2024/25 Champions/Europa/Conference League Qualifying Rounds

[gary69]

Yeah, Veiga coudn't stop the cross, Badi caught flatfooted with no jump, allowing Crivelli to score with a header.

Jorgensen doesn't seem like what you can call commanding keeper nor a good communicator and organizer of defenders (this might come with time and more familiarity with other players). Made good saves last match, but other stuff is lacking so far.

Chelsea started similar struggling like last match earlier, only 1-goal game now as Jackson's goal is ruled out for offside.

 

[Savi]

Some surprises with higher seeds going out in the UCL. Cluj, Trabzon, Lens,..

Without the trickle down system, the CoL is going to be an awful tournament in terms of quality and attractive matchups. It's Chelsea, Betis, Fiorentina(maybe), Heidenheim(maybe) in terms of 'big' teams and then a whole lotta crap

 

[gary69]

Damn, Palmer hit the crossbar. Still in for nervous ending.

 

[Peen]

Would be great if we just had never bought the Monaco pair.

Disasi has been consistently average and limited. Badiashile, it's mind blowing how good his first few months was but how bad he's been the past year. Just so bad.

We'll be conceding a lot of goals again this year.

 

[Savi]

Sweden with 3 clubs in the Group Stage already. Häcken leading Heidenheim 2-1 away and could make it 4.

Slovenia has Ljubljana and Celje going to the league stage, pretty cool. I know nothing about Slovenian football but I did a road trip through Slovenia this summer and it might have been the most beautiful country I have ever seen, so for that alone I'm happy to see their clubs have some success.

 

[Peen]

Chelsea are so lucky that Fofana has looked like he did pre-injury after looking bad in pre-season.

Otherwise we'd be starting one of these guys.

 

[gary69]

What on earth, early fireworks display before even 90 mins is up.

 

[Evilo]

Would be great if we just had never bought the Monaco pair.

Disasi has been consistently average and limited. Badiashile, it's mind blowing how good his first few months was but how bad he's been the past year. Just so bad.

We'll be conceding a lot of goals again this year.

Told ya.
From the supposed "overrating anything french" guy.

 

[gary69]

Palmer trying to do it all by himself, dribbling through everyone, after Jackson couldn't finish his good pass.

Servette close to scoring a 2nd soon after.

 

[Peen]

so palmer is showing he wasn't a one season wonder given how he was the best English attacker at the euros & his start to this season.

Not sure how many players in world football I'd take over him atm

 

[gary69]

Chelsea are so lucky that Fofana has looked like he did pre-injury after looking bad in pre-season.

Otherwise we'd be starting one of these guys.

They're still probably a top3 CB/defender set in the Conf.League, so they can play all those matches.

 

[Peen]

They're still probably a top3 CB/defender set in the Conf.League, so they can play all those matches.

I’m more so worried about when injuries inevitably hit rather than how they stack up in conference league.

 

[luiginb]

Some surprises with higher seeds going out in the UCL. Cluj, Trabzon, Lens,..

Cluj might have been a higher seed than Pafos, but team value and salaries the Cyprus team was ahead, so I'm not surprised they won 3-1 on aggregate

 

[Prntscrn]

We're back! Let's see if we can remain unbeaten in the group (league) stage

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829256092561617124

 

[gary69]

I’m more so worried about when injuries inevitably hit rather than how they stack up in conference league.

I'd predict that teams like Villa and Man Utd are in more danger of suffering from injuries, with even a decent health Chelsea should be well in competition for the 4th spot.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Some surprises with higher seeds going out in the UCL. Cluj, Trabzon, Lens,..

Without the trickle down system, the CoL is going to be an awful tournament in terms of quality and attractive matchups. It's Chelsea, Betis, Fiorentina(maybe), Heidenheim(maybe) in terms of 'big' teams and then a whole lotta crap

I actually like how this group stage may look. Gonna watch teams like Larne, the New Saints and Shamrock rovers. Would have been cool to see St. Patrick's get in as well so 2 Irish teams made it. Teams that you might use on football manager or do a road to glory in fifa with. I don't expect any of them to do much but better than seeing the same bigger league teams like usual.

 

[Chimaera]

Yeah I'd say that's not ideal.

Yeah, I think there’s a decent chance they don’t go through

 

[HajdukSplit]

Slovenia has Ljubljana and Celje going to the league stage, pretty cool. I know nothing about Slovenian football but I did a road trip through Slovenia this summer and it might have been the most beautiful country I have ever seen, so for that alone I'm happy to see their clubs have some success.

Olimpija smacked around Rijeka today which puts an exclamation point on Croatias embarrassing Euro season, if it wasn’t for Dinamo they would be Faroe Islands level, seriously. And on paper they don’t have a great squad, loads of lower level Croatian league guys which doubles the embarrassment. Rijeka probably didn’t recover from their choke job last season and most of their players probably have heads elsewhere.

I don’t know if it means much anymore but Celje have some Russian money backing them. Nothing spectacular though, their right back is the guy who scored against Serbia at Euros and their manager is former Liverpool player Albert Riera

 

[luiginb]

Rijeka barely advanced against a team in Romania s second division earlier, so I'm not surprised they lost.

 

[HajdukSplit]

Rijeka barely advanced against a team in Romania s second division earlier, so I'm not surprised they lost.

Their coach at the time was spinning it saying that club is easily top 5 in Romania but due to some ownership rules they can’t move up. Who knows…the fact they fired him already and replaced him with somebody with no experience didn’t help either

 

[maclean]

Quality

https://x.com/i/web/status/1828579524004425944

Been 19 years

For Slovan yes…but not Slovakia in general. Zilina played back in 2010 but were hammered. Some team called Petrzalka qualified in 2005 and got some draws

Petržalka is in Bratislava, on the opposite side of the Danube from the city centre and also bordering on Austria. In the public mind generally known as being a classic communist-era giant panel building housing estate.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Chelsea have submitted their squad for the league phase of the Conference League. Doesn't include Palmer, Lavia, or Fofana. Logic seems to be to not over-use Palmer, and to heavily minute manage the Glass Twins Romeo and Wesley.