. Because I don't see the same competition level as the one in the Champions League.

Usually the teams that play in the European leagues have a balanced strength, so this provides equal opportunities for all teams to be able to win the championship trophy, besides that in my opinion the European League is no less prestigious than the Champions League, although so far the European League competition is often considered the European continent second caste cup.
In addition, for the team that wins the European Cup, of course, they will have the opportunity to win the inter-club world cup later and what is certain is that the European League champion will certainly be an automatically get tickets to play in the Champions League next season.

[CLS63]

In the round 3, one of the interesting games seems like Lazio - Marseille.

Normally, these teams both are really good in their own leagues this season. But we can't see the same performance here in the Europa League from them. Lazio defeated Lokomotiv Moscow but were beaten by Galatasaray. Marseille got two draws against Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. As a result, these teams are at the 2nd and 3rd place in their group. The game between them could be very competitive. And it is an important advantage that Lazio are playing home. Marseille can have a very hard time getting even one point at the end. My favourite side is Lazio in this game.

[hahay]

The Europa League can be one of the really interesting tournaments among the international ones. Because every game is open for any kind of surprise all the time. For example, who would have said that Legia would get a win against Leicester? But they did this. So this tournament is like an opportunity for smaller clubs to achieve the best they can. This is fun and boring at the same time. Because I don't see the same competition level as the one in the Champions League.

Usually the teams that play in the European leagues have a balanced strength, so this provides equal opportunities for all teams to be able to win the championship trophy, besides that in my opinion the European League is no less prestigious than the Champions League, although so far the European League competition is often considered the European continent second caste cup.
In addition, for the team that wins the European Cup, of course, they will have the opportunity to win the inter-club world cup later and what is certain is that the European League champion will certainly be an automatically get tickets to play in the Champions League next season.

If you pay attention to UCL too, you will get a more terrible surprise there. Who thought Sheriff Tiraspol would win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu? I'm sure everyone will choose Madrid to bet whether it's ML, HT/FT, AH bets and many more. Well, I personally still think these two teams might be lucky enough to take advantage of the situation well, because next Legia will play away against Napoli and as we know, Napoli this season are looking very good in Serie A but not so good in this tournament. But with the previous results, of course these two teams will take advantage of each other's weaknesses in every line but I personally believe, both Legia in EL and Sheriff Tiraspol in UCL will end here and in the second leg later, if they can still be consistent then of course that no longer luck.

[KingsDen]

Why the hell are you discussing Barcelona in the Europa League thread?
Is Barcelona playing in the Europa League?They might get into the Europa League eliminations by finishing on 3th place in their group of the UEFA Champions League tournament,but that's still just a possibility.
I'm expecting some Spanish or Portuguese team to reach the finals of this years Europa League.
Maybe S.C. Braga will do it.They have do it before AFAIK.Clubs that might end up on 3th place in the Champions league groups like Sporting Lisbon,Porto and Benfica are even stronger than Braga.

Maybe we are discussing them in advance 
Seriously, the spirit of Europa is calling Barcelona.
One thing about discussing and predicting Europa is that, it sometimes appears boring. The League is like that of "birds of a feather ". Equal strength and strategy. Don't believe any team is exceptional. If clubs like Barcelona is eliminated from UCL, then I can be confident to predict the matches. For now I only predict on goals and not wins.

[DanWalker]

In the round 3, one of the interesting games seems like Lazio - Marseille.

Normally, these teams both are really good in their own leagues this season. But we can't see the same performance here in the Europa League from them. Lazio defeated Lokomotiv Moscow but were beaten by Galatasaray. Marseille got two draws against Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. As a result, these teams are at the 2nd and 3rd place in their group. The game between them could be very competitive. And it is an important advantage that Lazio are playing home. Marseille can have a very hard time getting even one point at the end. My favourite side is Lazio in this game.

This might be one of the matches that will set the tempo of Group E.
Lazio and Galatasaray both won a match each and Lazio drew the last 2 of their matches. So, this match will be very important for both teams. It seems like Galatasaray will qualify and maybe (my prediction) one of these 2 teams will qualify with them. Lazio is currently 6th in their league and I hope they will have an edge against Marseille.

[Kusman]

In the round 3, one of the interesting games seems like Lazio - Marseille.

