You too! And best of luck with the rest of the season!
Who has had the better season?
- Thread starter SirAnderson
- Start date
Absolutely Chelsea. Nothing can't justify coming 8th. Arsenal have been in a good form recently though and it's possible that Arteta is going to keep improving them (although I don't think that they'll be able to challenge United/Chelsea, let alone Liverpool and City soon). But in terms of this season, there's no comparison.
So far in the foot notes of history, the comparison is a trophy.
There is absolutely no justification in finishing 8th with a new manager (8 months in) Corona virus in the middle of it all, diabolical defense, losing out on Europe, getting back into Europe while usurping you’re bitter rivals for a decent seat at the table..
But back to the comparison..
A Trophy?
Arsenal . Better to win a trophy than not win one
There’s a new sort of fan out there..8500 posts vs. 111...
Insulting another member
Idiot. Is that supposed to be a badge of honour? I repeat, this is a Manchester United forumn .
Gonna go out here on a limb and suggest that I've been to Old Trafford more times than you have
There's no question that the FA Cup used to be a prestigious trophy and I'll give Arsenal credit for being so dominant in it, but with the sheer amount of money and transfer market pulling power attached to CL qualification now I'd take a top 4 finish instead every year.
This is really difficult - CL spot or FA cup?
Looking at how I felt past seasons...
17/18 -- finished 2nd but won shit nothing.
15/16 - finished outside top 4 but won FA Cup.
Gahd, that's so depressing remembering back. I hate both seasons. 16/17 is so much better, winning 2 trophies and I valued EL trophy higher than FAC trophy.
Prefer neither really, no preference. Can't pick one.
Looking at how I felt past seasons...
17/18 -- finished 2nd but won shit nothing.
15/16 - finished outside top 4 but won FA Cup.
Gahd, that's so depressing remembering back. I hate both seasons. 16/17 is so much better, winning 2 trophies and I valued EL trophy higher than FAC trophy.
Prefer neither really, no preference. Can't pick one.
I think just about every arsenal fan would swap with Chelsea if they really thought about it. The extra money coming in for CL qualification, more money to spend in the market, looking way more attractive to top talent. It just places you in such a positive position going forward and it’s something you can actually build on.
Winning the FA cup is nice and can help a team to believe they can win things. But winning the FA cup doest bring in a steady flow of cash, doesn’t put you in the top tier of European football and doest attract the best players, especially if you finished 8th. That’s what really gets looked at over winning the FA cup imo, if i was a player anyway.
Winning the FA cup is nice and can help a team to believe they can win things. But winning the FA cup doest bring in a steady flow of cash, doesn’t put you in the top tier of European football and doest attract the best players, especially if you finished 8th. That’s what really gets looked at over winning the FA cup imo, if i was a player anyway.
indeed, the lack of a trophy was used as a stick to beat them with before they broke their duck after a while but it's not like winning those fa cups this past decade has propelled them onto bigger and better things as was initially claimed. It's also why i never got the obsession with Poch and his lack of trophies, not that i'm saying we should appoint him as our manager now. Neither chelsea nor united would have wanted the fa cup trophy over finishing in the top 4 when they played each other a couple of weeks ago.
Come on now. Ty does not speak for their whole fanbase.
I don't know if you're joking, or drunk, or whatever, but this section of the forum says "Non United opponent discussion and banter."
I am happy about that. I thought if they had no European football it might help them challenge for top four. Really will harm their league season. I would love it if Arsenal got knocked out of the Europa league in the quarter final or semi final. Would be hilarious
Chelsea. For clubs who have big ambitions it's about taking steps towards the top. Chelsea had a transfer ban/lost hazard, finished 4th, gave a lot of their youth products chances and even developed then, and finally are now adding some serious quality to the team. Plus they're more used to Lampards system.
Now you could argue of course that their points total went down, their goal difference was abysmal and they defend like school children, and there's a case to me made for that. But I think the Chelsea squad is in a stronger position than it was 12 months back, and they have CL footy allowing them to add players like Ziyech and Werner. Whether Frank proves good enough for their ambitions to is another matter.
Now you could argue of course that their points total went down, their goal difference was abysmal and they defend like school children, and there's a case to me made for that. But I think the Chelsea squad is in a stronger position than it was 12 months back, and they have CL footy allowing them to add players like Ziyech and Werner. Whether Frank proves good enough for their ambitions to is another matter.
No top PL side would prefer a domestic Cup over a CL spot.
