Chitchat The Official TCSS Thread

[nayr69sg]

Aston Villa last game is vs West Ham away. they are on 34 points GD -26
Watford last game is vs Arsenal away. They are on 34 points GD -27
Bournemouth last game is vs Everton away. They are on 31 points GD -27.

Very tight.

I do fancy Aston Villa surviving the drop.

 

[Baimi]

It is all set for a thrilling final day of Premier League action, with a realistic chance of survival for each team.

Aston Villa (away vs West Ham United)
What they need: Villa are currently in 17th so will be safe as long as they can match Watford’s result, providing they don’t both lose and Bournemouth win.

Boyhood Aston Villa fan Dean Smith achieved his dream when he guided them back to the Premier League last season but it has been far from plain sailing on their return to the top flight. They began the season well but a terrible run in the New Year saw them pick up just two points from ten matches to leave them firmly in the drop-zone. They have spent over £150 million on players this year and relegation would be a catastrophe for the biggest club in England’s second city. Defensive fragility has been the issue for Villa all season, with only Norwich conceding more. However, there have been signs that they are improving recently, particularly in a backs-against-the-wall performance against Arsenal on Tuesday night.

Potential hero: Jack Grealish

Villa’s Premier League survival is more dependent on one man than either of the other sides involved and it could be a fitting end to Grealish’s time at Villa Park if he keeps them up. He has notched seven goals and six assists this season, but none since the restart as his form suffered the same fate as the rest of the team. However, he remains central to everything that they do and his influence in the win over Arsenal saw them through to a vital three points.

Manager’s thoughts (Dean Smith): “We’ve got to go and [win] against West Ham on Sunday. Now we’ve got the season in our own hands and that’s all you can ask for.”

Watford (away vs Arsenal)
What they need: They need to better Villa’s result by at least two goals, as long as they don’t lose and Bournemouth win.

Whatever the reasons behind the decision, nothing could have summed up Watford’s time in the Premier League more aptly than a knee-jerk managerial dismissal. When Nigel Pearson was appointed in December, the club were seven points adrift, but a marked improved in performances to give them a fighting chance of survival. Despite that, he became the 13th manager to leave Watford in the last nine years, with under-23s coach Hayden Mullins stepping into the role for the last two games. They fell to a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday and face a tough trip to Arsenal on the final day.

Potential hero: Troy Deeney

There are better players in the Watford squad, but none better suited to a trip to the Emirates with Premier League survival on the line. Arsenal have struggled to deal with Deeney’s physicality at times and the Watford captain’s "cojones" comments in 2017 showed that he feels he can disrupt their backline. Not a prolific goal-scorer, but he comes into the game with three in his last three appearances and tends to perform on the big occasion. He has scored in wins over Liverpool and Manchester United already this season.

Manager's thoughts (Hayden Mullins): “Obviously it's a tough game against a very good side, Arsenal away and they're doing very well at the moment. We can only concentrate on ourselves, we're not really going to worry about other results going our way really."

Bournemouth (away vs Everton)
What they need: Currently three points adrift, they need a win against Everton and for Villa and Watford to lose.

Twelve years since a 31-year-old Eddie Howe took over Bournemouth with the club at the bottom of the football league, he needs another miracle if they are to maintain Premier League status for another year. This is the Cherries’ fifth season in the top flight and the first real relegation battle after four solid mid-table finishes. They climbed as high as third in the table back in September, but they have picked up just three wins in 2020 to leave them second-bottom as we head into the final weekend.

Potential hero: Callum Wilson

Wilson is on course to be the Cherries’ top goal-scorer for a third consecutive season in the Premier League after also scoring the goals that got them promoted in 2015. He remains their most potent attacking threat, but has struggled for goals since the restart and is now six games without a goal. Bournemouth’s final fixture is against an Everton side with nothing to play for and who they beat 3-1 earlier in the season, with Wilson scoring a brace. They will likely need something similar from their star man if they are to stay up.

