Will we qualify for the CL?

[dorsetvillian]

I assumed we would be forced to go full strength, but will Unai take another Spurs gamble and just concentrate on the final. The performance showed yesterday how difficult we find it this season to play at our maximum twice in a week. I would rest Rogers on Friday. Have hin on the bench,  but he needs a break.

[olaftab]

I assumed we would be forced to go full strength, but will Unai take another Spurs gamble and just concentrate on the final. The performance showed yesterday how difficult we find it this season to play at our maximum twice in a week. I would rest Rogers on Friday. Have hin on the bench,  but he needs a break.

It may be difficult but we have done better that all other English teams in our post midweek Euro games this season.

[olaftab]

Is it wrong  to be happy if Leeds, Man City and Man Utd win all their remaining games?

Yes, always. But we do enjoy wrong in life.

[OzVilla]

Our god awful recruitment is biting us massively on the arse. Players on empty and our Summer recruits giving us nothing all season. It’s like having 3 or 4 players out for a whole season. It’s showing right now.

[Mister E]

I dont think our problem has been injuries - its lack of squad depth.  Expecting the same players to perform week in and week out is a big ask.  We really need to get the next window right and getting in to the CL one way or another will make that much easier. 

Instead of wasting time with the likes of Guessand and Sancho we could have blooded a couple of our academy players into this squad: by the time we had got to this point, they'd have been fully integrated and making a contribution (adding energy and enthusiasm, as well as raw talent).

[London Villan]

Some of this sits with Unai, though.

He could have used Elliot in the run-in - but clearly doesn't rate him, same with Luiz and Bailey. Let alone letting Guessand and Malen go. Then he must have sanctioned the loan of Sancho, who has contributed almost nothing.

[OzVilla]

I reckon we’ve effectively got maybe 14 first choice players for the Liverpool and Freiburg games. The rest are not to be considered unless absolutely necessary.

If we fail it’ll be down to recruitment, we just can’t rotate and put in any type of performance.

[algy]

In other European league the top sides can coast at times as the gap is massive between top and bottom, you don't have that luxury in the PL. By my quick reckoning only West Ham in the bottom 12 haven't taken any points off us this season. I'd fancy that doesn't apply to any other CL chasing side in the other European leagues.

I think this is a good point. We’re not at a stage yet where we’re able to rotate heavily / cope with injuries and still be going full throttle.

I’d really rather us to have wrapped this up by now, but whatever. Win the Europa League and the rest is inconsequential anyway.

Couldn’t care less who qualifies or not for Europe / CL football aside from us. Think ours important to not get too parochial or entitled about these things tho

[Meanwood Villa]

It's a cliche that there's no easy games in the PL. Yesterday was an easy game.

[PaulWinch again]

The annoying thing is that to have 5th wrapped up by now we didn’t need to be good, we didn’t need to be average, we just needed to not be awful in the league of late. Unfortunately on form we’re currently one of the poorest sides in the league and there’s no real justification for that.

[brontebilly]

It's a cliche that there's no easy games in the PL. Yesterday was an easy game.

Burnley were so bad out of possession. Credit to Ollie for his goal but that's pub league defending from their centre backs. It was so easy find our players behind their midfield. Tiredness and sloppiness prevented more goals.

On other hand, we were so wide open when they ran at us it was embarrassing. Reminded me of the Fulham game. Terrible individual errors for both goals but midfield two seemed hungover and left side of our defence was awful. Taking off Lindelof to push a tired Barkley back and then replace him some minutes later with Luiz, that's just plain stupid from Emery.

[itbrvilla]

I dont think our problem has been injuries - its lack of squad depth.  Expecting the same players to perform week in and week out is a big ask.  We really need to get the next window right and getting in to the CL one way or another will make that much easier. 

Instead of wasting time with the likes of Guessand and Sancho we could have blooded a couple of our academy players into this squad: by the time we had got to this point, they'd have been fully integrated and making a contribution (adding energy and enthusiasm, as well as raw talent).

Don't hold your breath. 

[ChicagoLion]

I dont think our problem has been injuries - its lack of squad depth.  Expecting the same players to perform week in and week out is a big ask.  We really need to get the next window right and getting in to the CL one way or another will make that much easier. 

Instead of wasting time with the likes of Guessand and Sancho we could have blooded a couple of our academy players into this squad: by the time we had got to this point, they'd have been fully integrated and making a contribution (adding energy and enthusiasm, as well as raw talent).

Don't hold your breath.

Agree, Emery does not seem to be interested in this.

[algy]

I dont think our problem has been injuries - its lack of squad depth.  Expecting the same players to perform week in and week out is a big ask.  We really need to get the next window right and getting in to the CL one way or another will make that much easier. 

Instead of wasting time with the likes of Guessand and Sancho we could have blooded a couple of our academy players into this squad: by the time we had got to this point, they'd have been fully integrated and making a contribution (adding energy and enthusiasm, as well as raw talent).

Don't hold your breath.

Agree, Emery does not seem to be interested in this.

The problem there is that you're looking at a tiny percentage of players who are not just good, but at a 'Top 5 in the Premier League' level, which pretty much restricts you to players who good enough to get in the top 20-ish sides in Europe ... so maybe the best 400-500 players in the world in all age groups.  So that accounts for what, globally maybe 20-odd players every couple of years?

Bogarde is apparently the best we've produced, and you still get a load of negativity on here around him.  So why would be interested in blooding players who aren't going to do as well as Bogarde has?

It's not going to be easy to perform at the level we want to.  You'd still say clubs like Chelsea or even Spurs are going to be more attractive to a young player from the continent than we are, and that will continue until we've started regularly qualifying for the Champions League and they haven't qualified for some time.  There's the problem we have, we necessarily need to work in the here & now.

[OCD]

We need to have young players who are good enough to be standout players who are out on loan in the championship. We've not had that since Aaron Ramsey and Archer; and even then they weren't good enough.