Benfica gone 1 up away, looks like the dream is over! Pot 3 it is. We are the definition of a nightmare pot 3 team for everyone else.
Not over yet, Ed. Benfica have another round to play to get to the group stage. The draw has already been made. PAOK or Sparta Moscow awaits. PAOK up in the tie but very tight at 0-0 right now after 60 mins. A goal for the Russian side would give them the lead on away goals.
I thought that you were ready to forfeit the Champions League after reading that post! For what it's worth there isn't a team in either pot that I would lose any sleep over being drawn against . Having said that would like to avoid Napoli for obvious reasons.
My apologies I thought this was their final game to reach the groups! So Benfica against PAOK decides whether we get pot 2 or 3.
I'd imagine managers of sides already in pot 2 are more concerned about us being in pot 3 than Klopp is.
All to do with the changes for this season and allowing the four top leagues in Europe have four automatic group stage slots. It has meant a lot of extra matches in this competition. I'll do the maths at some stage. Fully agree but at the same time the benefits of moving up a pot might mean that for once Liverpool might do qualifying without having to go all the way to the last of the six group matches.
Champions League pre group-qualifying matches for this season and the next two = 92 matches The last cycle was actually more in 94 games. This has surprised me. It must mean that less leagues have the chance for non-champions to get into the Champions League.
Celtic out is a massive knock for the club. Any hope they had of getting a few top class players in are now gone. Also questions on whether Rodgers has taken them as far as he can. I’d say he will see out this season at least but first PL managers to Be sacked, he will be in the conversation.
I could understand if Rodgers is wondering if he's taken them as far as he can,if the club are asking themselves that question then it should be in relation into how they can help him take them further and not thoughts about who could do a better job.He's done as good a job there as anybody could and better than most would of.You'd the usual sad fucking Liverpool supporters delighted they didn't make it purely because it was Rodgers,but that's the modern football fan,they take things personally that grown ups probably shouldn't.
Plenty of snidey comments about yesterday along the lines of "sure we knew all to well that Rodgers was useless in Europe" with the usual hint of delight that they were right all along! Getting them to the group stages last season was a great achievement and they were unlucky to be drawn against PSG and Bayern, a group that few would have escaped from. Everything was set up to go wrong this season with the talk of transfer problems which became public. They've a great battle on their hands now this season in Scotland with Gerrard maybe bringing Rangers forward, no Scottish team can currently have European aspirations beyond a freak run to the group stages. I'd wonder where Rodgers sees himself in a year or two's time, I can't imagine he wants to go back to a Swansea type team, probably very difficult after managing Liverpool and Celtic but I dont' see him having too many other options, I don't think he's a go to guy for a team who's struggling to stay in the PL either, he'll want time to implement his style of play and it's a lot more complicated than what you'll get from Pulis or Allardyce.
The snidey comments from grown ups about words he uses when talking. I suppose some people just never really grow up.
He couldn't have achieved much more than he has in Scotland with trebles etc. The money just isn't there in terms of quality of player. What kind of money would he be on as manager compared to a job in England?
I think he's on about 50k a week and they paid him 3m to give up his gardening leave contract with us.
Can see this being his last year with Celtic. He'll win the league again but not as easily as previous 2 years with Rangers closing the gap. He'll look at the end of season and see he has won all he can donestically and he'll know qualifying for CL is a tougher job, especially as he's now implying that he's not getting funds he needs. My guess is that he'll see it as the right time to leave.
I have nothing against Brendan Rogers but getting £3m and £50k per week to manage in a 1 team league is ridiculous. Dundalk and Cork would easily survive in that league. Celtic are so far ahead of the rest that it is embarrassing. The Old Firm are so far ahead in resources means that it will be a 2 team league when Rangers catch up after their problems. Celtic will never do well in europe simply because you can;t play the likes of St Johnstone, Livingstone etc every week to trying to compete with the top teams in europe. Add to the fact that top players wont want to go there at the height of their career means that they can only hope to reach the group stages occasionally and perhaps get a good result every so often as Neil Lennon did. I've seen some Celtic supporters say that they would easily survive in the PL. I think that they would do well to get mid-table in the Championship. Right now, the likes of Boro, Leeds, Derby, Forest etc have better squads.
They beat the champions league holders in 2012..just saying they have a decent European pedigree but are falling behind year after year of winning their championship at a cantor.
I appreciate that Mark but, equally, they have lost to a lot more allegedly inferior sides and, of course, to a truly appalling side when they lost in Gibraltar. A side who Cork or Dundalk would be truly embarrassed to lose to. They simply cant stay in the scottish league and expect to compete with europe's best. its unachievable.