See, that's the warped logic that sets everyone but a select few up for a fall...
The League, FA Cup and Champions League are prestigious, but the Europa League and League Cups aren't to be sniffed at... Or else why aren't we winning them every year, seeing as they're so beneath us?
You're forgetting there always USED to be a Third European Trophy... the wonderfully named European Cup Winners Cup... simply because if you won it,you get to become the Cup Winners Cup winners!!!
Then doing away with it is what really started the rot...
It all became way too select, to the point they created the Champions League out of what should effectively been the UEFA Cup format revamped.
You already had your perfect format with 4-5 clubs qualifying through league positions, but by allowing 1st-4th into the Champions League, they effectively watered it down, so that it wasn't JUST the champions of each country competing each year.
This automatically lowered the level of quality, and thereby creating the 'Finishing 4th Trophy" monster!
Champions should ALWAYS only ever have competed in the European Cup.
The UEFA Cup would've been a ready made CL format, and the ECWC shoulda been left as the random club competition it often was!
I think I may have digressed!!!!!