KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum Capital One Cup

So you think it's good for the reputation of Europa League that the following teams are all still in there but not LFC?

Astra Giurgiu, Celje, KR, Glentoran, Dinamo Minsk, Žalgiris Vilnius, Breiðablik, Crusaders, Malmö FF, Süduva Marijampole, ÍBV, Linfield, Žilina, Kruoja Pakruojis, Celik Nikšic;, Jeunesse Esch, Rosenborg, Tiraspol, Rudar Pljevlja, F91 Dudelange, Vojvodina, Dacia Chisinau, Mladost Podgorica, Differdange 03, Levski Sofia, Milsami Orhei, Vaduz, Pyunik, Botev Plovdiv, Qarabag, Laçi, Mika, Videoton, Inter Baku, Kukësi, Gandzasar, Honvéd, Khazar Lankaran, Teuta Durrës, Víkingur, Inter Turku, Ventspils , Hibernians, ÍF, TPS, Skonto, Valletta, HB, Torpedo Kutaisi, Liepajas Metalurgs, Sliema Wanderers, UE Santa Coloma, Chikhura Sachkhere, Teteks, Prestatyn Town, FC Santa Coloma, Metalurg Skopje, Airbus UK Broughton, La Fiorita, Zrinjski Mostar, Turnovo, Bala Town, Libertas, Drogheda United, Astana, Flora Tallinn, Gefle, St Patrick's Athletic, Irtysh Pavlodar, Levadia Tallinn, Tromsø, Domžale, Aktobe, Narva Trans and Mariehamn.

It's easy to say that we didn't earn the rights to be there, simply beacuse we didn't do good enough in EPL.

The lesser leagues should also have a chance to get teams qualified, no doubt about that. But to say that England's 7:th best team is less suited to be in the competition than any of those teams mentioned above is a bit over the top IMO.

It's OK if UEFA want to have a cup for lesser leagues, but how about teams at LFC's current level?

That's where the 2:nd tier CL comes into play. A very good idea IMO!

I'm happy with a half mix of starting 11's and half fringe / reserve / youth team players. Got to blood the young lads.

It all comes down to who we get drawn against - horses for courses and all that. Someone above mentioned that the teams we put out last season that got beat were strong enough to have won - and I completely agree. Credit to the teams that knocked us out.

I think the Champions League should be for the champion s of each country. Not first to fourth. Just first. The champions. This only view will spread the money out to other countries that need it to get their football back to where it was. I remember when Prague, Red Star etc used to be a European force but now don't have the money to compete.

Exactly Wilkie and why it is called the champions league. Only the champs should be involved.

With that logic, does that infer that we did not deserve the champions league in 2005?

We deserved it because we were in it and won it. But I would like it to be just the champions from each country involved again like it used to be. It would certainly spread the wealth and stop the rich getting richer. It would also mean that finishing 4th isn't any better than finishing 8th.

Thats just my opinion of how it should be but it'll never go back to those days.

I understand what you mean, however with more than 1 team I think football is more exciting for it. Have a look at the champions league of last year we had many great performances from teams that were not champions, infact the winners of the champions league were the team that came 2nd in their respective league the season before.

I think the reason UEFA have chosen to include more teams than just the winner from each country is that they want the cup to be really big.

If we're honest there are only EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga that are worth mentioning when it comes to attracting big money investments and TV rights.

Who would want to pay large sums of money to see a CL group consisting of Partizan Belgrad, Vålerenga, TPS Åbo, Sparta Prague and Chelsea?

No disrespect to the other clubs but they simply dont have the same pull as Chelsea has.

If the name itself is that big of an issue, then let's just change it to something else instead. Sell the naming rights of it to BMW or something. "The European BMW Cup" wouldn't sound that bad really.

thought we deserved to get there, not win it on the nite and I thought we should never of been allowed to play in it in the first place, just my opinion, we were the better team on the nite in Athens tho and never won it...

As to the OP, I think Gerrard and Coutinho and the like should be in the squad, but youngsters and players with a point to prove should start alongside a few regular starters. I'm also really afraid we're going to become to reliant of Coutinho and overuse him. Remember, he's still 21. Ibe Sterling, Henderson, Kelly, Wisdom, and others like them should start, and we should blood up and comers like Texiera and Coady (when he gets back from loan).