Manager’s thoughts (Eddie Howe): “The key thing is while there's still hope we have to believe, until such time as it is mathematically impossible. You never know in football, crazy things happen.”

 

[Baimi]

Who qualifies for Champions League, Europa League from Premier League?
play
Laurens: Time limit loophole makes a joke of FFP (1:08)

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Facebook Messenger
• Email

5:07 PM

• 
  
  Dale JohnsonGeneral Editor, ESPN FC

With Manchester City winning their appeal against a two-year ban from European competition at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, we now know how the Premier League's slots could be filled. Here's what it means.
Who will qualify for the Champions League?
Liverpool and Man City have already secured their places in the Champions League. Third and fourth will take the remaining places.

Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United are battling it out for the final two places.
Chelsea need a point at home to Wolves to be sure of qualifying.
Meanwhile, Leicester host Man United in a final-day shootout. United must avoid defeat to guarantee being in the UCL, and if Leicester win then they qualify. However, if Chelsea lose at home to Wolves then both Leicester and United qualify with a draw.
Champions League group stage: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, 4th
Who qualifies for the Europa League?
EDITOR'S PICKS

• How VAR decisions have affected every Premier League club
• Summer of football: All the fixtures as top European leagues complete
• When will Europe's top leagues finish? All you need to know

Fifth will qualify for the Europa League group stage, which will go to to whoever misses out on the Champions League from Chelsea, Leicester and Man United.
As Man City won the Carabao Cup and do not need the Europa League place associated with it, that transfers to the Premier League, so sixth will enter the competition in the second qualifying round. Next season, this round will take place on Sept. 17 as a one-legged tie.
This battle is down to two teams. Wolverhampton Wanderers will guarantee sixth if they win at Chelsea on Sunday, or if they match Tottenham Hotspur's result at Crystal Palace. But if Spurs better Wolves' result, they will climb above them into sixth.
Europa League group stage: 5th, FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th
What if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe?
Arsenal and Chelsea will meet in the final. If the FA Cup winners finish inside the top six in the Premier League, then the Europa League group-stage berth transfers to sixth place in the league, with the place in the qualifying round dropping to 7th.
If Chelsea, who are guaranteed to finish in the top six, win the FA Cup then whoever missed out on sixth between Wolves and Spurs would be handed a European lifeline.
Europa League group stage: 5th, 6th
Europa League second qualifying round: 7th
This applies to all future references of the FA Cup winners, with a Chelsea win pushing UEL qualification to seventh.
The only way Arsenal can now qualify for Europe is by winning the FA Cup. And if Tottenham finish seventh, then Arsenal winning the FA Cup would prevent their arch rivals from playing in Europe.
If Arsenal do win the FA Cup, then the allocation does not alter and sixth goes into Europa League qualifying.
Europa League group stage: 5th, Arsenal
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th
What happens if Man City win the Champions League?
It won't have any effect on the Premier League or the number of teams from England who are in the Champions League. It purely means teams from other leagues will move up a round to fill the empty slot.
If the UCL titleholder does not take the place in the group stage reserved for them -- so this would be the same if, say, Bayern Munich, Juventus or Chelsea, won the competition and finished in the top four -- the champions of country ranked 11th in UEFA's coefficient go direct to the group stage. For next season, this will be the champions of the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam (they assume rank 1 even though the Dutch did not name champions).
The champions of the Czech Republic (Sparta Prague), Greece (Olympiakos), Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Cyprus (Omonia) also move up to start in a later qualifying round.
Man City have been saved from a European ban next season. Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesWhat if Chelsea win the Champions League?
Chelsea lost 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie, so this seems unlikely. If they do win the UCL and finish in the top four, England's European access list is unchanged but the Blues would be seeded in the group-stage draw.
If Chelsea win the Champions League and finish fifth, the number of Premier League teams in the Europa League would be reduced to two. Chelsea would qualify for the Champions League, and the Europa League place they earned through the Premier League would be vacant.
So, with Chelsea in fifth:
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, 4th, Chelsea (Champions League winners)
Europa League group stage: 5th (Chelsea won Champions League), FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th
What happens if Man United or Wolves win the Europa League?
If Man United win and finish inside the top four, it will not impact any access to either competition from the Premier League. But the place reserved for the Europa League titleholder in the Champions League group stage will go to Stade Rennes, who should have entered in the third qualifying round. The runners-up of Turkey (Sivasspor or Besiktas) and Netherlands (AZ Alkmaar) would move up a round.
If Man United or Wolves win the Europa League and finish outside the top four but in a Europa League place, England would forfeit the Europa League place the team earned (just as in the Chelsea example above). So if Man United win the Europa League and finished fifth, the place direct in the group stage would be given up. For example:
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, 4th, Man United (Europa League winners)
Europa League group stage: 5th (Man United won Europa League), FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th
If Wolves win the Europa League and finish 7th, outside the European places, England would have a total of eight teams in Europe -- five in the Champions League with the Europa League allocation of three unaffected. This is because the place for the European titleholder does not affect places earned domestically.
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, 4th, Wolves (Europa League winners)
Europa League group stage: 5th, FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th
What if English teams win both competitions?
Man City winning the Champions League would not affect the allocation. And as Chelsea appear unlikely to go any further in the Champions League, this is improbable.
If both European winners finish in the top four (for instance Man City, Man United), the Premier League allocation is unchanged.
If one of the two European winners finish outside the top four but in a Europa League place, say Man United, this would be the access. England would play with five teams in the Champions League, and two in the Europa League.
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, 4th, Man United (Europa League winners)
Europa League group stage: 5th (Man United won Europa League), FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th

