2019/20 Europa League Campaign

PepsiCola

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Given the current (lack of) depth to our squad and the presence of many exciting youth prospects, I feel our approach to the Europa League this season could be interesting.

Given the taxing nature of Thursday evening - Sunday morning fixtures, how do you think Ole will approach the Europa League this season?

It's looking likely we will need to rely on our youth prospects at times this season so I feel the Europa League could be of great benefit. Greenwood, Gomes and Tuanzebe should be regular starters for our European campaign this season, with Laird, Chong and Garner also integrated.

This could allow an ideal pathway for the younger players to fully integrate with the senior team, gain experience and develop in a competition in which there will be less pressure than the premier league.

How do you think Ole will approach the europa league this season?
 

VorZakone

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Feck it, give minutes to Chong, Gomes and Greenwood.
 

AshRK

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I hope we go all the way and fecking win it. Chelsea have shown you can finish in top 4 and win the EL. I don't see why it's not possible.
 

bond19821982

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How exactly is playing Wednesday and Saturdays different from Thursdays and Sundays ? I can understand if someone say EL has more games ( just 2 more in March) .
 

wolvored

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Play the next lot to step up Greenwood, Gomez, Chong, Laird and Garner etc, give them much needed 1st team action
 

Pavl3n

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Definitely players like Tuanzebe and James should be in the starting line up. Players like Gomes and Greenwood should be getting a good chunk of minutes and players like Chong and Garner should be getting about 15 minutes towards the end on rotation basis.
Sanchez should be playing good chunk also as he has a point to prove. But we should definitely be resting the main ones, which we need in the league - Rashford, AWB, Maguire, Martial, Pogba.
IMO a line up should look like
.................... Romero
Dalot... Smalling.... Tuanzebe...... Young
................ Matic........ Pogba..................
James.............. Mata................ AM9/Rashy
...................... Sanchez..................

With Pogba and AM9/Rashy being subbed off at around 60th min or so.
 

Snow

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Meh.
Play the kids. See how far they can get.
Priority has to be the League
Arsenal and Chelsea made the final last season. We won it 2 years ago. Going far gives teams good co-efficients in Europe, which matters less now that Champions get 1st seed but it can be the difference between being in pot 2 or 3.

If we can't balance the league and the Europa League then what's the point of doing well in the league and qualifying for the Champions League which is an even tougher competition?
 

Classical Mechanic

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People don’t realise how weak many of the sides are in this comp at group stage. Wenger won his group with ease a few years back playing a B team with loads of kids in it.
 

maximus419

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The Europa league should be the biggest priority this season.

The league is too competitive to expect a top 4 finish with the current squad and with the need to get back into champions league, this offers the best realistic chance of success.

Plus, it's a trophy and I'd rather win this again than say the FA or carabao cup. Play the younger lads in the domestic cups, that will also help develop their game and leave Europe to the experienced players.
 

Sandikan

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People don’t realise how weak many of the sides are in this comp at group stage. Wenger won his group with ease a few years back playing a B team with loads of kids in it.
Yep. The group stage should be cruised through with a few first teamers and giving experience to the fringe youngsters.
 

R'hllor

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People don’t realise how weak many of the sides are in this comp at group stage. Wenger won his group with ease a few years back playing a B team with loads of kids in it.
Think thats the year when they even had Red Star in the group, kids went there, hostile atmosphere, kids survived, nobody melted, hell think they even won 0:1.
 

Billy Jim

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Play the second string until R16, then take it seriously.

I enjoyed our last Europa campaign and it's always nice to win a trophy. Chelsea still managed to finish third while winning it last year... No reason we can't fight on both fronts.
 

Raw

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Also we'll be in pot 1 (5th highest coefficient behind Sevilla, Arsenal, Porto and Roma).
 

El Zoido

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Wouldbt bother me being knocked out.
Same here, I hate this competition, it’s just a distraction. People can go on about how it’s still a trophy, and how it’s disrespectful to Fulham or whoever. Fk that, it’s a boring pain of a competition. When was the last time you went back and watched the highlights from the final we won? Cause I don’t think I’ve ever been back. Just don’t care, I’m sorry. I don’t. Heart wants what the heart wants.

As for the approach to the competition, I’d say play the kids but we’re playing kids anyway. Play the old folks & second string, Matic, Mata, Young, Jones, Sanchez.
 

R'hllor

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If people think that one preseason is more than enough to turn this squad filled with lazy mfs into pressing machine during whole season, oh boi. Majority of that bunch played football in walking pace, no pressing, barely any running in last 3 years and one preseason focused strictly on fitness will fix that!?
 

Ikon

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Just my take on it...

