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

[KTChampions]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

In my opinion underdog vs favorite is not something anyone wants to see. But sometimes it can be surprising if the underdog performs well.

Something like the 'Bayern Munich vs Salzburg's 1st leg match.

But most of the time it seems to be boring. So I would also prefer to see high-profile rivalries.

In fact, such matches are good, but only if the underdog wins (like Mourinho with Porto in the Champions League), otherwise it's really boring. It's hard to expect big wins from Rangers until the final when Borussia Dortmund at their best can beat any team and put on a great performance. Plus, I want Haaland to continue his performance in European competition this season.

[DanWalker]

I was actually quite shocked by the performance of Dortmund in this match because I expected them to win the match. And here we have a 4-2 scoreline with Dortmund losing. I think that they were good enough in the offense but the defense was really questionable. I do hope that they show a better performance in the second leg. And their defending needs to be improved ASAP.

Dortmund is literally falling apart. The reason they are still second in the Bundesliga is because the other teams are also relatively weak, like Leverkusen who lost against Mainz today. Without Haaland Dortmund really seems to be lost.
Regarding Barcelona, that is what I expected. A lot of people here believed that Barcelona is doing better again and will beat Napoli, but no. The second game in Napoli will be extremely hard with Italian fans backing the team. I think this was it for Barcelona.

Dortmund would have been rather low in the table if there were better teams in the Bundesliga. But the 2 main competitors are Bayern Munich and Dortmund. And Dortmund is also at a lot lower level than Bayern Munich.
And I think in the 2nd leg Barcelona will try their hardest. I know it would be really hard for them to win.

-

The defeat at home to Rangers was indeed very bad, especially since Rangers managed to score 4 goals. This should be a concern for
Dortmund's defense which played very poorly in that match. I also hope that in the second leg Dortmund can improve their very fragile defense,
because if the front line is productive but not accompanied by a solid back line performance, it will be difficult for Dortmund to win the game.
But Dortmund are also too dependent on Erling Haaland, I noticed every time Dortmund played without Haaland the performance was not so good.
Hopefully Haaland can play again soon, because there are quite a lot of important matches that must be played by Dortmund. Not only in
the second leg of the Europa League Dortmund must win, but Dortmund also must not lose points in Bundesliga matches to be able to catch up
with Bayern's points.

We all can see which way Dortmund are shaping to be right now. And I wonder when in the future Erling Haaland is not going to be there what will happen to this team.
Right now they seem to be absolutely nothing without Erling Haaland. And to be honest I know no this might offend some Dortmund fans but Erling Haaland deserves a better team. I know that a team cannot win without having good attackers to score goals but scoring goals are ultimately going to mean nothing if you cannot stop the opponent from scoring.

[Jackl87]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

The sad truth is though that Dortmund is not really playing that well this season. They managed to score quite a lot of points in the german Bundesliga but to be honest i watched most of those games and they could have easily 2 or even 3 losses more in this season already but they were pretty lucky a few times in the league. Then in the Champions League they had a very easy group in my opinion with Ajax, Sporting and Besiktas where they should have achieved a first place in my opinion but still they did not even managed to advance into the play off stage of the Champions League and now it even looks like they are being kicked out of the Europa League too. They really need a big change in their squad in my opinion. To be a waiting place for talented players before they are joining tier 1 european clubs is just not working for Dortmund.

[joker_josue]

So, did anyone watch the Sheriff match? That was another upset, so these guys are by now getting used to being the giant killers (hey Braga is no one to scoff at right?). Did they actually play well?

I didn't see the game, but Braga this season hasn't been at its best. But of course it's not just any team, they've already won the Europa League.

Now the Sheriff this season has been surpassing all expectations, and I think they end up surprising their opponents, who are not expecting so much quality. They can only be congratulated for the excellent season they are having!

[judas]

Dortmund are making me nervous now. Because I was expecting a very comfortable matchup against Rangers. But they lost even their home game by an absurd score like 4-2. This was really insane. Rangers have boosted their morale a lot after this one for sure. So this means that Dortmund could have a really big difficulty in eliminating their opponent from now on. I saw Dortmund as one of the title contenders but they are not even close to it now.    But if they give their best in Scotland and advance to the next round, then I can start thinking more positive about them.

[alpamar99]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

Dortmund is a pretty big name but if it shows a game like the first leg yesterday it will be very good for the rangers who qualify for the next stage.
3 minutes two goals in the first half is certainly not something good for Dortmund when playing at home.
Now their aggregate is 2 points although it is still possible to be overtaken but now they will play away and of course the rangers have the upper hand now

[kro55]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

Dortmund is a pretty big name but if it shows a game like the first leg yesterday it will be very good for the rangers who qualify for the next stage.
3 minutes two goals in the first half is certainly not something good for Dortmund when playing at home.
Now their aggregate is 2 points although it is still possible to be overtaken but now they will play away and of course the rangers have the upper hand now

Dortmund lost 4-2. I don't think they will win the next away match by 2 goals. Because the goal of the rangers will be to draw the match and not allow the players of Dortmund to score a goal. I think the Rangers players in the second leg will be able to do it well. Because their squad is not weak. There are many talented players in their squad.