if both the European winners were to finish outside the top four, then fourth place would lose its place in the Champions League. This is because no country can have more than five teams in the Champions League. For this to happen, Chelsea would have to win the Champions League and finish fifth, with Wolves winning the Europa League. England would again have five teams in the Champions League, and two in the Europa League.
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, Chelsea (Champions League winners), Wolves (Europa League winners)
Europa League group stage: 4th, FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th (Wolves won Europa League)
If the same happened but with Wolves finishing outside a European place, then the Premier League would have EIGHT teams in European competition. Wolves would be an additional team as a titleholder.
Champions League: Liverpool, Man City, 3rd, Chelsea (Champions League winners), Wolves (Europa League winners)
Europa League group stage: 4th, FA Cup winners
Europa League second qualifying round: 6th

 

[Baimi]

The new Premier League season will start on Sept. 12, it was announced on Friday.

The 2019-20 season will finish on Sunday, meaning teams that are not competing in European competitions will have seven weeks to prepare before the new campaign begins.

- Insider Notebook: Lampard loses faith in Kepa; Jovic's Real nightmare

EDITOR'S PICKS

• Who qualifies for Europe from Premier League?
• Premier League: What's at stake on the season's final day?

A statement from the Premier League read: "Premier League Shareholders today agreed to start the 2020-21 Premier League season on Sept. 12. The final match round of the campaign will take place on May 23. The Premier League will continue to consult The FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions."

The EFL has confirmed the Championship, League One and League Two will begin on the same weekend, though there is as yet no confirmed date for the release of the fixture list. Talks will continue over how both the FA Cup and EFL Cup can fit into a shortened season.

The Premier League season will finish on May 23, which means the FA Cup final will have to take place earlier than usual with Euro 2020 beginning on June 11.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant the 2019-20 Premier League season has ended much later than usual. Play halted in March and didn't resume until June 17, after a 100-day break, with no fans allowed into stadiums to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The Premier League organised 92 games over the six-week period to ensure the completion of the league.

KEY DATES 2020-21

Premier League season ends	July 26
FA Cup final	Aug. 1
Europa League	Aug. 5-21
Champions League	Aug. 7-23
UEFA Nations League	Sept. 4-9
2020-21 Prem season beings	Sept. 12
Transfer window closes	Oct. 5
UCL group stage begins	Oct. 20
UEL group stage begins	Oct. 22

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

Watford and Bournemouth are relegated with Norwich

Villa survive.

