Quote Originally Posted by Marat18 View Post
Another take from yesterday - apparently you can field reserve team and still win the match in Conference League semi-final stage.

As the things stand, it looks like PL teams will bully european sides in Europa and Conference Leagues for upcoming years.

Although, we might see the likes of Milan and Dortmund in it next season
Everything UEFA does to try and manipulate things English teams due to the share of wealth/revenue among the Prem teams are just too powerful.

Even a club like Brentford would win the Conference league. The level of teams the English clubs face in that competition are basically bottom of the table Championship top of league 1 teams. Shocking.

Europa League, now the 3rd place KO's from the UCL don't drop down, is a far less competitive competition. The over all level is far weaker and once again falls into the hands of the strong Prem teams. Teams finishing 6th - 8th this season are gonna be two of Villa, Forest, Chelsea.

Villa played UCL this season, Chelsea are former UCL winners, Forest are also a former Cup Winners Cup winner.

That's heritage to quote Mourinho.

This seasons semi finals is Bilbao, great club but not the powerhouse Basque force they used to be & Glimt, a club that 6 yrs ago was in the 2nd division of Norway's domestic leagues. That's the level we're talking about now that the UCL is expanded.

The Likes of Seville, Valencia, Napoli, Atalanta etc, all Europa League stalwarts are now UCL teams.

The new UCL format has mate the Europa League less relevant & diluted it's relevance.

It's a much easier competition to win these days. Should we compete in it I've no doubt we'd face another English team in the final and beat them.