THE PRESTIGIOUS CUPS

We see clubs from many leagues taking UEFA Cup seriously. Recently we discussed how the Champions League is the most coveted cup followed by the domestic league title with the UEFA Cup coming third. It appears Italian clubs are not interested at all in the UEFA Cup.

Not long ago the Italian clubs fielded their strongest teams in this competition. This is not the case nowadays. Why the sudden change in approach towards the UEFA Cup by Italian clubs in the last couple of years?

not sure about the Italian clubs but for English clubs its only the 'OK' teams who take it completely serious and try to win it at all costs.

I'm sure the likes of Chelsea,Arsenal, United and Liverpool if they were involved wouldnt be overly fussed to win it nowdays

Luis wrote:not sure about the Italian clubs but for English clubs its only the 'OK' teams who take it completely serious and try to win it at all costs.

I'm sure the likes of Chelsea,Arsenal, United and Liverpool if they were involved wouldnt be overly fussed to win it nowdays

It would've been interesting to see how the Mancs played the UEFA Cup, but they couldn't manage a third place last season. It's obvious from what we see that for the Italian clubs it's only Champions League and Scudetto, and that's across the board be it "big" club or "small" club.

I have it all sussed out.

They should play the UEFA cup as a qualification tournament for the CL. It would be done in regional groups so you wouldn't be traveling to unknown teams from far away.

This UEFA cup group stage would run from September to December.
Then from February to May you play the CL group stages.
From September to December you would then play the knock out rounds of the CL.
You would have two marked transfer periods in which you can change your teams (January and summer).

No more knocking about with actually winning the UEFA cup. it will just be a qualification tournament with something like 6 or 8 groups of 4 teams trying to gain access to the 32 team CL.
It also makes more sense then to send the 3rd place CL group teams into the UEFA Cup to qualify again the year after.

Italian teams do not take the UEFA cup coz its lost its prestige since the champions league happened...

Its a sad fact, but even the lowest teams in Serie A put their second teams for the UEFA Cup... like Parma did when they reached the semis... it just does not matter anymore, its become a micky mouse cup....

I think UEFA needs to seriously take a look at that competition... its needs more money, more importance (like it used to have) and more bigger teams... expanding the CL has resulted in UEFA cup becoming a "relegation championship"

There was a time (early 90s), when UEFA Cup had the biggest teams in the quarters... coz only one team used to play in the CL, the rest 2-4 used to play UEFA... there was more money, more prestige, and more big names than what it is now... thats how it should be, the No2 trophy, not the relegation trophy.

Puro wrote:We see clubs from many leagues taking UEFA Cup seriously. Recently we discussed how the Champions League is the most coveted cup followed by the domestic league title with the UEFA Cup coming third. It appears Italian clubs are not interested at all in the UEFA Cup.

Not long ago the Italian clubs fielded their strongest teams in this competition. This is not the case nowadays. Why the sudden change in approach towards the UEFA Cup by Italian clubs in the last couple of years?

Puro wrote:

Luis wrote:not sure about the Italian clubs but for English clubs its only the 'OK' teams who take it completely serious and try to win it at all costs.

I'm sure the likes of Chelsea,Arsenal, United and Liverpool if they were involved wouldnt be overly fussed to win it nowdays

It would've been interesting to see how the Mancs played the UEFA Cup, but they couldn't manage a third place last season.

The money you can win in the UEFA cup no longer makes it really worthwhile. I think you can win more money winning the FA cup than you can the UEFA cup, the thing that makes clubs want to qualify for it though is the fact that you get to play abroad

toon h wrote:I have it all sussed out.

They should play the UEFA cup as a qualification tournament for the CL. It would be done in regional groups so you wouldn't be traveling to unknown teams from far away.

This UEFA cup group stage would run from September to December.
Then from February to May you play the CL group stages.
From September to December you would then play the knock out rounds of the CL.
You would have two marked transfer periods in which you can change your teams (January and summer).

No more knocking about with actually winning the UEFA cup. it will just be a qualification tournament with something like 6 or 8 groups of 4 teams trying to gain access to the 32 team CL.
It also makes more sense then to send the 3rd place CL group teams into the UEFA Cup to qualify again the year after.

Yo Toon, that's a very interesting idea you have. Conmebol does something slightly similar with Copa Sudamericana. It isn't a qualification for Copa Libertadores, but most of the teams are "better" prepared for when Copa Libertadores starts in February by having played in the former.

No more "not match fit" eliminated teams like Villarreal this season because La Liga season starts later than most. Teams like Villarreal can actually afford an early loss of a game due to not being match fit.

I like the idea. Only the top 2 teams from the top leagues have an automatic entry to CL. The third and fourth place teams from these leagues go to the UEFA Cup being played in the months you mentioned. Every team would then take the UEFA Cup very seriously again eh!

cheers, Puro.

