Either West Ham or Manchester United will be England’s Conference League representative next season – to begin with, anyway, we could yet see some Leicester-style Europa League dropout join them. Clearly it will be funnier if it’s Manchester United so let’s really hope it is.
Here’s how that could happen, and who could be joining the Hammers or United in what is already firmly established as the best European competition? It’s clearer in some countries than others, but here’s how the qualification picture currently looks across Europe’s 10 top-ranked countries. Eighth-ranked Russia get no places for obvious reasons, which means newly restored European powerhouses Scotland sneak in to this round-up…
England
Places: One – 7th in Premier League
In contention: West Ham, Manchester United
Its first season has firmly established the Europa Conference as a brilliant and often hilarious new European competition. It has genuinely been a great success and three European trophies is the traditional and indisputably correct number to be available. But there’s no denying a certain low-rent quality to the Conference which isn’t helped in England – already the snootiest country about the lesser Euro gongs – by the connotations of calling it the Conference. We hope and believe that was deliberate.
Now we already know which teams from England will be in Europe next season; there’s just a bit of finessing to do with who ends up in which one. Spurs now look extremely likely to join Liverpool, City and – Abramovich willing – Chelsea in the Big Cup. Arsenal, for all the disappointment of the last week, are assured of fifth place at worst and with it Europa League football.
Which leaves West Ham and Manchester United fighting for the last Europa League spot. I think we can all agree that West Ham being in the Europa Conference is barely funny at all; indeed, qualifying for European football via league position in consecutive seasons is a hugely…
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