"Everyone wants to see Pool back in the CL if they beat Milan but nobody can give a rational reason why, because there isn't one, apart from silly claims that they are suddenly the best team in Europe although not one of the best 3 or 4 in the Prem? "
errr .. no rational reason why????
What sort of "Champions" League doesn't include the European Champions?!
The rational reason is that in every previous season, winning this cup meant you automatically qualified for it the following year, even when it was otherwise national champions only (as opposed to 3rd, 4th). It *still* does if your country has less than 4 qualifiers, so if England was *less* successful in Europe and only had 3 qualifiers, Liverpool would be added. Is losing out because England are successful in Europe 'rational' to you?
Risse would have retired or shot himselfJohn Arne Riise has revealed that he would have hung up his boots and contemplated dissolution had Eidur Gudjohnsen converted his last gasp chance at Anfield on Wednesday night. With just seconds remaining of...
The Real Madrid precedent also means that Liverpool could have expected to qualify if they won it whatever their league position. Also, as has been outlined in several threads, the FA last year on the web explained that if a scenario like this happened, the 4th placed team would go into the UEFA cup. They have since said this was not a 'rule' as such, but Liverpool could have expected that it would be the case, and that expectation I'd have thought was stronger than the expectation that they would if they came 4th and someone else in 5th on the CL, given the Real Madrid case.
Tomorrow todayfrom tomorrows Telepgraph - a bit long winded but a decent article. Winter on Saturday: Spaniards simply swelled with patriotic pride at the achievement of Benitez By Henry Winter (Filed: 07-05-2005) Liverpool's surprise progress to the...
Finally, your comment about "being the best team in Europe but not being the best 3-4 in the Prem", "best" is of course subjective, but if they win it, they *will* be European Champions whether you like that or not, and that means a lot more, and should be more inportant in qualifying for the CL, than the difference between 4th and 5th in a national league FFS.
For what its worth, I think if it happens,the 2 should play-off against each other for the group stage. That way Everton have a play-off to qualify for the group stage (as they would have anyway) and Liverpool have the chance to defend the title.It also means that no other country will lose a place in the group stages as a result.
