English Premier League question

[TheRef]

So who won the Champions League last year?

Real Madrid 4-1 over Atletico Madrid

[CadaverDawg]

Real Madrid 4-1 over Atletico Madrid

Sorry for all the questions....

Can 2 teams from the same league face off in the Champions League Final? Or do they align it to where they can't?

[TheRef]

Sorry for all the questions....

Can 2 teams from the same league face off in the Champions League Final? Or do they align it to where they can't?

Oh they can. And they do. Basically they just seed all of the teams based on where they finished in their respective leagues. Real and Atletico are both from La Liga

[Dawg61]

SB Nation or one of those online magazines did a "what if college football had European-style relegation?" series. It was pretty interesting.

Intro by EDSBS guy: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-footbal...merican-sports
FAQ: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-footbal...ent-relegation
Relegation plan: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-footbal...all-relegation
2012 in action: http://www.sbnation.com/college-foot...all-relegation
Updated for 2013-2014: http://www.sbnation.com/college-foot...tion-2013-2014

All stories: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-relegation

Still reading but I wanted to say that this is absolutely hilarious and would be highly entertaining if it did happen. Ole Miss has gotten demoted twice already haha.

[DudyDawg]

Here's is my kind of dumbed down version of the bigger teams in EPL. I won't go much into history, cause you can find that online, but I'll kinda show ya what you'll get from them looking at them on the field this season.

Arsenal- Wouldnt quite consider them a true title contender, but with one or two big signings they could be. More likely goal for them is to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League (CL). They have a great stadium, and are known for having one of the best playing surfaces in the world. They will play a slower, possession based game built on short, compact passes to score. Their aim is usually to win the possession battle to win the game. If you can appreciate possession and smart, slow buildup passing, then this is your team. Nickname: Gunners

Chelsea- Come into the fold recently as a title contender and winner. Third place last year, not by much. Their russian owner, Roman Abromavich (sp?) has pumped a ton of money into the team. Their big problem last season was that they had no consistent striker, so they just bought Diego Costa of Spain, the third leading scorer in La Liga. Solid defense, solid midfield, really strong attack built off speed on the wings with players dribbling inside to create shots and chances and creativity in the middle. Coached by Jose Mourinho, who is a character on the bench. If you like that kinda coach, you'll like them. I expect them to win the title this year. Nickname: Blues

Liverpool- overachieved last season, finishing second. Best player is Suarez (the biter) and he will miss time at the start of the year. He led the league w 31 goals, so you can imagine the loss. Solid midfield, good attack, some questions in defense. Gave up a ton of goals last season and scored more. They probably have some of the best fans in europe, and have some great traditions. Look them up. They are the team with all the history but not much recent success, but always are a team to keep an eye on. If you love tradition, crazy fans, they are for you. Hideous away unis tho (called kits in soccer, if you wanna sound smart)…. Expect them to finish fighting for the fourth spot, probably fifth, I think last year was bit of a fluke. Nickname: Reds

Manchester United- Second biggest club on earth, best history in England. Last year was terrible for them, but they've added some small pieces that will help them. Play a typical english game of possession and physical defense. Not england's most talented or exciting team, but will be a lot better. Loads of cash, but haven't spent it well lately imo. Great stadium (nicknamed theater of dreams). I expect them to be down again, but not as bad as last season, fighting liverpool for the last spot in the Champions League, fourth or fifth in the table (standings). THey have a new coach, who is the coach of the Dutch, who should bring stability. May take a year or two for them to get back to the top. Nickname: Red devils

Manchester city- Reigning champs. Also new to the championship scene due to huge influx of money. Big spenders recently and probably tied with Chelsea for most talented team. Have a ton of big name attacking options and will score loads of goals. They play a nice mix of possession and fast football, and love to attack. Have some good creators and a very strong midfield as well. A lot of people first getting into the EPL like them bc they play an exciting style. I make a point to watch them, and I'm not really a fan of them. They just play good ball. I expect them to finish second, and really push for the title. Just hard to win twice in a row, so I picked Chelsea to win. Nickname: Citizens

Tottenham- Probably the worst on the list. Have good history, but in recent memory have been meh. Should probably finish somewhere mid to high table, like 6th or 7th. They are in london, and bc of that and their history have a good following both across the pond and in the states. Past two off seasons they sold their best player to real madrid, but haven't gotten much production from the people brought in to replace them. No real title or CL qualifying threat. If you like an underdog, you'll pull for them. Nickname: Hotspurs

Thats all I got, and just tried to get your feet wet. I'm no expert and you can obviously find more on these teams online, but I am a huge soccer fan and want more people to get into it so I can talk about it! Hope it helps get you all into it and hope we can have good discussions this season. Feel free to ask me more if you want.

