So I voted keep in this scenario. However, here is my concern and why I value the league.
The league is 38 games and the level of competition is equal for each team. It is a long drawn out season and it reflects the ups and downs in form throughout the entire season.
Europa is 15 games. 6 of those are group stage games which aren't relevant if you are a halfway decent team.
You might have 6-7 games in the knockout stage against halfway decent competition. United won this cup with Jose in 2016/17 by playing Saint Etienne, Rostov, Anderlecht, and Celta Vigo (and needed a last minute flubbed shot) in the knockouts, and a young Ajax team (with Davinson Sanchez) in the final.
So unless you are counting Dinamo Zagreb, we have yet to play a decent team and will be through to the last 8. (No, I'm not counting Antwerp who lost to Rangers 9-5) Winning a few matches vs decent teams is good but it tells you nowhere near as much about a team as a 38 game season does.
I want sustainable success; not a flash in the pan, and league performance is a more realistic indicator than a europa league trophy, so if we finish 10th it would be concerning.
So you’d be more concerned by finishing 10th and winning trophies than being billed as having one of the best teams and manager in Europe, while celebrating 4th spot and throwing cups out the window?
And correct me if I’m wrong, while you slag off the competition in the EL, wasn’t Burnley one of the worst teams we’ve ever faced the other day? It was still nice to play well though wasn’t it.
Wolfsberger were actually better.
Plus there’s EL teams, LA Liga and Serie A sides in the cup, who at some point you need to beat.
We have City, the best team in the world in a final soon. How’s that for a tester of where we are?
But people still calling it worthless because we only faced one PL team on the way.
I don’t get this idea we need a marker of where we are, and that can only be done in the PL, by playing maybe ten teams a season that are no better than what we’ve faced in the EL or Carabou.
We know what we are. A talented team, with some excellent players, some average players and some poor players.
Unbeatable on our day, atrocious off it.
The only marker I need to know is have we grown a winners mentality yet, and coming 4th doesn’t answer that.
Winning trophies will.