[bekti3]

The draw lasted until the end of the match even though this was quite good but in this match they only focused on defense and this I think is quite bad if they do the same thing in the 2nd leg later. Barcelona's performance is slowly getting better, their Tiki taka is also starting to look back at this time and this is sure to be difficult for Napoli. When the 3 new Barcelona strikers play well then I think for Leg 2 it will be very dangerous for Napoli even if it is at their home

The fact that the match will take place at Napoli at home, I would highlight first of all. On the other hand, after the cancellation of the advantage of away goals, Napoli has no other official factors of advantage over Barcelona and the confrontation will start from scratch. However, Barcelona is slowly starting to gain momentum and delight its fans with the results, and Napoli no longer looks as clear a favorite as it looked a month or two ago. Therefore, the fate of the match can be decided by nuances, such as who will be the first to open the score in the match and what strategy Barcelona will choose, strictly defensive like Real Madrid in the match with Paris Saint-Germain or attacking like Liverpool in the match with Inter.

interesting to follow indeed, I quite agree if I say that Napoli are now not the seed, their performance is quite different compared to the beginning of the season.
Personally, I still feel that Barcelona will still be a team that will advance to the next round now because with current performances, Napoli will also definitely implement the same strategy, namely by defending and doing quick counter attacks.
Xavi must now stem that if they are to secure a ticket apart from attacking they are also trying to keep Napoli's attackers moving in midfield.

[BitcoinAccepted]

Napoli has become an excellent starting position for the return in Naples in 2 weeks against Barcelona. Playing 1-1 in Barcelona is just fine, and now finish the job at home. They have to watch out for underestimation, it is also not the case that you win from Barcelona with 4-0. Still have class players. Napoli have the home advantage and I think they are a bit better at home. Better mindset too. Then Barcelona would already be empty-handed, after the elimination in the CL that is a drama.

[DU18]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

Dortmund is a pretty big name but if it shows a game like the first leg yesterday it will be very good for the rangers who qualify for the next stage.
3 minutes two goals in the first half is certainly not something good for Dortmund when playing at home.
Now their aggregate is 2 points although it is still possible to be overtaken but now they will play away and of course the rangers have the upper hand now

Dortmund lost 4-2. I don't think they will win the next away match by 2 goals. Because the goal of the rangers will be to draw the match and not allow the players of Dortmund to score a goal. I think the Rangers players in the second leg will be able to do it well. Because their squad is not weak. There are many talented players in their squad.

Two goal is not enough to make Dortmund pass to next stage because 1st leg Dortmund loss from Ranger 2-4 and exactly need three goal by Dortmund keep long journey with UEFA Europa League. I don't see will have chance for Dortmund success make three goal on 2nd leg because Ranger will play as home and they will most focus with defensive game play, most likely Ranger will play defensive because loss under score 1 goal still possibility for Ranger can qualify to next round.

[hahay]

Napoli has become an excellent starting position for the return in Naples in 2 weeks against Barcelona. Playing 1-1 in Barcelona is just fine, and now finish the job at home. They have to watch out for underestimation, it is also not the case that you win from Barcelona with 4-0. Still have class players. Napoli have the home advantage and I think they are a bit better at home. Better mindset too. Then Barcelona would already be empty-handed, after the elimination in the CL that is a drama.

I admit Napoli played well yesterday at Camp Nou and I'm also one of those who disagree with the goal for Barcelona that came from a penalty kick after seeing VAR, but that doesn't mean Barcelona will lose hope in the second leg. For me, these two teams still have a chance to qualify because their gameplay is very balanced so yes, playing at home in the 2nd leg for Napoli for me is still not a guarantee for Napoli to qualify easily.

[Velvet78]

Barcelona are still a promising team for the next round even though they drew with Napoli by 1-1 in Camp Nou. Because they were really unlucky in the first leg. Barcelona dominated the game most of the time and they were so close to scoring the goal to get ahead. But especially Torres couldn't benefit from those golden opportunities which resulted in a score like this. Napoli must be very contented with this one after playing not very effective. But they shouldn't be so comfortable already now. Because Barcelona still have the potential in themselves to eliminate them.