[CadaverDawg]

Oh they can. And they do. Basically they just seed all of the teams based on where they finished in their respective leagues. Real and Atletico are both from La Liga

So if they split, and one wins their League Tourney and the other wins the Champions league in a rematch....who has the bragging rights? Who is the "Champion"?

[TheRef]

So if they split, and one wins their League Tourney and the other wins the Champions league in a rematch....who has the bragging rights? Who is the "Champion"?

Technically they're both champions...But they will have played multiple "Derbies" which are inter-city games. That's where you determine the true bragging rights.

[CadaverDawg]

Thanks Dudy. Helps a lot. I'm leaning towards Arsenal, Man City, or Everton for an underdog. But going to watch them all play before deciding. Thanks again for the info

[CadaverDawg]

Technically they're both champions...But they will have played multiple "Derbies" which are inter-city games. That's where you determine the true bragging rights.

So no true "Super Bowl"?

[TheRef]

So no true "Super Bowl"?

I mean the best example of a full Super Bowl would be the UEFA Champions League, in my opinion.

[cheat2win]

The Suarez suspension wont kill Liverpool when he goes to Barcelona for Alexis Sanchez and 30-50 mill.

[DudyDawg]

I mean the best example of a full Super Bowl would be the UEFA Champions League, in my opinion.

No Super Bowl as far as domestic leagues go. The champions league final is actually bigger worldwide than the Super Bowl, and my team won it this season so it was great. Real Madrid now has ten, the most CL trophies of any team.

[DudyDawg]

The Suarez suspension wont kill Liverpool when he goes to Barcelona for Alexis Sanchez and 30-50 mill.

Don't think that will happen anytime soon now, and certainly not for that much money if it does. Still could, but he cost himself and Liverpool a lot of money

[DudyDawg]

Technically they're both champions...But they will have played multiple "Derbies" which are inter-city games. That's where you determine the true bragging rights.

Both. One can brag about winning the league, others can brag about winning the European crown (CL)

[hacker]

Are there any stupid salary cap rules or anything in these leagues? Or can they just throw as much money as they want at it?

[DudyDawg]

Thanks Dudy. Helps a lot. I'm leaning towards Arsenal, Man City, or Everton for an underdog. But going to watch them all play before deciding. Thanks again for the info

Gun to my head, if I had to pick my favorite English team, it would be arsenal. Love watching their passing game and their stadium and field are simply beautiful. So I would push you to that. Like I said, if you can appreciate good passing and possession, they're your team

[DudyDawg]

Are there any stupid salary cap rules or anything in these leagues? Or can they just throw as much money as they want at it?

There is a fifa fair play, which is trying to cut down on the super clubs kinda thing of buying anyone and everyone. But it is much different than our style caps and I can't even understand it. But the basic answer to that is no, not really a salary cap. It's mostly making teams pay fines for breaking the fifa fair play rules

[hacker]

There is a fifa fair play, which is trying to cut down on the super clubs kinda thing of buying anyone and everyone. But it is much different than our style caps and I can't even understand it. But the basic answer to that is no, not really a salary cap. It's mostly making teams pay fines for breaking the fifa fair play rules

Good.

Oh, btw, to you other noobs, it's "re-all" Madrid, not "reel" Madrid. One of my friends said "reel" Madrid the other day and it cracked me up.

[hacker]

This probably makes you happy, Dudy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...al-Madrid.html

[DudyDawg]

This probably makes you happy, Dudy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...al-Madrid.html

Ehh. I don't know. Don't get me wrong, Rodriguez is a stud, but I don't want to lose di Maria. He's had a huge year, and we want to keep him. What's taken this likely move so long is that we want to keep both. Hope we can find a way to do that. May have to lose some younger talent, but it can happen. Also been rumors of Falcao moving to Real this summer too, and both have publicly said they want to play for us.