Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are poised to clash in the UEFA Europa League final this year.
It is somewhat ironic, as they occupy 15th and 16th spots in the Premier League table, respectively, with three rounds of matches to go.
The Red Devils have endured 16 defeats in their 35 league matches so far, while Spurs have suffered 19.
Their league positions are quite abysmal considering the fact that both clubs are considered to be among the elites in England.
However, winning the Europa League might give either of the clubs an opportunity to feature in the UEFA Champions League next season. At this moment, that seems quite unfair for a number of other clubs.
Manchester United and Tottenham Trail Clubs They Were Expected To Outclass
Both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are more than 20 points ahead of both the Red Devils and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table, which goes on to show just how much better they have been.
Forest were in the reckoning for a top-five finish even a few weeks back and have lost only seven of their 35 matches so far. Villa have lost nine and have played in the UCL this season.
In such a scenario, Forest and Villa will consider themselves unlucky if they are to play in the Europa League next season and Manchester United or Spurs get to play in the Champions League.
However, because of the somewhat strange rules of the competitions mentioned, United or Spurs should get the opportunity.
Performance in the domestic league across the length of the whole season should be given more importance and should be the main factor for allowing a club to play in Europe’s premier club competition.
Even winning the Europa League cannot be considered a good enough compensation for doing badly in the respective domestic league for any club.
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Should UEFA Introduce a Champions League Play-Off?
UEFA could consider having a play-off between the team that gets the final spot for qualification for the UCL with the Europa League champions if the latter comes from the same country and finishes outside the top four or the top five, as the case might be.
That would seem more fair for the team that gets the last spot in the top-four or top-five in the domestic league, as it would offer them another chance to qualify for the coveted competition.
As Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest would testify, watching a team from the same league that finishes in the bottom five, but still gets to play UCL football next season, should be pretty painful for them.
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Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 16.02.2025