Normally, these teams both are really good in their own leagues this season. But we can't see the same performance here in the Europa League from them. Lazio defeated Lokomotiv Moscow but were beaten by Galatasaray. Marseille got two draws against Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. As a result, these teams are at the 2nd and 3rd place in their group. The game between them could be very competitive. And it is an important advantage that Lazio are playing home. Marseille can have a very hard time getting even one point at the end. My favourite side is Lazio in this game.

This might be one of the matches that will set the tempo of Group E.
Lazio and Galatasaray both won a match each and Lazio drew the last 2 of their matches. So, this match will be very important for both teams. It seems like Galatasaray will qualify and maybe (my prediction) one of these 2 teams will qualify with them. Lazio is currently 6th in their league and I hope they will have an edge against Marseille.

Galatasaray's matches against Lokomotiv Moscow will be very crucial for determining even the first place. Galatasaray will try to fight for winning both of their matches against them as Lokomotiv Moscow are a weaker opponent for Galatasaray compared to Lazio and Marseille. If Galatasaray win both of these matches and Lazio - Marseille match ends in a draw, then Galatasaray will be the leader of the group at the end I think.

[Juggy777]

In the round 3, one of the interesting games seems like Lazio - Marseille.

Normally, these teams both are really good in their own leagues this season. But we can't see the same performance here in the Europa League from them. Lazio defeated Lokomotiv Moscow but were beaten by Galatasaray. Marseille got two draws against Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. As a result, these teams are at the 2nd and 3rd place in their group. The game between them could be very competitive. And it is an important advantage that Lazio are playing home. Marseille can have a very hard time getting even one point at the end. My favourite side is Lazio in this game.

This might be one of the matches that will set the tempo of Group E.
Lazio and Galatasaray both won a match each and Lazio drew the last 2 of their matches. So, this match will be very important for both teams. It seems like Galatasaray will qualify and maybe (my prediction) one of these 2 teams will qualify with them. Lazio is currently 6th in their league and I hope they will have an edgpe against Marseille.

Galatasaray's matches against Lokomotiv Moscow will be very crucial for determining even the first place. Galatasaray will try to fight for winning both of their matches against them as Lokomotiv Moscow are a weaker opponent for Galatasaray compared to Lazio and Marseille. If Galatasaray win both of these matches and Lazio - Marseille match ends in a draw, then Galatasaray will be the leader of the group at the end I think.

I personally believe that Lazio has the advantage, because of Sarri’s experience and I believe that will be the key in Lazio winning this match. Also I’m expecting them to score at least two goals, but do you’ll feel that they can score more than two goals too or only score one goal and win it?.

[minairia3]

The Europa League can be one of the really interesting tournaments among the international ones. Because every game is open for any kind of surprise all the time. For example, who would have said that Legia would get a win against Leicester? But they did this. So this tournament is like an opportunity for smaller clubs to achieve the best they can. This is fun and boring at the same time. Because I don't see the same competition level as the one in the Champions League.

Usually the teams that play in the European leagues have a balanced strength, so this provides equal opportunities for all teams to be able to win the championship trophy, besides that in my opinion the European League is no less prestigious than the Champions League, although so far the European League competition is often considered the European continent second caste cup.
In addition, for the team that wins the European Cup, of course, they will have the opportunity to win the inter-club world cup later and what is certain is that the European League champion will certainly be an automatically get tickets to play in the Champions League next season.

If you pay attention to UCL too, you will get a more terrible surprise there. Who thought Sheriff Tiraspol would win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu? I'm sure everyone will choose Madrid to bet whether it's ML, HT/FT, AH bets and many more. Well, I personally still think these two teams might be lucky enough to take advantage of the situation well, because next Legia will play away against Napoli and as we know, Napoli this season are looking very good in Serie A but not so good in this tournament. But with the previous results, of course these two teams will take advantage of each other's weaknesses in every line but I personally believe, both Legia in EL and Sheriff Tiraspol in UCL will end here and in the second leg later, if they can still be consistent then of course that no longer luck.

You know, this whole season has been full of surprises. And Europa League almost always has been the tournament of somewhat equal and balanced teams who have the same strength and ability to win the game, But I did not expect Leicester to lose that game. Although congrats to Legia for winning. And I agree with you that any team in the EUL can win the trophy, it's a good place for comparatively smaller teams to show the world that even they are capable.

[DU18]

The Europa League can be one of the really interesting tournaments among the international ones. Because every game is open for any kind of surprise all the time. For example, who would have said that Legia would get a win against Leicester? But they did this. So this tournament is like an opportunity for smaller clubs to achieve the best they can. This is fun and boring at the same time. Because I don't see the same competition level as the one in the Champions League.

