The FIFA Club World Championship Thread

[Baddar]

Some people are forgetting the fact Utd won the CL to qualify for this. Chelsea or Barca weren't in Japan because we beat both of them, knocking them out on the way there.

Yes, the competition could be a lot bigger but it is what it is and United are World Champions.

[Matt]

No-one said it was easy to qualify, just that it was easy to win.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Actually come to think of it... it is an achievement, yes it's an easy competition but I've finally just clicked as to why it's so tough.

Manchester United brought their full team to the competition and had the mentality of it being a big thing, and because of it... they won. They're the first English team to win it because most teams regarded it as a piece of piss until they got humbled. The final was nowhere as goal packed as the semi-final... and rightfully so... I'd expect a team that got that far to actually defend once in a while.

I guess it's pretty much the same as Manchester United playing a national team like Andorra, on paper it sounds a pile of piss yet if they stick in defence anything is possible.

[IAceI]

Of course other European teams won't have always put out their best eleven because the last thing they need is an injury at probably the most crucial time of the season.

If someone had gone in a killed Ronaldo you'd be shocked not to see Fergie flailing his arms and asking why they've put this tournament at such a ridiculous time in the season.

Still, well done to Man Utd for actually winning it. It's a nice little idea to bring together the winners of the continents big tournament, Champions League, Copa Libertadores etc. and it'd be impossible to do due to different start times in the season, but it's something that would go better at the end of a season - but I understand that's pretty impossible to do since seasons start at different times for different continents.

I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks of "World Champions Manchester United" from the commentators. They were obviously the best team in, and fair play - they won it. But had Liga de Quito won and then everyone gone around proclaiming them the greatest team in the world I think most people would have laughed that off, whether that's technically their title or not should they have won. But at least Utd got their heads down and actually won it.

[Baddar]

Yeah, no-one is doubting that Dagenham or Luton Town couldn't have given either of the sides United beat "a game". The fact is, everyone involved had to win a major competition in their continent to qualify.

And the argument about United only having to play two games to win it is a stupid one, because everyone knows United had to win the hardest club competition in the world to get there, the Champions League. Surely the smaller teams should play more games. After all, the ones that got far were still put down by guys on here.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Baddar Santa

[Adam]

But it still isn't going to mean anything to anybody other than Man Utd fans. This is only what, the fourth or fifth time this tournament has taken place? It doesn't prove who the best team in the world is, it doesn't even generate interest for anybody other than those in it. It seems like one big money-making scheme to me, you get these big teams complaining that they play too many fixtures with the League, FA Cup, Carling Cup, Europe etc., but when asked to fly all the way to Japan to play two games against virtual nobodies on the grand scale of football, they jump at it. Pointless.

[-A-]

Manchester United brought their full team to the competition and had the mentality of it being a big thing, and because of it... they won. They're the first English team to win it because most teams regarded it as a piece of piss until they got humbled.

They're the first English team to win it because apart from them only Liverpool have even competed in it before, and only once. The other most important factor was that Quito are a massively inferior team to Boca, Sao Paulo or Corinthians.

And the argument about United only having to play two games to win it is a stupid one, because everyone knows United had to win the hardest club competition in the world to get there, the Champions League.

But that makes the Champions League very hard, not this competition? United beat Osaka and Quito, that's it. There's no disputing that the competition has to be the way it is, just that it's a pretty meaningless accomplishment because the teams involved were so poor. The Community Shield is a pretty insignificant competition, but it can still have importance if it's United vs. Chelsea. If it's United vs. Leicester or something, then it's meaningless if United win because they're expected to. 'This is the Community Shield' doesn't make a win over Leicester important and 'this is the Club World Championship' doesn't make a win over Ecuador's fourth best team important.

[Matt]

Hang on, why did United enter this in the first place, they're not even the best team in Europe.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_u92kEMJZ-c