If UEFA doesn't want to make too many changes, all they need to do is give direct CL qualification next season to the top 4 clubs in UEFA Cup, and then see how seriously clubs take that competition.

But I agree... reduce the number of teams from a domestic league in the CL to 2 max, and make the rest of them qualify via UEFA Cup, thats will make things so much more interesting...

Puro wrote:

toon h wrote:I have it all sussed out.

They should play the UEFA cup as a qualification tournament for the CL. It would be done in regional groups so you wouldn't be traveling to unknown teams from far away.

This UEFA cup group stage would run from September to December.
Then from February to May you play the CL group stages.
From September to December you would then play the knock out rounds of the CL.
You would have two marked transfer periods in which you can change your teams (January and summer).

No more knocking about with actually winning the UEFA cup. it will just be a qualification tournament with something like 6 or 8 groups of 4 teams trying to gain access to the 32 team CL.
It also makes more sense then to send the 3rd place CL group teams into the UEFA Cup to qualify again the year after.

Yo Toon, that's a very interesting idea you have. Conmebol does something slightly similar with Copa Sudamericana. It isn't a qualification for Copa Libertadores, but most of the teams are "better" prepared for when Copa Libertadores starts in February by having played in the former.

No more "not match fit" eliminated teams like Villarreal this season because La Liga season starts later than most. Teams like Villarreal can actually afford an early loss of a game due to not being match fit.

I like the idea. Only the top 2 teams from the top leagues have an automatic entry to CL. The third and fourth place teams from these leagues go to the UEFA Cup being played in the months you mentioned. Every team would then take the UEFA Cup very seriously again eh!

Reduce the number of CL at the big countries. Only two per country must be allowed to play CL to safe European football!

UEFA Cup is getting more interested by itself

Back to the old days or

start a real European League where every country get the same chances to reach that league.

Nowadays CL is a Cup for the three leagues and the rest have hardly a chance to survive because they cannot compete with money...

With a European Leguae every country can be treated the same

OK.

16 teams qualify directly for the CL (2 each for the big 4 and 1 each for the next 8 in the int'l ranking).

the other 16 come from regional UEFA qualification groups. 8 groups of 4-5 teams from all countries. For example, a group with 2 English sides, an Irish side and a Scottish side. Or another with 1 Dutch side, 1 Belgian side and 2 German sides.

The UEFA cup as a trophy would cease to exist. It only exists as a qualification tournament for the latter stages of the CL.

The UEFA is a disaster. It feels like no one cares anymore. Big names will add the group once the group stage of the C.L are over. Thus, the third of a group in the C.L can be glad it will still make some $$$ in the UEFA. I think the whole problem started when the U.E.F.A listened to the biggest clubs the G14 or G16, who claimed that bigger games represented more TV revenues and so forth. It should be the first 2's or 3's of the top 4 leagues going to C.L, and the rest in the U.E.F.A

Alive and Kicking wrote:The UEFA is a disaster. It feels like no one cares anymore. Big names will add the group once the group stage of the C.L are over. Thus, the third of a group in the C.L can be glad it will still make some $$$ in the UEFA. I think the whole problem started when the U.E.F.A listened to the biggest clubs the G14 or G16, who claimed that bigger games represented more TV revenues and so forth. It should be the first 2's or 3's of the top 4 leagues going to C.L, and the rest in the U.E.F.A

So if it were up to you there wouldn't be any Portuguese or Dutch clubs in the Cl?

Crazy when you consider they've won 10 European Cups between them.

ricardojol wrote:Reduce the number of CL at the big countries. Only two per country must be allowed to play CL to safe European football!

UEFA Cup is getting more interested by itself

Back to the old days or

start a real European League where every country get the same chances to reach that league.

Nowadays CL is a Cup for the three leagues and the rest have hardly a chance to survive because they cannot compete with money...

With a European Leguae every country can be treated the same

In truth, I actually think the Uefa Cup offers better matches than the CL many times. Many clubs in the CL are too afraid too lose and concentrate mostly on the cash at hand.

The Uefa Cup looks like it'll be interesting again this year if you look at the 3rd place CL clubs right now and conisder they may be joining shortly.

toonh that's a brilliant suggestion...except we don't need another CL knockout in Sept-Dec of the following year...just start with the next set of UEFA group games. CL should be finished off by May - make it straight knockout.

Even the TV money issue can be solved by making even the big teams play the regional group qualifying games.

Back to the old days !

* only knockout, no groups
* only champions in the CL
* return of the cupwinners cup

All problems solved...

screw G14

Axeslammer ! wrote:Back to the old days !

* only knockout, no groups
* only champions in the CL
* return of the cupwinners cup

All problems solved...

Axeslammer ! wrote:Back to the old days !

* only knockout, no groups
* only champions in the CL
* return of the cupwinners cup

All problems solved...

I hear that!

I'd more rather they scrapped the UEFA cup than mess with the Champions League.