I DONT LIKE THIS THREAD.   I WANT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, not crappy Europa League.

You won't find bluenose forums talking about this (because they try to type with their clubbed feat and can't read a cereal box)

We are going to be back in Europe after having maintained a top 5 league position AND a deep advancement in a European competition in our first year returning to Europe, with a ton of injuries. To be honest, it's all a bit much to take in. I'm a big believer that real success in sport comes from going up through the gears of success as opposed to a one-off shot. So, one year you make the playoffs, the next year you advance further, the next year etc, until you win. As opposed to "make the playoffs and go like 3 levels deeper than you should" which doesn't work out quite the way people would want. If Champions League qualification in any given year really meant something unique in perpetuity, Everton and Newcastle wouldn't be in their current positions I'd reckon.

I was fairly sure that the Colossus of Rhodes was pretty Greek, so I looked it up, and the Latin word Colossus comes from the Greek Kolossos apparently, meaning  larger than life, or gigantic statue, so carry on.

Isn't it just common sense that he's dropped off form because our very good DM next to him is out injured and the system/style has had to change a bit.   I think any idea of us selling him or being okay with it is absolutely criminal. Once Kamara is back or we sign actual DM cover over the summer to play that role, Dougie will be free and back to his best again.

I expect him to be sold tbh. Had a token start at Man. City in the write off game so Ajax was his big audition and simply didn't impress Unai on the night. He's not some 18 year old kid anymore. He made his league debut for us two years ago this month and played 40 odd games in the championship last year so judging by Unai's comments in March he doesn't think his mentality is quite there. Not looking good his struggle for minutes with Donk loaned out and Kamara injured. SJM and Luiz also missing games in last month through suspension. We will sign another CM in the summer so think we'll sell him and Donk to cover that signing.

Europa League is actually pretty amazing, too -- and we're basically in. Are we going to stop and celebrate that fact? No time for resting yet? Isn't it pretty incredible that we've picked up Europa league almost as an afterthought? Are we ever going to stop and say wow? Maybe I have a lot of the old Villa in me, but I'm still just pinching myself that we're even back in Europe. I don't want to get too carried away, but I love thinking that some newer, younger Villa fans may be a generation who start to think of Villa the way my father did in the glory days. So again ... EUROPA LEAGUE 2024/2025!!!!! Is there an argument to be made for embracing our certain Europa League qualification for 2024-2025 over a hard-won, but potentially taxing Champions League spot we may be less "ready" for?  

Liverpool also now have a free week to prepare to play them at Anfield whereas they have the Chelsea game on the Thursday so very little recovery time and like the one in November they might pick up injuries and suspensions. We pick up just 4 points from Bournemouth, Chelsea and Brighton and that will still be a six point lead over them if they lose to Livepool and Arsenal and draw at Chelsea so that shows how close we are to 4th.

I'm starting to have real questions about Liverpool and the end of this season.

I honestly think if we can get 9 points ahead of them it will just be too much for them psychologically. Just like surprise surprise Man. United couldn't just pull back a 10 point gap in a week as so many were predicting. Yes it still would be mathematical and all that but realistically with so few games remaining now I think teams would quietly concede it's not going to happen. We can get 9 points up on Spurs by winning the two home games. Or if we don't then we play Brighton away before they play Liverpool. In that scenario Spurs would have to beat one of Arsenal, Liverpool or Man. City to finish above us so would really pile the pressure on.