I want United to win every match, every competition that we are ever involved in.
Of course that cannot happen, but I'm always disappointed any time that we lose, even in friendlies.
I just really don't understand the thinking of any football fan that doesn't care if his team get knocked out of a cup competition.

Maybe I'm old school, but to me the Europa League is still the UEFA Cup, and that's a major European trophy, that we've only won once in our entire history, so of course I'd love for United to win it again and add to the club's European pedigree.
To my mind, this is the biggest competition that we are involved with that we have a realistic chance of winning, this season.

I accept that we need to get top 4, but lets not become Arsene Wenger, top 4 isn't the same as winning a European trophy.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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We should have a Europa 11, especially during the group stages.

Romero

Dalot Smalling Tuanzebe Young

Fred Matic

Greenwood Gomes James

Sanchez​
 

DomesticTadpole

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United's potential Europa League opponents
There is still plenty more teams to qualify, but here is a look at the sides guaranteed of a place in the Europa League next season

Coefficients:

104.000 Sevilla (ESP)
101.000 Arsenal (ENG)
93.000 Porto (POR)
81.000 Roma (ITA)
65.000 Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
62.000 Beşiktaş (TUR)
54.500 Basel (SUI)
50.000 Sporting CP (POR)
48.000 CSKA Moskva (RUS)
40.000 Wolfsburg (GER)
37.000 Lazio (ITA)
29.000 Mönchengladbach (GER)
23.000 Saint-Étienne (FRA)
20.713 Getafe (ESP)
17.500 Standard Liège (BEL)
11.699 Rennes (FRA)
10.500 İstanbul Başakşehir (TUR)
7.780 Olexandriya (UKR)
6.250 Wolfsberg (AUT)
6.000 Lugano (SUI)
21 UEFA Europa League play-off winners
6 teams eliminated from the UEFA Champions League play-off round
 

DomesticTadpole

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Just my take on it...

I want United to win every match, every competition that we are ever involved in.
Of course that cannot happen, but I'm always disappointed any time that we lose, even in friendlies.
I just really don't understand the thinking of any football fan that doesn't care if his team get knocked out of a cup competition.

Maybe I'm old school, but to me the Europa League is still the UEFA Cup, and that's a major European trophy, that we've only won once in our entire history, so of course I'd love for United to win it again and add to the club's European pedigree.
To my mind, this is the biggest competition that we are involved with that we have a realistic chance of winning, this season.

I accept that we need to get top 4, but lets not become Arsene Wenger, top 4 isn't the same as winning a European trophy.
To me they should never have got rid of the Cup-Winners Cup. It has watered this competition down a bit.
 

esmufc07

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We should absolutely be prioritising this. We will most likely get an easy group to navigate through and then by the time the KO rounds come round we will have a good idea of where we are in getting into the Top 4. This offers a separate route into the CL which we need to take advantage of.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Also for the club to get any benefit from being in this we need to get through the group stages, then take it really seriously. If we get knocked out straight away, what benefit is that to the fringe/younger players who will then struggle to get games? You need all your squad up to full match fitness in case they are needed in the first team at some point.
 

Rojofiam

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Even though top 4 is very likely in my opinion, I hope we take the Europa League seriously and try to win it again.

Looking at the teams that are confirmed to participate in the competition, our biggest rivals would probably be Sevilla and Arsenal...although there are a lot of smaller sides that can give everyone a match, not to mention some quality sides will likely drop out of the CL in December.
 
Last edited:

Raw

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United's potential Europa League opponents
There is still plenty more teams to qualify, but here is a look at the sides guaranteed of a place in the Europa League next season

Coefficients:

104.000 Sevilla (ESP)
101.000 Arsenal (ENG)
93.000 Porto (POR)
81.000 Roma (ITA)
65.000 Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
62.000 Beşiktaş (TUR)
54.500 Basel (SUI)
50.000 Sporting CP (POR)
48.000 CSKA Moskva (RUS)
40.000 Wolfsburg (GER)
37.000 Lazio (ITA)
29.000 Mönchengladbach (GER)
23.000 Saint-Étienne (FRA)
20.713 Getafe (ESP)
17.500 Standard Liège (BEL)
11.699 Rennes (FRA)
10.500 İstanbul Başakşehir (TUR)
7.780 Olexandriya (UKR)
6.250 Wolfsberg (AUT)
6.000 Lugano (SUI)
21 UEFA Europa League play-off winners
6 teams
eliminated from the UEFA Champions League play-off round
Pot 1: Sevilla, Arsenal, Porto, Roma, Man Utd, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas, Basel, Sporting CP, CSKA Moscow
Pot 1 or 2: Wolfsburg, Lazio
Pot 2: Borussia Monchengladbach
Pot 2, 3 or 4: Saint Etienne, Getafe, Standard Liege, Rennes, Istanbul Basaksehir
Pot 3 or 4: Oleksandriya, Wolfsberger AC, Lugano

