This week has seen the first round of games in European club competition for the 2016-2017 season. Over the last few seasons English clubs have not performed to expectations, particularly in the Champions League, where the dominance of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the emergence of Paris Saint-Germain, have limited their chances of success.
Despite the flying starts made by Manchester City and Leicester City on Wednesday night, there is scant evidence to suggest that trend will end in this campaign. Indeed, out of the four English clubs, it is fair to say that Manchester City represent the best chance of a Premier League club winning the competition in the near future.
On the surface, it would appear there is more cause for optimism in the Europa League, with Jose Mourinho declaring that it is a competition Manchester United are aiming to win, despite his omission that the Europa League is “not the big dream of every big player”. And their lies the underlying problem, and one of the reasons why the Europa League is a competition that is so hard to predict.
For clubs of Manchester United’s stature, the Europa League has in the past been seen as an unwanted distraction, detrimental to the pursuit of more important objectives, such as success in the domestic league championship. This inevitably leads to weakened sides, bringing unexpected results.
For teams who have smaller squads, such as Southampton, balancing the demands of numerous competitions is a hard task, and many teams have suffered in recent years. Another aspect of the Europa League that makes success so difficult is the admittance of sides eliminated from the group stages of the Champions League in the knockout stages.
It is therefore impossible to predict a winner in this early stage, but what one can do is assess the groups that United and Southampton have been drawn, and their chances of playing European football come winter time.
Manchester United
Rewarding Europa League winners with a guaranteed place in the Champions League gives teams fresh impetus and desire to win the trophy. It is something that will surely appeal to Manchester United players, particularly when considering the competitive nature of the Premier League, where seven to eight teams are capable of finishing in the top four. Add to this the fact that the Europa League is one competition United have never won, in this incarnation and the previous UEFA Cup, then one suspects that Mourinho and his players will take it seriously.
If they do, they should go far. However, the group they have been drawn in is trickier than some may think, with no room for complacency. Any drop in motivation will be punished, with trips to Feyenoord and Fenerbahçe unlikely to be easy. A trip into the unknown is also ahead, in the form of the Ukraine’s Zorya.
United will have to manage this group well, but they should be able to manage playing in multiple competitions as well as anyone. Fans will hope that the players who get picked in tomorrow night’s opening group fixture away to Feyenoord will grab the opportunity.
The big fear is that players like Marcos Rojo, whom Mourinho has announced will be starting tomorrow in place of Luke Shaw, are off the pace, as was the case with Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in Saturday’s Manchester Derby.
Mourinho has also confirmed that Wayne Rooney will be left at home tomorrow, rested for the trip to Watford on Sunday. It is unlikely that Rooney will see much action in these early stages, which gives players like Marcus Rashford and Mkhitaryan a chance to get some game time. United fans will be pleased to see Rashford start his first game of the campaign, and with players of his ilk in the side, United must still be favourites to win the game, and the group as a whole.
Southampton
Whereas United have a squad capable of managing various competitions, Southampton in comparison look a team who’ll find it difficult to find that balance this season. Although Saints fans will be looking forward to a campaign of European football—fully deserved after their performances over the last few seasons—they will also be forgiven for having slight concerns after another Summer of major upheaval.
Once again, they have lost big players such as Sadio Mané and Graziano Pelle, as well as manager Ronald Koeman. There is only so long a team can keep losing big players and managers before suffering a dip in fortunes, and although Southampton have consistently defied the odds in recent times, the early evidence is that this will be a difficult campaign.
The Saints are yet to win a game in the league, with two draws and two defeats in the opening four games, albeit defeats away to United and Arsenal. New manager Claude Puel will be hoping for the first win that has thus far eluded him tomorrow night, when their Europa campaign kicks off against Sparta Prague at home.
A win will give his team something to build on, and hopefully kick start their season. Puel has confirmed he has a full squad to choose from for the game, with no injuries.
The group in which Southampton have been drawn is one which they are more than capable of getting out of. Inter are the biggest obstacle and favourites to win the group, but Sparta and Hapoel Be’er Sheva should not hold much fear for the Southampton players.
Even Inter are not team they once were, and haven’t exactly set Serie A alight in recent times. The danger for Southampton is player tiredness, and coping with the demands of the Premier League, Europa League, and the EFL Cup. If they can manage it, they could have another memorable season; if not, then they may be made to suffer.
main photo
