Manchester United had a bizarre stint in the Europa League a couple of seasons ago when they finished third in their Champions League group. However this time round the circumstances are completely different and United currently sit seventh in the league. The Europa League is still important though, despite what most think.
First of all, look at the size of our squad. Those games in Europe are often used to bring in a few squad players here and there to give them the game-time they need to keep them happy. If we were to play around ten games less next season we’d have our fair share of unhappy players at the club which is never a good thing.
Next, and perhaps the most important thing is the European coefficient ranking. If United were to miss out on European football completely we’d lose over twenty-six coefficient points, meaning we’d fall out of the top eight teams in Europe. If we were then able to find our way back into the Champions League for the 2014/15 season, we wouldn’t be seeded in pot number one, leading to us being drawn in a considerably harder group. For every season we don’t make it into the Champions League, our coefficient will get worse and worse.
Thirdly is the money issues. The Glazers are constantly leaching our club and have spent almost £700m on paying off our debts. We’ll lose around £50-60m in revenue for not being in the elite competition of European football next year, however we can recoup around £20m of that if we have a decent run in the Europa League.
Sponsorship deals play a huge part too. Many sponsors expect United to be taking part at the highest level on a consistent basis. However it is being reported that many would consider dropping out completely if United don’t make European football at all.
Yes, Thursday nights aren’t ideal for fans, and yes there are a hell of a lot of games to play in the Europa League but its vital we make it into European football’s secondary competition. The Thursday-Sunday game-slots aren’t ideal but when you have a squad of United’s size, and hopefully come next season we’ll have enough quality to deal with it too.
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Good points. But even getting fifth place will be beyond us if we don’t start playing a lot better very soon.
Cheers. Think a lot of people forget about the coefficients, which can often prove crucial in determining the winner of the CL.