Further, which of the two PL clubs is more likely to improve considerably next season? NOT Arsenal.
Further, which of the two PL clubs is more likely to improve considerably next season? NOT Arsenal.
Come on, Chelsea geniunly played an exicting brand of football and was a top4 team.
Arsenal had to sack their manager, and got a consolation prize at the end, but have nothing to look forward to, while Chelsea has Havertz, Werner and Ziyech
Arsenal had to sack their manager, and got a consolation prize at the end, but have nothing to look forward to, while Chelsea has Havertz, Werner and Ziyech
Winning the FA Cup is more exciting/memorable at the time but you'd always take champions league over that.
On the day and ensuing week the FA Cup feels great. Then the new season begins and you are playing Europa for most of it and wish you were in the ucl.
I don’t know how many years should pass for people to forget everything except for the trophies won. I doubt that people outside of Wigan would tell you instantly who had won FA Cup in 2013 – and for Wigan winning a major trophy is incomparable to the likes of Arsenal. It’s actually a good comparison, but the stakes for Wigan were way higher – would they be better off staying in PL and losing the cup? It’s an interesting argument, but it wouldn’t exist if Wigan had a lot of FA Cups in their trophy room beforehand.
Basically it’s a small-club mentality. Is Arsenal a small club now? I don’t think so, but if the answer is yes, than your logic is applicable.
And this was created in the general football thread.
Know you place, what a stupid post.
Its posts and posters like this that make this place toxic.
So you go away.
Still a bit gutted with the lose but I wouldn't trade our season for Arsenal’s. I like Arteta though and think he has something about him but he faces an uphill battle with the situation Arsenal are in now, your best player at 31 and unsettled, not much more to spend on top talents to fill in, No CL money and prestige to help out, made Europa which can be a major distraction without a big and quality squad etc. Prospects look bleak but this cup win might just bring some hope into the club and spur them on.
Before the game, Arsenal and its players, were facing the prospect of watching mid-week games at home, or some form of European participation. You can see they were more determined than some Chelsea players.
To many of the Chelsea players, their mission had already accomplished last week. FA becomes nice to have, visiting Germany is a nightmare unless BM gifted them with 2 own goal and 1 red card....
There's a imaginary gun to your head, now choose??
Chelsea. Both are clubs that realistically aim to be 4th these days and Arsenal can’t even get near it lately. Plus Chelsea seem to have a lot of exciting youngsters coming through and Lampard seems a reasonable manager.
Think Arteta will prove to be a cut above him though long term.
Surely a big club will move in for Auba this summer? He’s too good to be stuck at Arsenal, really hope he goes abroad and not to City.
Think Arteta will prove to be a cut above him though long term.
Surely a big club will move in for Auba this summer? He’s too good to be stuck at Arsenal, really hope he goes abroad and not to City.
Just shows that FA Cup winners need rewarded with CL spot rather than 4th place teams. Or a play off between the two at least.
I'd say finishing near the top is better than being a mid table club accidentally winning a trophy.
They beat City, Chelsea and Sheffield. Bossing them all, there was no accident. They deserved it.
When you haven't win things for ages, It makes sense that you prefer your club to win trophy more even if it's just FA Cup or EFL Cup. However, when you have won those minor trophies like FA, EFL & Europa recently, getting CL spot is becoming much more important as long as it's for the sake of making progress not going backward. I think this season we need the CL more than FA Cup due to need more money on our transfer budget and also give us more power to attract top players and keep Pogba.
When I was younger, I never really considered future ramifications of any particular situation, perhaps because Chelsea weren't really in the conversation for CL football all the time, and the FA Cup final was a humongous occasion.
Now the way I look at football, I'm constantly looking at how my club can stay competing 4-5 years from now, perhaps I have been conditioned to think that way by modern football, but securing CL football was 100% more important to me than winning the FA Cup on the basis that finishing 4th would help us 10x more in our goal to eventually win the title again, than winning the cup final.
I would hazard a guess that United fans would have felt exactly the same if they had been in the final instead of Chelsea.
Now the way I look at football, I'm constantly looking at how my club can stay competing 4-5 years from now, perhaps I have been conditioned to think that way by modern football, but securing CL football was 100% more important to me than winning the FA Cup on the basis that finishing 4th would help us 10x more in our goal to eventually win the title again, than winning the cup final.
I would hazard a guess that United fans would have felt exactly the same if they had been in the final instead of Chelsea.
For me....
