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There’s a ridiculous state of affairs the place Manchester United end sixth within the Premier League and nonetheless qualify for the Champions League subsequent season, however it’s reliant upon the membership’s former supervisor – David Moyes.
West Ham are at the moment by way of the quarter-finals of the Europa League, the place they’ll face Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. The primary leg is ready to happen in Germany on April 11 with the reverse fixture on the London Stadium every week later.
Moyes’ aspect are additionally seventh within the Premier League desk, three factors behind United. They play Newcastle within the early kick-off tomorrow afternoon and, in the event that they win by a enough margin, will leapfrog Erik ten Hag’s males into sixth on goal-difference.
Separate to this, UEFA – European soccer’s governing physique – have launched a brand new rule this yr which sees one of the best performing leagues obtain one in every of two further qualification spots for subsequent season’s Champions League.
The progress of Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal into the quarter-finals of this yr’s competitors, and Liverpool becoming a member of West Ham in the identical stage of the Europa League, in addition to Aston Villa within the Europa Convention League, means this can be very probably England will obtain one in every of these further spots.
This adjustments the ‘high 4 race’ – as is customary for the Premier League’s greatest golf equipment each season – into the ‘high 5 race’, with Fifth place enough to qualify for the Champions League. And that is the one purpose, realistically, why United retain hope of gaining back-to-back {qualifications} into the competitors underneath Ten Hag.
Following an abysmal season ravaged by harm and underperformance, United are at the moment sixth within the desk with a objective distinction of zero.
They’re six factors behind Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 9 factors off Aston Villa in 4th, with a a lot worse goal-difference than each of those sides, basically including an additional level to every hole.
With solely ten video games to go, the prospect of gaining ten extra factors than Villa earlier than the tip of the season feels not possible. Clawing again seven factors on Spurs, who’ve a more durable run-in than United and have ‘bottlejob’ inscribed into their DNA as a membership, is a extra cheap ambition.
But, in a quite weird sequence of occasions, United might not even want to leap a spot within the desk to get into the Champions League.
UEFA laws dictates that United might stay in sixth place and nonetheless qualify; it could merely require West Ham to win the Europa League, whereas ending in Fifth themselves, and no different English staff win a European trophy.
If Moyes’ aspect had been to drag off this unlikely feat, it could imply six English groups qualifying for the Champions League subsequent season. It’s because the mix of Fifth place and a profitable Europa League marketing campaign would give West Ham two separate avenues into the Champions League, which means their qualification by way of league place would as an alternative fall to the subsequent eligible candidate – the staff in sixth place e.g. Erik ten Hag and his bandy of merry males.
Although if West Ham had been to realize their finish of the cut price and, say, Aston Villa win the Convention League, this may take away sixth place as a qualification spot as per UEFA tips.
So whereas it could come a decade later than he would have appreciated, Moyes can nonetheless obtain Champions League qualification for Manchester United as a supervisor. Go on David!
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