29 Jan 2026 10:08:54
We were told that this team was not equipped for the champions league but looking at how Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea have done, was that another load of waffle sold to us?

I think we would've gotten on very well in it. What's everyone think? Could we have competed in it this year?

1.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 10:45:42
No. Our squad is poor. We have a core group of 7 or 8 really good players, but the standard drops off massively after that. All of those teams have better support players than we do. If we'd played CL we'd likely have lost a couple of those core players to injury.

2.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 11:12:24
I think we'd have done ok considering we have beaten 4 of the top 8 this season!

3.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 11:41:59
I'm in agreeance ports.

Donred, I disagree. I believed it at the time, but a lot of fans swallowed and took it as gospel what they were told.

Looking at it now. I think we would have been absolutely fine.

4.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 12:09:51
I agree with Don. Mr 32%, your view is an absolute contradiction to how bad you have considered us this and last season. Our squad is weak, too weak to play in a major competition alongside the EPL. We couldn't even compete in the FA and League Cup competitions, so how could we have possibly been good in the Champions League? Beggars belief.

5.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 12:11:10
angel we were really struggling a lot without the AFCON players. Without that core group our squad is what ETH had but actually even worse. That squad was trending terribly for a significant period of time. Honestly I think Ports is correct only because we've had so few injuries this year.

I don't think we could cope with even 2 or 3 of those missing for considerable periods of time. I'm actually concerned if we get one or two injuries in key positions between now and the end of the season.

6.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 12:59:55
DonRed, we have just lost Dorgu for an estimated 10 weeks, and he was really coming on strong for us. I think we will miss him big time.

7.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 15:26:06
Angelred everyone knows your agenda. Amorim said this last season when we did not have Cunha, Mbeumo, Lammens etc. Remember a couple of seasons ago when that squad was in the Champions League. Do you need me to list out the results? He is gone now and you were one of the "I told you so" folks who wanted the other lot to move on.

So perhaps you can stop with your agenda as well. We did beat Liverpool and Chelsea earlier in the season and beat a few last season as well. So its not like we weren't beating the big teams. Its the chasing pack and relegation battlers that will truly tell us where we are. let's hope we go on a run now given that 32% win rate isn't here anymore.

8.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 15:31:21
Agreed Fizz, though with Bruno further up we have more options in attack now. Maybe Amad will go left. Such a pity as he was absolutely flying. And he does appear so much better with the reduced defensive responsibility.

9.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 16:28:23
Our squad is poor. We have a decent not top class starting 11.
We are barely coping with a 40 game season.
Nothing like a bit of knee jerk here and now tripe. Sing when your winning stuff.
The squad depth is very poor Imo.
But if we keep our best 11 or close to it fit I think Carrick can keep us in the cl places and at worst a el place.


If we had a 60 game seadon with our squad we would be on our knees right now.
Remind me how eth got on in Europe when trying to play in all comps.

10.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 16:41:02
Who told you that? Not the club for sure. They really could have done with the additional revenues an ECL berth would have provided. Maybe they then would have been able to afford a top DM last summer. That dire performance in the Europa final cost us big. Let's face it though, every game under Amorim was an ordeal, particularly agains the weaker teams.

So I think with the injuries, AFCON and the dubious coaching and system, it would have been a struggle and we may well not have qualified for the later rounds. but even that would have been better than no midweek football.

11.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 17:58:26
Our best 11 on their best day and with a gale force wind behind them could beat any team in its day
So yes we could win against any team in the cl and would probably have been in the top 16 maybe not the 8 but I think we could have got it if the league phase.
But I don't think we would be 4th in the league at the same time.
Something would have to give imo. The top 8 players are never going to play 50 to 60 games each.
Lammens and bruno possibly due to brunos unbelievable engine and fitness/availability.
Shaw maguire deligt martinez casimero amad mbeumo cunha maz have never done it and then you have freak injuries like dorgou's.
Ww know what happens when you have to play 2 teenage cbs ugarte zirkzee etc
So we could compete in cl with our squad with a fair wrong behind us and luck but not strong enough to do both cl and epl and compete to win either.


That's just my opinion and I suppose you only have to look at eth's european record in the season we started in the cl his win% was 16.6%. With a loss % of 65% we have less players in the squad now. Our league form suffered really badly too.
The squad is not strong enough for both.
Spurs squad is not strong enough for both.
Arsenal's is
Liverpool 50/50 lots of injuries at the moment.
City as per Liverpool
Chelsea have enough bodies and look to be improving slightly. They could cope if all are fit imo.

12.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 18:25:31
I would add Newcastle are struggling in the epl amd came 11th in the league phase of cl.

