Will we qualify for the CL?

[Dave]

Id take fa cup win and europa tbh. If we miss out on CL so be it if we win fa cup.

I do think we would be in a good place to challenge for a CL spot again next season if we miss out this season

I don't understand that thinking.  The Europa league has as many matches as the Champions league.  Making the Europa has exactly the same demands on the squad as the CL?

Look at the level of sides AZ are in Qfs compared to the sides in CL. Thats not to mention its the new format so you will play alot of poor sides even in europa. In conference  league it was the older format so i think we can rotate more than we did. Thats my reasoning for it.

And I reckon that logic checks out - but there are too many moving parts to really know what the overall impact is.

Spurs this season and Liverpool last were able to play a bunch of youth / fringe players in their earlier games and still stroll through to the later stages, so hopefully we'd be doing the same next if that's what we're playing in. And I agree, I think a game against Linz or Qarabag would mean we're less likely to screw up the following weekend than if we'd just had the additional emotional and physical stress of a game against Bayern or Juventus. Without looking at the results, I bet last season would probably back that up.

However, Champions League money is probably the difference between us keeping Asensio / Rashford / signing a new striker. So the extra money also brings in extra resources to deal with the harder matches in both Europe and the league.

Which is more likely to get us there, easier matches and less of a post-Europe hangover meaning we win more, or a harder season, but a better squad meaning we win more?

[Smithy]

Id take fa cup win and europa tbh. If we miss out on CL so be it if we win fa cup.

I do think we would be in a good place to challenge for a CL spot again next season if we miss out this season

I don't understand that thinking.  The Europa league has as many matches as the Champions league.  Making the Europa has exactly the same demands on the squad as the CL?

Look at the level of sides AZ are in Qfs compared to the sides in CL. Thats not to mention its the new format so you will play alot of poor sides even in europa. In conference  league it was the older format so i think we can rotate more than we did. Thats my reasoning for it.

The sides are better in the Champions League, but you still need to play the same matches in the Europa. You still need to travel to them. You still need to prepare for them.  In fact, there is an argument to say the Europa would have a more detrimental effect on the league form as the games are generally later in the week, which means less recovery before weekend league games.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be more than happy with a run in the Europa if we miss out on the champions league, but this idea that it would allow us 'to focus more' on the league simply doesn't stack up.  The Conference league has two fewer matches in the league phase, otherwise it's the same format also.

As others have said, if you want to avoid the 'burnout' of playing in Europe, you need to miss out altogether - and none of us want that.  The reality is we need to build a squad capable of fighting on all fronts. We're getting there, but there is still some work to do.  When everyone is fit, our squad has real depth and quality.

[eamonn]

Yeah I don't know if the level of opposition is a bigger factor in our poor results on subsequent weekends or would a Thursday to Sunday be more difficult than a Tues/Weds to Sat/Sun.

Our record in the league post-Conference games last season was better than the CL-league turnaround this time but then again we WERE a better team last season just generally.

[Dante Lavelli]

Id take fa cup win and europa tbh. If we miss out on CL so be it if we win fa cup.

I do think we would be in a good place to challenge for a CL spot again next season if we miss out this season

I don't understand that thinking.  The Europa league has as many matches as the Champions league.  Making the Europa has exactly the same demands on the squad as the CL?

Look at the level of sides AZ are in Qfs compared to the sides in CL. Thats not to mention its the new format so you will play alot of poor sides even in europa. In conference  league it was the older format so i think we can rotate more than we did. Thats my reasoning for it.

Yeah, Conference League would allow us to play the likes of Gauci, Bogarde and Enzo rather than them going on loan. Normal tickets should be £25 max.  I see that as a positives however on the flip side, signing Rashford or Asensio would, and should, be off the table.   

[DB]

Why does it have to be and either / or?
Win the cups and qualify for the CL (which we will do anyway if we win the thing).

[OCD]

I wouldn't be playing up the upside of Europa League vs Champions League. If there's any chance of playing in the CL for a second reason, we've got to jump at it. Yes, the fixture load is difficult when you're combining tough European games and PL games; and our form has suffered this season from it. But it's a learning curve and we've got to get our squad to a point where we it's strong enough to cope with it.

[AV82EC]

I wouldn't be playing up the upside of Europa League vs Champions League. If there's any chance of playing in the CL for a second reason, we've got to jump at it. Yes, the fixture load is difficult when you're combining tough European games and PL games; and our form has suffered this season from it. But it's a learning curve and we've got to get our squad to a point where we it's strong enough to cope with it.