 

[Baimi]

ARSENAL 3-2 WATFORD
EVERTON 1-3 BOURNEMOUTH
WEST HAM 1-1 ASTON VILLA
Bournemouth with all the fighting spirit
relegated together with Watford and Norwich.

 

[nayr69sg]

Watford going down. Good riddance.

Bournemouth going down. That saves Eddie Howe's job.

Brendan Rodgers once again close but not enough. LOL!

Chelsea finished the job.

Top 4 LFC, MAN CITY, CHELSEA, MAN U

Mourinho didn't get the job done.

 

[nayr69sg]

ARSENAL 3-2 WATFORD
EVERTON 1-3 BOURNEMOUTH
WEST HAM 1-1 ASTON VILLA
Bournemouth with all the fighting spirit
relegated together with Watford and Norwich.

Yeah to beat Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison is quite an achievement. But too bad.

 

[Baimi]

CHELSEA 2-0 WOLF
LEICESTER 0-2 MAN U
Liverpool. Man City, Chelsea and Man U
qualify for CL.

 

[Baimi]

Watford going down. Good riddance.

Bournemouth going down. That saves Eddie Howe's job.

Brendan Rodgers once again close but not enough. LOL!

Chelsea finished the job.

Top 4 LFC, MAN CITY, CHELSEA, MAN U

Mourinho didn't get the job done.

Mourinho did get the job done by qualifying in the EUFA league.

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

Bournemouth got relegated because VAR didn’t work in the Aston Villa Vs Sheffield United game.
The ball clearly crossed the line.
Desperately unlucky.

 

[nayr69sg]

CHELSEA 2-0 WOLF
LEICESTER 0-2 MAN U
Liverpool. Man City, Chelsea and Man U
qualify for CL.

Leicester is not a CL team. Very clear.

Man U will struggle if they dont buy new players.

 

[nayr69sg]

Mourinho did get the job done by qualifying in the EUFA league.

He did?

Ok my bad. They only drew with Crystal Palace. I guess ManU winning helped Spurs.

 

[Baimi]

He did?

Ok my bad. They only drew with Crystal Palace. I guess ManU winning helped Spurs.

No. Because Wolf lost to Chelsea, and Spurs over take Wolf by GD.

 

[nayr69sg]

No. Because Wolf lost to Chelsea, and Spurs over take Wolf by GD.

So spurs had to draw to have a chance. I see.

Sorry so many last day stuff. The Europa one was the least interesting to me. Haha.

Relegation interesting cos then can see which club can go raid their players.

 

[Baimi]

So spurs had to draw to have a chance. I see.

Sorry so many last day stuff. The Europa one was the least interesting to me. Haha.

Relegation interesting cos then can see which club can go raid their players.

Yes, but now bad econ, Arsenal also want to qualify for Europa by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup this Sunday. At least can have some money to buy players.

 

[nayr69sg]

Yes, but now bad econ, Arsenal also want to qualify for Europa by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup this Sunday. At least can have some money to buy players.

FA cup win for Arsenal will mean more for Arsenal than Chelsea.

Lose and the season will be very bad for Arsenal.

 

[Baimi]

Bournemouth got relegated because VAR didn’t work in the Aston Villa Vs Sheffield United game.
The ball clearly crossed the line.
Desperately unlucky.

Yes, so I thought it is costly for Sheffield earlier, but now it is more costly for Bournemouth. Eddie Howe is cursing the
VAR.

 

[nayr69sg]

Yes, so I thought it is costly for Sheffield earlier, but now it is more costly for Bournemouth. Eddie Howe is cursing the
VAR.

I think by getting relegated Eddie Howe job is safe.

If they survived he might be sacked.

 

[Baimi]

Wolves can qualify for CL if they win the Europa Cup. But Wolves will meet Man U in the S-Final if both teams proceed.