Champions League
Premier League
Europa League
Top 4
FA Cup
Top 8
League Cup
Charity shield/ Super cup etc
So based on that, I think Chelsea have had a better season than Arsenal, just!
Champions League
Premier League
Europa League
Top 4
FA Cup
Top 8
League Cup
Charity shield/ Super cup etc
So based on that, I think Chelsea have had a better season than Arsenal, just!
I would want my club to get into UCL in order to make more money & attract better players to give me the best chance of winning trophies.
If winning trophies is the ultimate goal (it is for me), then I must say I prefer Arsenal's season. Sure, the future outlook is arguably worse for them compared to Chelsea, but if we take only the success in a single season on its own, I'd say winning trophies = success, so in this case, Arsenal.
If winning trophies is the ultimate goal (it is for me), then I must say I prefer Arsenal's season. Sure, the future outlook is arguably worse for them compared to Chelsea, but if we take only the success in a single season on its own, I'd say winning trophies = success, so in this case, Arsenal.
Do you think Arsenal have had a better season than Man United?
If this season ends up being the last season of football in history,
Or if only the top 3 positions got CL Football for the next season,
Then Arsenal. Definitely.
Or if only the top 3 positions got CL Football for the next season,
Then Arsenal. Definitely.
No
Yeah, I hear you. Maybe a 'better' season and a 'more successful' season are two different things? If so, then Chelsea had the better season, Arsenal a more successful one.
I'd certainly would have much more optimism as a Chelsea fan going into next season in terms of being in a position to win trophies. However, nothing is guaranteed is it? Arsenal were always in the UCL for however many years, never won it. Also haven't won the league for ages. The FA cup is a good trophy.
I'd rather take Mourinho's League Cup/Europa League season wins over a trophy-less season in the UCL and finishing in the top 4.
At least you have something to show for it.
As Ricky Bobby said, 'If you ain't first, you're last'
FA Cup gets you a spot in Europa. 4th place gets you a spot in Champions League. It's great to celebrate a trophy and all, and Arsenal needed it looking at their spot in the table, but this is a no brainer. Chelsea definitely had a better season.
I think a better question could be "If City wins the Champions League to go along with their League Cup, will they have had a better season than Liverpool?". Of course, they have to win it first...
I think a better question could be "If City wins the Champions League to go along with their League Cup, will they have had a better season than Liverpool?". Of course, they have to win it first...
For me it's:
Now perspective: Arsenal (Won a trophy vs 4th)
Future perspective: Chelsea (More attractive and more money)
Consistency perspective: Chelsea (Better PL rank and in the final)
Historical perspective: Arsenal (Nobody cares about a 4th place in future)
Problem is that CL brings you so much money that for some people it's better to finish in top4 than win a trophy. Best thing is to win a trophy but this is just the end of season rating. If you think in a bigger context then being in the CL is more important nowadays.
And I would say:
Fan perspective: Arsenal
Club perspective: Chelsea
So a coin toss
Now perspective: Arsenal (Won a trophy vs 4th)
Future perspective: Chelsea (More attractive and more money)
Consistency perspective: Chelsea (Better PL rank and in the final)
Historical perspective: Arsenal (Nobody cares about a 4th place in future)
Problem is that CL brings you so much money that for some people it's better to finish in top4 than win a trophy. Best thing is to win a trophy but this is just the end of season rating. If you think in a bigger context then being in the CL is more important nowadays.
And I would say:
Fan perspective: Arsenal
Club perspective: Chelsea
So a coin toss
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The downfall of the FA Cup started in 1999/2000. There was of course United's absence, which I don't blame them for in the slightest. On one hand they were pressured by the FA (and government) to participate in the Club World Cup in Brazil, and the other hand were told by the FA that their 3rd round fixture date couldn't be re-arranged.
Plus it was the first season of the expanded 32 team Champions League, also with the 2nd group stage. Chelsea did well in the competition that season notably winning 5-0 away to Galatasaray, beating Barcelona at home, drawing away to Milan and Lazio etc. They finished 5th in the league and won the FA Cup, and it appeared that their disappointment at failing to qualify for the Champions League again exceeded their joy of winning the FA Cup.
Plus it was the first season of the expanded 32 team Champions League, also with the 2nd group stage. Chelsea did well in the competition that season notably winning 5-0 away to Galatasaray, beating Barcelona at home, drawing away to Milan and Lazio etc. They finished 5th in the league and won the FA Cup, and it appeared that their disappointment at failing to qualify for the Champions League again exceeded their joy of winning the FA Cup.