Cobwebcat said:
danburge82 said:
LoveCity said:
Well United were outclassed and beaten at Old Trafford by Ajax last season, beaten twice by Bilbao, and eliminated from the CL group stage by Basel and Benfica... should they be demoted down the rankings too as it seems they aren't a European power worthy of a high ranking anymore either, and need an even more ludicrously easy draw this season than last to go through (didn't breeze past Cluj and Braga either). Like FFP, the seeding system is protectionist in nature and an insurance policy for the likes of United, the established elite who UEFA prize so highly.
We went up in the rankings, we didn't get demoted.
Just like all sports. McIlroy's bird has never won a major, yet she was world no.1 for over a year in women's tennis because she gained ranking points over a sustained period. We've played nine Champions League matches. That's fewer than CFR Cluj or Bate Borisov.
We've also just won the hardest league in the world and finished 20 odd points in front of the CL winners. If you are only looking at European results you aren't getting the full picture. The CL is more of a knockout competition than a league. Ajax are not better than us and neither were Napoli. They might be better on the night but that's all. Are Aston Villa better than us too as they knocked us out of the league cup?
Top 8 easy. Wait.
And the PL is the second strongest in the World after La Liga...even UEFA get that right.
I completely agree that the CL should always have been a competition for the Champions of each league. I'd also include the CL holders and the winners of the Europa League (to make it a competition that teams give it their all to win).
However, it isn't. Like as been mentioned many a time in this thread, this seeding system isn't just solely limited to Football. Tennis, Golf etc employ similar. You earn ranking points for how well you have performed over the year, and previous years.
Spurs were drawn with the Champions League holders in their first season, the team who placed 3rd in Bundesliga and the Dutch champions. That's a fairly tough group when you consider Spurs actually only finished 4th so they were, technically, the lowest placed team in that group. They still qualified, and tbf, I didn't hear them complain about seedings etc. They even KO'd Milan in the 2nd round and were then drawn with Real Madrid in the QF's. Quite a difficult path if you ask me.
Yes, City are the reigning champs and therefore deserving of their place in the CL, however, they've played less CL games than Cluj or BATE Borisov and as of yet, not performed well enough in either the CL or the Europa League. It should come as no surprise to see you paired with teams like Madrid (who have been CL participants since the beginning of time).
Forget for one minute how you feel being drawn with the likes of Madrid & Dortmund, how do you think Madrid felt? After all, they are the most successful team in CL history, the current La Liga Champions, yet they've been drawn with League winners from each country. How about Dortmund? Past CL winners, more European Cup experience and current Bundesliga Champions who breezed it ahead of Bayern (the CL finalists), yet they are drawn with the league winners from each country?
They've dealt with it and gone and got the results their performances have warranted. Maybe next year (if you dont pull it off this year) if you get an 'easier' group or you simply play better and get through to the 2nd Round, QF's even SF's, and the following year after that, and again after that, and suddenly you find yourselves in a group with Celtic, Steaua Bucherest & Grashopper Zurich, I don't think you'll be complaining too much then.
You should be beating teams like Ajax and, had you done, regardless of how 'difficult' this group is on paper, you'd have still been right in the hunt.
