European football, qualifying for next season’s competitions.
What will it take?
Before the end of the week, it’s likely that the race for those two additional European Champions League places in next season’s competition will have become a little clearer. With the possibility of fifth in the Premier League getting one of those extra CL spots.
This is how the coefficients of the top five countries look before the quarter-finals of the three European competitions conclude:
1. Italy, 18.428
2. Germany, 16.785
3. England, 16.750
4. Spain, 15.062
5. France, 14.750
It seems likely that Italy is now all but assured of one of the two places, with four of their teams still active and one of Roma or Milan guaranteed to feature in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Whilst some of us revelled in Liverpool’s 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta and to a lesser extent, West Ham losing against Leverkuesen last week, those results have helped propel Germany into second place, with a very real risk that England could now miss out on gaining a fifth Champions League spot.
If this happens and given Newcastle United’s recent uptick in form, it’s worth contemplating what finishing sixth would mean, in terms of European football next season.
The top four teams in the Premier League would qualify for the Champions League, whilst fifth would qualify for the Europa League group stages.
Sixth place would qualify for the Europa League group stages, but only if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe through their league position. If they have not, 6th place becomes the Europa Conference League play-off spot. This is interesting because it probably means we’d want Manchester City to win the FA Cup in such circumstances?
Seventh place would qualify for the Europa Conference League play-offs if the Carabao Cup winners have already qualified for Europe through their league position (which given Liverpool lifted the League Cup in February, seems nailed on). However, back to the FA Cup, because 7th place will miss out on Europe altogether, if 6th place becomes the Europa Conference League play-off spot.
I’ve always maintained that England needs a fifth Champions League berth, because it will benefit Newcastle United in the medium to longer term. There is also a short term benefit, assuming you’re with me in wanting European football for Newcastle United next season.
If this happens, the top five teams in the Premier League would qualify for the Champions League, whilst 6th would qualify for the Europa League group stages.
Seventh place would qualify for the Europa League group stages, but again, only if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe through their league position. If they have not, 7th place becomes the Europa Conference League play-off spot.
Eighth place would qualify for the Europa Conference League play-offs if the Carabao Cup winners have already qualified for Europe through their league position (again, given Liverpool lifted the League Cup in February, seems nailed on). However, 8th place will miss out on Europe if 7th becomes the Europa Conference League spot.
Ideally, I want England to gain that fifth Champions League spot and for Newcastle United to catch Tottenham in the run in.
Failing that, if we can finish sixth, we would end up in the Europa League next season.
However, in a scenario where England doesn’t gain that fifth Champions League spot and in circumstances where Manchester City don’t win the FA Cup, sixth place would only guarantee admission to the European Conference League next season, with a 7th place finish meaning we’d come up short in our quest for European football next season.