In less than a month, the Premier League will complete the whole season, and the qualification for the three major European cups that many fans are concerned about has basically determined five teams. The final two European spots are expected to be contested by Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea, with United having an advantage over the other two.
According to the latest Europa League points released by UEFA, the Premier League has been pulled away by the Bundesliga, and even if Aston Villa finally wins the title, it will be difficult to overtake the Bundesliga. It means that the Premier League will not be able to get the top two places this season, and the "reward" places in the Champions League will not be obtained. As a result, the Premier League retains four Champions League places, two Europa League places, and one UEFA Conference Cup (UEFA Cup) spot.
At present, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are basically locked in three Champions League qualifications, Aston Villa and Tottenham, who can finish fourth, will get the last Champions League qualification, and the losing team can only participate in the Europa League. The last two European places, one in the Europa League and one in the Europa League, face considerable competition.
According to the Premier League standings, with only 44 points, Brighton, who are in tenth place, basically miss next season's European competition, although West Ham is eighth, but because of two more games, it is difficult to be competitive. Newcastle and Manchester United, who are tied on 50 points, and Chelsea, who are ninth on 47 points, will battle it out for two European places.
Interestingly, since Manchester United reached the final of the FA Cup, the winner of the FA Cup could qualify for the Europa League. Therefore, Manchester United has an advantage over Newcastle and Chelsea, as long as Manchester United can finish in the top seven of the Premier League, they will definitely participate in next season's European competition.
Therefore, if Manchester United beat Manchester City and win the FA Cup, Manchester United can participate in the Europa League, if Manchester United finish sixth in the Premier League, then the seventh place in the Premier League will play in the European Cup, otherwise, the sixth place in the Premier League will play in the Europa League and the seventh place will miss out on the European competition. If United don't win the FA Cup, it will be much easier, with sixth place in the Premier League going to the Europa League and seventh in the Premier League going to the Europa League.
Many people may feel that the Europa League, or even the Europa League, is not very attractive to the big teams, and it will be more beneficial not to participate, and there is no need for two matches a week, and the pressure on the schedule will be greatly reduced. However, Chelsea's experience this season shows that Pochettino has not been able to make the team better, even without the constraints of the European competition. Facing Liverpool with an incomplete lineup, they could only finish second in the League Cup, and facing Manchester City, which was physically exhausted, but stopped at the FA Cup semi-finals. Therefore, just because there are domestic competitions does not mean that the team will be more competitive, and sometimes, pressure is also a kind of motivation.
Ten Hag said at a press conference that Manchester United cannot give up qualification for the Europa League or the European Cup, and in addition to the FA Cup, in the final stage of the Premier League, striving for a higher ranking and striving for a place in the European competition is an important goal for the team. With Champions League teams not going back in the Europa League next season, think about it, if they can play in the Europa League or Europa League, Manchester United will be the favourites to win the tournament.
At least, in a sense, the European championship is better than the League Cup winner, and the Europa League winner can also lock in a Champions League spot, which should have a certain attraction for the stormy Manchester United and Chelsea. Champions, big or small, and more importantly, whether they have ever had them.