Is the correct answer.

[Demitri_C]

Yep i agree on the points about the asensio ans rashford signings. I mean i would be ok not sogning rashford if it meant we cab get asensio tbh.

As dave sound of alludes to you would think  we coild play weakened teams in the early stages  of the group and i mean we have some ridiculous  options now and i think this team would beat olympiakos  who are in this tournament compared to last season.  I mean look at rangers they are in the QFs and we beat celtic who are better than them.

So i do think we would be fine but the issue is the level of players we could attract. But man do i want a fa cup

[Dante Lavelli]

If we are not in the CL than I don’t think we will be seeking to attract many players anyway. The squad is pretty massive so more likely be one in, one out, with an eye on keeping costs at a minimum.

[Dave]

If we are not in the CL than I don’t think we will be seeking to attract many players anyway. The squad is pretty massive so more likely be one in, one out, with an eye on keeping costs at a minimum.

Yup. If we are, then I'd say making the three loans permanent, and an upgraded reserve keeper if Gauci or Zych aren't seen as being ready to do the job and we're pretty much set.

If we're not, the keeper, Disasi and one of the other two, ideally Asensio.

[Dave]

We need to forget  forest now they too far ahead we need to be targeting  4th and 5th.

Forest i think will have done incredibly well to get CL but they are not going to be able to cope with that and league thats for sure

I am not sure, they have a very tricky run in and have been incredibly lucky with injuries.

The draw with Wolves at the City Ground in August might have seemed remarkable only in its unremarkability but it remains the single solitary occasion on which Nottingham Forest dropped but a mere point against a team currently lower than 10th this season.

That record alone has buttressed this ludicrous push for Champions League qualification. Forest are third in a Premier League table versus the bottom half and the two sides above them – Arsenal and Liverpool – have played more games against such sides.

If Forest were weirdly restricted only to counting their points accrued against the bottom half, they would still be 13th and level with Manchester United, ahead of Spurs.

That is patently ludicrous, but also sensational news for a side whose remaining games are against the teams in 4th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th, and who watched none of the four teams immediately below them win in the league this weekend.

Players and coaches won’t allow complacency to creep in and fans will refuse to acknowledge the elephant staring at them in every room they occupy, but Forest are pretty much already across the line if they just keep on keeping on.

[ChicagoLion]

We need to forget  forest now they too far ahead we need to be targeting  4th and 5th.

Forest i think will have done incredibly well to get CL but they are not going to be able to cope with that and league thats for sure

I am not sure, they have a very tricky run in and have been incredibly lucky with injuries.

The draw with Wolves at the City Ground in August might have seemed remarkable only in its unremarkability but it remains the single solitary occasion on which Nottingham Forest dropped but a mere point against a team currently lower than 10th this season.

That record alone has buttressed this ludicrous push for Champions League qualification. Forest are third in a Premier League table versus the bottom half and the two sides above them – Arsenal and Liverpool – have played more games against such sides.

If Forest were weirdly restricted only to counting their points accrued against the bottom half, they would still be 13th and level with Manchester United, ahead of Spurs.

That is patently ludicrous, but also sensational news for a side whose remaining games are against the teams in 4th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th, and who watched none of the four teams immediately below them win in the league this weekend.

Players and coaches won’t allow complacency to creep in and fans will refuse to acknowledge the elephant staring at them in every room they occupy, but Forest are pretty much already across the line if they just keep on keeping on.

Interesting, good luck to them if they do make it. But I think a couple of injuries could still derail them.

[Drummond]

We're 4 points off 4th place. We have a break to reset and focus and I expect us to go on a late charge...

[Dave P]

I wouldn't be playing up the upside of Europa League vs Champions League. If there's any chance of playing in the CL for a second reason, we've got to jump at it. Yes, the fixture load is difficult when you're combining tough European games and PL games; and our form has suffered this season from it. But it's a learning curve and we've got to get our squad to a point where we it's strong enough to cope with it.

Is the correct answer.

I think what he is saying, and I agree with, is that this season our main aim must be to win the FA Cup, and take the Europa League place that comes with it.  Of course we want the champions league again next year, but I'll be annoyed if we threw the FA Cup away chasing it.

[Dick Edwards]

We're 4 points off 4th place. We have a break to reset and focus and I expect us to go on a late charge...

Although with our negative goal difference it’s effectively five points. If we can keep a close to full strength squad fit for the rest of the season and beat the teams around us we can certainly do it. It’s just that we’ve not shown any evidence thus far of the consistency we’ll need to achieve that.