5AS Champs League & Europa Cup - opinions needed

[RomynPG]

Hi,

5AS Champions League and Europa Cup qualification begins in GW20 as it's a competition for the 2nd half of the season.

I'm pretty settled on the format I used last year that allows for different team counts without having to rejig things each season:-

Champs: 16 teams - group stages (4x4) top 2 from each group (8) through to knockout stages etc
Europa: Remaining teams in a league with top 8 going through to knockout.

Qualification is simple league format with top x going to the Champs and remainder to the Europa.

What I'm seeking opinions on is the x - or more to the point how many teams should prequalify for the Champs League.

Last year it was the previous seasons H2H winners and Champs League winners - should this be expanded or is that enough?

I think last seasons Europa Cup winners should get an automatic slot as well but should runners-up in H2H & Champs (not Europa) also get a place?

Thoughts?


disclaimer: Incredibles were Champs League runners-up last season.

[blahblah]

So 5 pre-qualifying? If so that sounds about right to me.

[MoSe]

Soooo.... it's as if Liverpool would have qualified for UCL group stage for being UCL finalists even if they'd have got 8th in PL last season?

Voted for runnerups having to go thru normal qualification

Btw, only now I realise (or I had forgotten) that the mixed-qualification format stemming from TD's objection 2 seasons ago (half the places for top teams in this season H2H overall to date, and only the remaining ones from the few recent weeks qualification) was dropped in favour of a straight qualification starting gw20 for all non-prequalified teams

[Ruth_NZ]

Just the three for me but you are running it, I'm sure no-one will mind whatever you do.

I have to say that I paid virtually no attention to the CL thing last season. One 5AS competition is enough to focus on for me. Mind you, maybe that will change if Compadres actually score a point or two, we were miserable in CL last time. I believe the correct terminology for that is "we were focused on the league".

[MoSe]

Just the three for me but you are running it, I'm sure no-one will mind whatever you do.

Indeed RPG I recall that when before starting my rookie admin season in Divisionals I started a poll about which division structure players preferred, I got no more than a dozen votes (or likelier fewer), but above all I got told something in the lines of "toughen up / don't be cautious / you're the admin now, i.e. it's you who has to take decisions now"

[Ruth_NZ]

Just the three for me but you are running it, I'm sure no-one will mind whatever you do.

Indeed RPG I recall that when before starting my rookie admin season in Divisionals I started a poll about which division structure players preferred, I got no more than a dozen votes (or likelier fewer), but above all I got told something in the lines of "toughen up / don't be cautious / you're the admin now, i.e. it's you who has to take decisions now."

Yeah, but you weren't trying to gerrymander things to get your team into a higher division.

[Mo Bot]

Winning a trophy should be rewarded with automatic qualification IMO.
I’d swither over a top 4 finish to be more like real life but then you potentially have 6 prequalified which seems too much.

[Ruth_NZ]

Good idea. Winners CL & EL and top two H2H. That gives primacy to the season-long league, which is as it should be.

[andybarrell]

Winners only for me, 3 qualifiers

[Talkie Toaster]

I'm not going to object to whichever of these options you eventually go with.

I seem to remember some time ago you saying that the point of the Champions League and Europa Cup competitions was to give those teams that have had a poor start in the 1st half of the season something to play for in the 2nd half, rather than rewarding those that had done well in the league in the previous season, so I'd favour giving places based on cup performance over league performance as they can often be quite random and don't compromise the principle.

I've voted for the 5 qualifiers anyway.

Another option might be to only give automatic qualification to the League, CL and EC winners, but if any of them would have qualified anyway then give places to the runners up, if they need them.

[RomynPG]

Thanks for your views all - I think I'm going to go with the 3 trophy carrying teams getting auto-quallification.

couple of comments...

Yes - CL & EC should be games for the 2nd half of the season with gw1-19 counting for zero.

While the H2H has become the focus of 5AS the "main" game should be the original 5AS league - which isn't tracked any more although I do have the data. The reason 5AS has the transfer rules it does is because of that game. Maybe I'll start compiling that and the 5AS League winners also get a spot in the CL.

CL & EC games will be announced soon - qualification beginning GW20

[blahblah]

What was the original? (My memory is pants )