[KTChampions]

With all due respect to the Rangers, it will be a pity if they go further and not Borussia. Still, Borussia is a pretty big name for the Europa League and I would like to see their confrontation with Sevilla, Napoli, Atalanta, etc. I want to see high-profile rivalries and not constant "underdog vs favorite" right up to the very final games, even if the underdogs sometimes win.

The sad truth is though that Dortmund is not really playing that well this season. They managed to score quite a lot of points in the german Bundesliga but to be honest i watched most of those games and they could have easily 2 or even 3 losses more in this season already but they were pretty lucky a few times in the league. Then in the Champions League they had a very easy group in my opinion with Ajax, Sporting and Besiktas where they should have achieved a first place in my opinion but still they did not even managed to advance into the play off stage of the Champions League and now it even looks like they are being kicked out of the Europa League too. They really need a big change in their squad in my opinion. To be a waiting place for talented players before they are joining tier 1 european clubs is just not working for Dortmund.

Their whole strategy is based on attack, so such disastrous matches are inevitable. Often there is such a team whose defense they cannot break but at the same time they concede goals or another option when Dortmund's attack is not very successful and the opposing team is lucky and failures result. This is the cost of their strategy. To become more stable, they need to be as strong as Liverpool for example or give up the emphasis on attack.

Dortmund is a pretty big name but if it shows a game like the first leg yesterday it will be very good for the rangers who qualify for the next stage.
3 minutes two goals in the first half is certainly not something good for Dortmund when playing at home.
Now their aggregate is 2 points although it is still possible to be overtaken but now they will play away and of course the rangers have the upper hand now

Two goals advantage is not such a big difference if you take into account the difference in the class of teams. If Haaland plays then I'm almost sure that Borussia Dortmund will be able to correct the result of the first leg.

[Minor Miner]

Barcelona are still a promising team for the next round even though they drew with Napoli by 1-1 in Camp Nou. Because they were really unlucky in the first leg. Barcelona dominated the game most of the time and they were so close to scoring the goal to get ahead. But especially Torres couldn't benefit from those golden opportunities which resulted in a score like this. Napoli must be very contented with this one after playing not very effective. But they shouldn't be so comfortable already now. Because Barcelona still have the potential in themselves to eliminate them.

With the help of young and new players, Barcelona is now a strong team. And behind it all is Xavi's mastermind. He is a great coach. In a very short time he has stabilized a broken team. The Barcelona forward is strong enough now. However, midfield and defense are somewhat irregular. Hopefully Xavi will solve this problem from a great distance. If they can strengthen the defense, Barcelona will be able to beat Napoli in the second leg.

[alegotardo]

Barcelona are still a promising team for the next round even though they drew with Napoli by 1-1 in Camp Nou. Because they were really unlucky in the first leg. Barcelona dominated the game most of the time and they were so close to scoring the goal to get ahead. But especially Torres couldn't benefit from those golden opportunities which resulted in a score like this. Napoli must be very contented with this one after playing not very effective. But they shouldn't be so comfortable already now. Because Barcelona still have the potential in themselves to eliminate them.

It was a tense game indeed.... Barcelona had the ball at their feet the whole time and were much more offensive than their opponent but he had a hard time getting past Napoli's defense.
The Spaniard was the one who tied the game from a penalty kick, it's true, but he could have left the Camp Nou as a great hero if they hadn't lost three goals. In the first throw, he was unbalanced, ok! but in the other two opportunities, he was facing the goal, in a good position and, even so, he sent it out .... it was ridiculous !!!

[Daniel91]

Barcelona are still a promising team for the next round even though they drew with Napoli by 1-1 in Camp Nou. Because they were really unlucky in the first leg. Barcelona dominated the game most of the time and they were so close to scoring the goal to get ahead. But especially Torres couldn't benefit from those golden opportunities which resulted in a score like this. Napoli must be very contented with this one after playing not very effective. But they shouldn't be so comfortable already now. Because Barcelona still have the potential in themselves to eliminate them.

With the help of young and new players, Barcelona is now a strong team. And behind it all is Xavi's mastermind. He is a great coach. In a very short time he has stabilized a broken team. The Barcelona forward is strong enough now. However, midfield and defense are somewhat irregular. Hopefully Xavi will solve this problem from a great distance. If they can strengthen the defense, Barcelona will be able to beat Napoli in the second leg.

Xavi really stabilized Barcelona's game in a short time and raised it to a higher level.
The real results of his work will be seen only next season and that is why this match with Napoli came too early for them.
Barcelona still have chances against Napoli but realistically Napoli is closer to moving on to the next stage of the competition.
Barcelona have started this season very badly, and doubt and unrest have crept in among the players, and because of that the players are not yet showing everything they can and know.