Usually the teams that play in the European leagues have a balanced strength, so this provides equal opportunities for all teams to be able to win the championship trophy, besides that in my opinion the European League is no less prestigious than the Champions League, although so far the European League competition is often considered the European continent second caste cup.
In addition, for the team that wins the European Cup, of course, they will have the opportunity to win the inter-club world cup later and what is certain is that the European League champion will certainly be an automatically get tickets to play in the Champions League next season.

If you pay attention to UCL too, you will get a more terrible surprise there. Who thought Sheriff Tiraspol would win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu? I'm sure everyone will choose Madrid to bet whether it's ML, HT/FT, AH bets and many more. Well, I personally still think these two teams might be lucky enough to take advantage of the situation well, because next Legia will play away against Napoli and as we know, Napoli this season are looking very good in Serie A but not so good in this tournament. But with the previous results, of course these two teams will take advantage of each other's weaknesses in every line but I personally believe, both Legia in EL and Sheriff Tiraspol in UCL will end here and in the second leg later, if they can still be consistent then of course that no longer luck.

Yes, I also think that the sheriff victory in the champions league is just luck and I personally am not sure if they will be able to qualify for the next phase, but it looks like the european league will be an alternative for the sheriff to show the quality of their game later, while Napoli, with a schedule which is dense as it is now, I think their main focus is just to win the scudetto and of course with the current Napoli squad they have to be able to choose between the european league or the scudetto.

[joker_josue]

Yes, I also think that the sheriff victory in the champions league is just luck and I personally am not sure if they will be able to qualify for the next phase, but it looks like the european league will be an alternative for the sheriff to show the quality of their game later, while Napoli, with a schedule which is dense as it is now, I think their main focus is just to win the scudetto and of course with the current Napoli squad they have to be able to choose between the european league or the scudetto.

The point is that they are very well positioned to make it to the next stage. If they win or draw against Inter, they would have to lose the next 3 games to not pass. Based on their current standings, they only have to draw three out of the four games they have to play to be able to move forward. It would take them to start playing very poorly, to suddenly lose all the advantage they have. So I think we'll be surprised to see them in the next phase of the Champions League.

[alpamar99]

Yes, I also think that the sheriff victory in the champions league is just luck and I personally am not sure if they will be able to qualify for the next phase, but it looks like the european league will be an alternative for the sheriff to show the quality of their game later, while Napoli, with a schedule which is dense as it is now, I think their main focus is just to win the scudetto and of course with the current Napoli squad they have to be able to choose between the european league or the scudetto.

The point is that they are very well positioned to make it to the next stage. If they win or draw against Inter, they would have to lose the next 3 games to not pass. Based on their current standings, they only have to draw three out of the four games they have to play to be able to move forward. It would take them to start playing very poorly, to suddenly lose all the advantage they have. So I think we'll be surprised to see them in the next phase of the Champions League.

the sheriff is in good confidence right now, when talking about the start of the group I thought this team was just a complement, but they proved that they don't want to be labeled as extras in the group and it's proven, now they are top of the table above the big teams inter milan and madrid.
the possibility may still be open for them when they host Inter Milan later, if indeed they show their superiority like when they met Madrid it is not impossible for them to advance to the next round.
but on the other hand of course the two teams below will not stay silent, especially inter and madrid are subscriptions to qualify for the round of 16.

[baeva]

Yes, I also think that the sheriff victory in the champions league is just luck and I personally am not sure if they will be able to qualify for the next phase, but it looks like the european league will be an alternative for the sheriff to show the quality of their game later, while Napoli, with a schedule which is dense as it is now, I think their main focus is just to win the scudetto and of course with the current Napoli squad they have to be able to choose between the european league or the scudetto.

The point is that they are very well positioned to make it to the next stage. If they win or draw against Inter, they would have to lose the next 3 games to not pass. Based on their current standings, they only have to draw three out of the four games they have to play to be able to move forward. It would take them to start playing very poorly, to suddenly lose all the advantage they have. So I think we'll be surprised to see them in the next phase of the Champions League.

Even though the sheriff is surprising the world with its soccer this year, as maybe once Ajax (exaggerating, yes, but why not for the analogy), but I still think that they can not keep 3 draws in the next rounds at least, much less win. You know what this reminds me of? When you get psyched and you think you're unstoppable.