13.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 18:43:14
Ken please don't be sensible

Make up some statistics which prove how we would have walked the champions league

It's ridiculous. We have won two or threegames against competitors who are nowhere near as good as they can be and people think we are back.

Arsenal City and Liverpool still have miles better squads than ours and they have been struggling.

Apart from Bruno I don't think any of our players gets into the above mentioned teams.

14.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 18:46:28
I think we are woefully short in center midfield. The most demanding area of the pitch. Casemiro is a 1 game a week 70 min a game player now. If we can a clone of him then maybe.

When we rested him for the cup games we lost. Pretty crazy for everyone to think we would do well when we struggled in the two midweek cup games.

15.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 19:02:37
This not engaging fizz? Good job ?

Everyone, just an opinion, I think we would have been fine given what how we have seen other squads perform in both competitions.

UA, no agenda at all - just astounded how a lot of us were taken, hook, line and sinker by a manager that said we weren't good enough, how we were the worst united team in history, how players like Mainoo couldn't handle it. The stats backed it up. Or just look at how we have performed in the last 2 games.

I don't mind reminding those on here, the ones that were quick to throw names at the Amorim sceptics, how we didn't have a clue etc. that maybe it's those name callers that didn't have a clue at all.

I think we would have performed fine in the champions league, not saying we would have won it, but we definitely have a squad capable of competing in it along with the Premier League.

16.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 19:03:37
UA - absolutely agree, 32% was shocking and I think we can go on a run now that that is gone. incredible that it was accepted.

17.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 19:23:30
Salford, i'm all for being positive. i'm all for talking us up and riding the wave.
I generally don't like this sorry of hypothetical because its futile.
All we can do is win our next game.
We are not anywhere near strong enough as a squad to cope with playing twice a week and to win games.
We caught city and arsenal in their worst runs of the season right in middle of epl league cup semi and cl games.

Not diminishing our performance at all which were great.
We've done great and just need to continue to stay in those European places and playing one a week that huge advantage is kicking in let's hope Carrick can keep it going and take full advantage.

18.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 22:39:42
Angel can you just stop with this. You obviously are getting some sort of kick out of it, but it's getting incredibly annoying how you are rewriting history to serve whatever agenda you have.

19.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 23:27:57
Donred, no.

I can have my opinion things and speak about them how I want. Like I said, there was plenty of names thrown out to people like me who questioned Ruben Amorim being manager of this club.

Feel free not to engage if you don't want to.

20.) 29 Jan 2026
29 Jan 2026 23:35:41
I reckon Mbeumo and Cunha get in pretty much any 'better' team mentioned here. Arsenal would love the former right now and I think he'd have been a perfect natural replacement for Salah. Only City have real strength in depth IMO. They all have far superior youth prospects.

21.) 30 Jan 2026
30 Jan 2026 09:30:43
Sometimes, not 'engaging' is impossible, even with the best will in the world, when somebody spouts utter bolloxology that's completely at odds with what he's been spouting for a couple of seasons. Bolloxology on such a grand scale has to be challenged. Read back on your posts for this and the previous season to see the absolute contradiction in your attitude.

22.) 30 Jan 2026
30 Jan 2026 09:37:38
Liverpool fan here and I wouldn't mind Mbuemo and Cunha in our team. And maybe Mainoo too although the shenanigans his brother did is making me think twice.

23.) 30 Jan 2026
30 Jan 2026 09:51:12
We don't have the strength in depth to challenge in both the league and Champions League right now. We might have performed reasonably well in certain fixtures, and I think we would've finished in the play off spaces, but equally I think we would've seriously struggled in league matches following European fixtures.

24.) 30 Jan 2026
30 Jan 2026 09:51:22
Just a note, my post was a bit tongue in cheek and a little dig at the English clubs we beat. Who knows how we would have faired? Under this current set up, I'd be very hopeful we would have done well. Under Amorim, there is a strong argument we wouldn't have but also an argument that we maybe were better set up for European football under Amorim, look at Tottenham. Lots of if's, but's and maybe's.

Incidentally, someone mentioned their concern if we get an injury with our squad, I feel like this shape now gives us more depth despite no change in player personel. Dorgu injured is a stinker but options of Cunha or Diallo across and Mbuemo to the right with Cunha or Sesko up top gives us good options. We are fortunate we have players back from AFCON and injuries. Our bench looks a lot stronger now and people will argue the players aren't good enough but a bench of Heaven, Yoro, Mazraoui (I'd start personally) Mount, Ugarte, Sesko is a lot healthier than previously and sets up to finish the season strongly IMO.