Out of those, I'd take Monchengladbach, Standard Leige and Lugano. Though obviously this isn't final.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Pot 1: Sevilla, Arsenal, Porto, Roma, Man Utd, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas, Basel, Sporting CP, CSKA Moscow
Pot 1 or 2: Wolfsburg, Lazio
Pot 2: Borussia Monchengladbach
Pot 2, 3 or 4: Saint Etienne, Getafe, Standard Liege, Rennes, Istanbul Basaksehir
Pot 3 or 4: Oleksandriya, Wolfsberger AC, Lugano

Out of those, I'd take Monchengladbach, Standard Leige and Lugano. Though obviously this isn't final.
There are actually some pretty good sides in this competition and once teams drop down from the CL it will get tougher. Rangers should get in and you would think Celtic won't humiliate themselves even further by not getting through the knockout game. Like I mentioned further up the page I think this competition is a bit bloated. Far too many teams in it can make it a bit of a drag. It is all about money or they would have had it a straight knock-out from hereon in.
 

Samid

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Pot 1: Sevilla, Arsenal, Porto, Roma, Man Utd, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas, Basel, Sporting CP, CSKA Moscow
Pot 1 or 2: Wolfsburg, Lazio
Pot 2: Borussia Monchengladbach
Pot 2, 3 or 4: Saint Etienne, Getafe, Standard Liege, Rennes, Istanbul Basaksehir
Pot 3 or 4: Oleksandriya, Wolfsberger AC, Lugano

Out of those, I'd take Monchengladbach, Standard Leige and Lugano. Though obviously this isn't final.
I bet Ole is dreaming of Molde from pot 3/4.
 

rotherham_red

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Pot 1: Sevilla, Arsenal, Porto, Roma, Man Utd, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas, Basel, Sporting CP, CSKA Moscow
Pot 1 or 2: Wolfsburg, Lazio
Pot 2: Borussia Monchengladbach
Pot 2, 3 or 4: Saint Etienne, Getafe, Standard Liege, Rennes, Istanbul Basaksehir
Pot 3 or 4: Oleksandriya, Wolfsberger AC, Lugano

Out of those, I'd take Monchengladbach, Standard Leige and Lugano. Though obviously this isn't final.
There are actually some pretty good sides in this competition and once teams drop down from the CL it will get tougher. Rangers should get in and you would think Celtic won't humiliate themselves even further by not getting through the knockout game.
I'd back us to get past any of those teams, injuries and form permitting.
 

romufc

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Just my take on it...

I want United to win every match, every competition that we are ever involved in.
Of course that cannot happen, but I'm always disappointed any time that we lose, even in friendlies.
I just really don't understand the thinking of any football fan that doesn't care if his team get knocked out of a cup competition.

Maybe I'm old school, but to me the Europa League is still the UEFA Cup, and that's a major European trophy, that we've only won once in our entire history, so of course I'd love for United to win it again and add to the club's European pedigree.
To my mind, this is the biggest competition that we are involved with that we have a realistic chance of winning, this season.

I accept that we need to get top 4, but lets not become Arsene Wenger, top 4 isn't the same as winning a European trophy.

Although I agree with you that we cannot rule out a competition, after all Europa League is another gateway into Champions League.

We have enough squad depth to navigate the Europa League as well. I don't buy the notion that we dont, the reason we didn't make attacking signings was Ole wants to give a few guys the chance. I would rather see Greenwood, Chong and them given a go than spend £40m on a player who stops their progress.

But if we dont win this trophy top 4 is almost a must just, we have to enter the big boys playing field before we can win it.
 

stevoc

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How exactly is playing Wednesday and Saturdays different from Thursdays and Sundays ? I can understand if someone say EL has more games ( just 2 more in March) .
It isn't any different at all but some have convinced themselves it tires the players out more than the CL schedule.

If anything the EL should be less taxing as you are playing against a lower level of opposition.
 

Raw

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It isn't any different at all but some have convinced themselves it tires the players out more than the CL schedule.

If anything the EL should be less taxing as you are playing against a lower level of opposition.
How exactly is playing Wednesday and Saturdays different from Thursdays and Sundays ? I can understand if someone say EL has more games ( just 2 more in March) .
I think the main argument people have against it is that you tend to get sent to places further away on pitches that aren't as good as you'll get in the CL. That pitch in the game against Rostov was an absolute nightmare. If we get draws against teams with actual pedigree and aren't that far away, we should be fine.