OhForAGreavsie

Agreed that there is no room for complacency. That means that, while the 10 points are a tremendous cushion, I don't want to reject any possible further advantage which might be available to us. We are not celebrating being out of Europe. We desperately want to be in and being out is a sign failure. The only consolation for that failure comes from the lighter program we have enjoyed. That advantage ended last night. I don't care how much we have already gained from it; I wish it had continued all the way to May 27.

Clubs collect coefficient points based on their performances in Europe's two completions. More points are available to be gained in the CL than in the EL but a good run in the EL will earn more points than an early departure from the CL. These points are aggregated for each country and a table is produced based on points accumulated over the five most recent seasons. The top three nations in this table are awarded a fourth CL entrant. Before this round of matches Spain led, by a mile, Germany were second and we were third though only three points ahead of Italy. The points gained gained by United if they progress, and especially by Leicester, are vital. Previously the allocation of CL places was made annually. So if a nation fell out of the top three it could at least hope to recover its place during the following season. From now on however, the assessment will be made once every three seasons. This means if we lose our fourth Champions League place, it will be gone for at least three years. Worse, with only three clubs competing in the CL, that means only three lots of CL points which can be added to the total instead of four, and remember more points are gained per round in the CL than in the EL. Over the course of three years we will have nine chances to collect Champions League points while the top three nations will have 12. So to overtake them we would have to score more points than they do despite having 3 fewer CL attempts than they will. What is more, in another change, the fourth entrant from the top three countries will no longer need to qualify for the group stages. Instead they will automatically enter the tournament in the last 32. No chance of a team failing to qualify for the group stage, as Everton once did, and missing out on the group stage coefficient points. From now on, once you fall out of the top three it'll be harder to get back in. The scramble for the top four in the Premier League, will become the scramble of the top three. It's not only that however. Fewer games for city helps them be competitive in the league and The Cup. I would have loved to see them distracted by Europe, while we ran away with the two domestic trophies. Unfortunately that hope bit the dust tonight. Nor is it only those two things. Defeat for Monaco would have made it more likely that their players would be ready to move on this summer and that would increase our chances of getting some of the talented footballers we are all raving about. The further Monaco progress this season the more likely the stars are to consider it worth sticking with their current "project". This last bit isn't an exact science and the money offered by Europe's bigger clubs would obviously be a factor but whichever way you cut it, elimination in the last 16, gives players less reason to stay optimistic and continue in the south of France.

I do support what is best for British football but that is neither what I said on this occasion, nor what I meant.

Shame. Thank goodness for Leicester.

Aggression again. Laughable. I support the outcome which best suits Chelsea. You seem unable to control yourself. Enjoy it.

Oh well, Guardiola did say his side would need to score twice to avoid going out. Which is the same as saying he thought they'd concede 3.

Yes!! Come oh City.

Good observation. I was there. It was both pleasing and intensely frustrating. For anyone who missed it, the game finished 2-1; a ludicrous score line considering how utterly dominant we were for all but about 6 or 7 of the 90 minutes. We missed an injury time penalty, but even 3-1 to us would still have flattered Spurs. Edit: City's kids look really talented. They destroyed Stoke in the first leg of their semi and people on blue moon seem pretty confident they'll win. Personally I think they're going to get a hell of a game from our lads if we go through.

Glad to see some improvement from City. Suits Chelsea's interests for Monaco to go out tonight.

How do we know?

Thank you for posting some sense. There hasn't been enough of it in this thread since this game ended.

Only to those who were introduced to the game at the same time as you. The rivalry with ManU is situational; they were the best, a target. We became challengers to their dominance, new kids on the block. A classic script. The Liverpool confrontations created another situation and, in the eyes of many, an even bigger rivalry. Before either there was the Sheffield Wednesday rivalry of the 80s and before that the one with Leeds of the 60s & 70s. Situations change so situational rivalries come and go. Tottenham is the real thing. It's in this club's DNA. Other rivalries may burn more brightly from time to time but, irrespective of what's at stake when the clubs meet, Chelsea - Tottenham is more than a game, it's an event. I'm off to White Hart Lane tonight. It may only be a youth team fixture but who it's against elevates it to a different level. Against other clubs, mundane issues like wanting Chelsea to play good, attractive football, come into play. Against Spurs such thoughts go right out the window. Just win lads, and we don't care how.

It wasn't audible from where I was. Thankfully.

Also 94%. Djemba-Djemba & Bellion.

I didn't remember that. (If I ever knew it in the first place.) I thought Ovrebo had retired after that night at Stamford Bridge. I agree with you though that it was incompetence mixed with over excitement, rather than conspiracy.

Exactly. The City link is the give away. No room for him there. This story reads like a plant by an agent working for Juve.

No, it would be a huge error. Huge. We want to win this fantastic competition. Our club's outlook is to go for it on all fronts. Just four seasons ago we played 69 matches, almost all of them using a full strength XI. Loved it. Love my club for it. When I put my money into my club - that is how I want it spent; on players who will compete for everything, not on pathetic wimps who cry, "It's all too much for us we need a rest." If they need a rest from two games a week (which they are not actually playing), then they can sod off to Arsenal. If they need a rest from just one game a week (which is what they are playing) then they're not even worthy of a place in the Arsenal squad.

Completely agree that an ambitious summer needs to be attempted, and attempted in exactly the positions @The Skipper suggests. Four top signings in one extremely competitive, and extremely expensive, window will take some doing however.

What he said about Barca's comeback is spot on.

To be fair a number of people expressed that opinion about his abilities before he rejoined ManU.

Yep definitely out.

That man should not have been on the pitch when Nicolas slipped. He should already have conceded a penalty, and been dismissed, for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.

But for one little word it would be three or four: - Despite the first leg debacle, we should have beaten Monaco in '04, and would have done had their momentum changing goal just before halftime at Stamford Bridge been disallowed as it should. United started well in Moscow but over the whole piece we were the better side and deserved to win. Penalties should not have been needed. Lets not talk about Ovrebo but we were better than we had been the year before and United were worse. The final held no terrors. That little word is "if" of course. If Claudio had not lost it in Monaco. If the officials had spotted the foul by Morrientes, instead of waiting for him to admit it after the game. If JT hadn't slipped. If Didier hadn't been baited into getting himself sent off, JT wouldn't have been taking that pen anyway. If Ovrebo had actually passed his refereeing exam. If.

Nothing can be told from that comment. It's what he says in almost every press conference. The exceptions have been when he intends to put out a squad team. On those occasions he has trailed that fact at the presser. No trail this time and I'm betting no rotation either. From the moment the draw was made there has been no doubt in my mind that he would go strong for this game.

That's not quite what the quotes say. He never says he turned Barca down. He never even says there was an offer from them. Only "conversations". This doesn't mean he didn't turn them down. It just means he hasn't said it. If he did say no to the Spanish giants, I reckon playing time probably had something to do with it. What do you think?