[DU18]

Barcelona are still a promising team for the next round even though they drew with Napoli by 1-1 in Camp Nou. Because they were really unlucky in the first leg. Barcelona dominated the game most of the time and they were so close to scoring the goal to get ahead. But especially Torres couldn't benefit from those golden opportunities which resulted in a score like this. Napoli must be very contented with this one after playing not very effective. But they shouldn't be so comfortable already now. Because Barcelona still have the potential in themselves to eliminate them.

It was a tense game indeed.... Barcelona had the ball at their feet the whole time and were much more offensive than their opponent but he had a hard time getting past Napoli's defense.
The Spaniard was the one who tied the game from a penalty kick, it's true, but he could have left the Camp Nou as a great hero if they hadn't lost three goals. In the first throw, he was unbalanced, ok! but in the other two opportunities, he was facing the goal, in a good position and, even so, he sent it out .... it was ridiculous !!!

Have different atmosphere between Camp Nou or San Paolo stadium and I think Barcelona still memorize when against with Serie A team on UEFA competition, ever get come back by AS Roma on last round of Champion League I think will be something to motivate Napoli to give same result for Barcelona on 2nd leg, I think looks not easy because Barcelona have focus on two competition right now between La Liga where they are still out from Champion league qualify position standing and they need how to win on 2nd leg UEFA Europe League.

[CryptoBuds]

With the help of young and new players, Barcelona is now a strong team. And behind it all is Xavi's mastermind. He is a great coach. In a very short time he has stabilized a broken team. The Barcelona forward is strong enough now. However, midfield and defense are somewhat irregular. Hopefully Xavi will solve this problem from a great distance. If they can strengthen the defense, Barcelona will be able to beat Napoli in the second leg.

Xavi really stabilized Barcelona's game in a short time and raised it to a higher level.
The real results of his work will be seen only next season and that is why this match with Napoli came too early for them.
Barcelona still have chances against Napoli but realistically Napoli is closer to moving on to the next stage of the competition.
Barcelona have started this season very badly, and doubt and unrest have crept in among the players, and because of that the players are not yet showing everything they can and know.

^ I think in the second leg Napoli has a better chance of winning against Barcelona and advancing to the next stage. As Barcelona is playing in away conditions in the second leg I think they might not be able to do very good in that match.

I think Barcelona really lost their chance to take a lead in the home match against Napoli. And it would be really surprising to see Barcelona win the second leg against Napoli. I think Barcelona should concentrate on winning this match but if they can't they should concentrate on achieving the 4th spot in La Liga.

[bekti3]

^ I think in the second leg Napoli has a better chance of winning against Barcelona and advancing to the next stage. As Barcelona is playing in away conditions in the second leg I think they might not be able to do very good in that match.

I think Barcelona really lost their chance to take a lead in the home match against Napoli. And it would be really surprising to see Barcelona win the second leg against Napoli. I think Barcelona should concentrate on winning this match but if they can't they should concentrate on achieving the 4th spot in La Liga.

There is no guarantee even if they play at home.
Napoli will certainly use the same method of waiting for Barcelona's wave of attacks and trying to take advantage of counter attacks.
I think it's good but it will be very monotonous and will be the same as in the first leg. They will keep a lot of players in defense and try to maximize the quick counter-attack.
On the other hand, currently Barcelona are getting more and more solid, I think with the current performance the possibility of Napoli is very small

[MCVXYZ]

With the help of young and new players, Barcelona is now a strong team. And behind it all is Xavi's mastermind. He is a great coach. In a very short time he has stabilized a broken team. The Barcelona forward is strong enough now. However, midfield and defense are somewhat irregular. Hopefully Xavi will solve this problem from a great distance. If they can strengthen the defense, Barcelona will be able to beat Napoli in the second leg.

Xavi really stabilized Barcelona's game in a short time and raised it to a higher level.
The real results of his work will be seen only next season and that is why this match with Napoli came too early for them.
Barcelona still have chances against Napoli but realistically Napoli is closer to moving on to the next stage of the competition.
Barcelona have started this season very badly, and doubt and unrest have crept in among the players, and because of that the players are not yet showing everything they can and know.

^ I think in the second leg Napoli has a better chance of winning against Barcelona and advancing to the next stage. As Barcelona is playing in away conditions in the second leg I think they might not be able to do very good in that match.

I think Barcelona really lost their chance to take a lead in the home match against Napoli. And it would be really surprising to see Barcelona win the second leg against Napoli. I think Barcelona should concentrate on winning this match but if they can't they should concentrate on achieving the 4th spot in La Liga.

That's because Napoli's game was better planned and their defensive tactics were very clever too. Look at Barca, they are missing something and have a lot of job to do, otherwise Napoli will use chances to score more and more goals. anyway, I think Napoli will beat Barca because they are in a better shape, despite the stats of 1leg.