2023/2024 EL Group B: Ajax - Marseille - Brighton - AEK Athens

[Dragonite]

Ajax is a complete mess at the moment. If you think they were bad last year, you're in for a surprise... They probably wont go 0-0-6, but right now i think they're fighting for 3rd as a best case scenario.

yes, Brighton - Marseille - Ajax - AEK is much more likely. Hoping they will improve for teh GS is finished otherwise they will be 4th....

110.3M€ in signings + the players they already had + supposedly they have a good academy where they can get even more players

No excuses here to fail in a group with a EL debutant and two mediocre clubs even for EL standards

[mavano]

Ajax is a complete mess at the moment. If you think they were bad last year, you're in for a surprise... They probably wont go 0-0-6, but right now i think they're fighting for 3rd as a best case scenario.

yes, Brighton - Marseille - Ajax - AEK is much more likely. Hoping they will improve for teh GS is finished otherwise they will be 4th....

110.3M€ in signings + the players they already had + supposedly they have a good academy where they can get even more players

No excuses here to fail in a group with a EL debutant and two mediocre clubs even for EL standards

It's not an excuse, it's an observation. If you want to ridicule them for it;

Get
in
line

[Dragonite]

yes, Brighton - Marseille - Ajax - AEK is much more likely. Hoping they will improve for teh GS is finished otherwise they will be 4th....

110.3M€ in signings + the players they already had + supposedly they have a good academy where they can get even more players

No excuses here to fail in a group with a EL debutant and two mediocre clubs even for EL standards

It's not an excuse, it's an observation. If you want to ridicule them for it;

Get
in
line

I don't want to ridicule anyone.

I'm saying that even if Ajax spent 110.3M€ in useless players (and among these 14 new players at least some of them should be useful), just with the players that were already there (like Rulli, Rensch, Taylor, Berghuis, Bergwijn, Brobbey) plus getting more from the academy, it should be enough to survive a group with Marseille, Brighton and AEK Athens.

It's "just" Marseille, Brighton and AEK Athens, it's not Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers anymore!

[Polak]

Ajax should able to finish top. They have a strong squad. I think Brighton, despite being debutants as Dragonite says, are good enough for 2nd. They should certainly be better than AEK and the very disappointing choke artists Marseille.

1. Ajax
2. Brighton
3. AEK
4. Marseille

[Firnen]

Brighton will be 1st and easily, I don't know why people underestimate them so much.

Ajax looks very shaky in Eredivisie so far

[matt]

Brighton will be 1st and easily, I don't know why people underestimate them so much.

Ajax looks very shaky in Eredivisie so far

Especially because Ajax and OM are in a very chaotic period. All point towards Brighton in the first place, but we will see. I hope so.
Sometimes they struggle against very defensive teams, against AEK Athens it will be an interesting test, though you told us they are not a typical Greek team in this respect.

[De Republiek]

I'd be content with 3rd for Ajax at this point, and I'm not convinced if they can even achieve that.

I understand it's hard to believe for people who don't follow Ajax or the Eredivisie much, but I honestly have never seen them this bad in 30 years.

[Sillu1991]

Ajax should able to finish top. They have a strong squad. I think Brighton, despite being debutants as Dragonite says, are good enough for 2nd. They should certainly be better than AEK and the very disappointing choke artists Marseille.

1. Ajax
2. Brighton
3. AEK
4. Marseille

Marseille in Europa League have been quite good. Off course right now they play like . Same goes to Ajax. I think AEK will end up last place on this group. Brighton looks very good in England. Lets see how they do in Europe.

[Firnen]

Brighton will be 1st and easily, I don't know why people underestimate them so much.

Ajax looks very shaky in Eredivisie so far

Especially because Ajax and OM are in a very chaotic period. All point towards Brighton in the first place, but we will see. I hope so.
Sometimes they struggle against very defensive teams, against AEK Athens it will be an interesting test, though you told us they are not a typical Greek team in this respect.

And both their starting CBs got injured and will not play tomorrow.
Also AEK has yet to keep a clean sheet in 4 European matches and 3 Greek League matches. Defense is their weakest point.

[Dragonite]

Prediction:
1. Marseille
2. Ajax
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens

I change my prediction here to:

1. Ajax
2. Marseille
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens


I was predicting Marseille to win the group because Marcelino was the only manager with EL experience. Now that he left, I no longer think they'll be able to win the group, only get the second place, and it will be Ajax winning the group.

[Joost Christiaanse]

Prediction:
1. Marseille
2. Ajax
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens

I change my prediction here to:

1. Ajax
2. Marseille
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens


I was predicting Marseille to win the group because Marcelino was the only manager with EL experience. Now that he left, I no longer think they'll be able to win the group, only get the second place, and it will be Ajax winning the group.

[Polak]

Prediction:
1. Marseille
2. Ajax
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens

I change my prediction here to:

1. Ajax
2. Marseille
3. Brighton
4. AEK Athens


I was predicting Marseille to win the group because Marcelino was the only manager with EL experience. Now that he left, I no longer think they'll be able to win the group, only get the second place, and it will be Ajax winning the group.

Why did you think they would be first with him? Panathinaikos knocked a Marcelino led Marseille out in the CL qualifiers? Did you believe Panathinaikos are better than Ajax, Brighton and AEK Athens and while Marcelino couldn't handle them, he can handle those 3?

[Dragonite]

Why did you think they would be first with him? Panathinaikos knocked a Marcelino led Marseille out in the CL qualifiers? Did you believe Panathinaikos are better than Ajax, Brighton and AEK Athens and while Marcelino couldn't handle them, he can handle those 3?

Marcelino has a very good EL record. He's the 14th most successful manager in EL history. He reached the last 16 with Villarreal in 2014/2015, in the following season with Villarreal he reached the semis, and in 2018/2019 he reached the semis again, this time in charge of Valencia.

I think having him in charge was advantageous for Marseille, compared to the other teams in this group which all have "random" managers (actually one of them is "random" in EL, but in CL he's the incompetent responsible for the worst ever Shakhtar).

Now that Marseille don't have him anymore, they lost this advantage.



The defeat against Panathinaikos in CLQR3 was the best thing that could have happened to Marseille, it sent them to a competition better suited for their level. In the CL they would be last placed and their season would be over in December, probably they wouldn't win a single game. While in EL they can win several games and stay alive until spring.

Plus it was just two games, 210'. In six games and 540', not only head-to-head but against other opponents too, I doubt that Marseille would still lose.


Despite not having Marcelino in charge anymore, Marseille still has some very good players. But again perhaps you don't wish to have a detailed player by player analysis, and just a shallow "knocked by Panathinaikos" suffices to judge them...

[Polak]

There you go again. Some years ago with some other team he did this, and some years ago with someone else he did that. This season with Marseille he got knocked out by Panathinaikos. In my opinion all 3 of his EL group stage opponents would have been more difficult than Panathinaikos. Playing them in the EL just because he has done well in the EL before, would not protect him.

[Dragonite]

There you go again. Some years ago with some other team he did this, and some years ago with someone else he did that. This season with Marseille he got knocked out by Panathinaikos. In my opinion all 3 of his EL group stage opponents would have been more difficult than Panathinaikos. Playing them in the EL just because he has done well in the EL before, would not protect him.

It's a new manager, and 12 new players. They start training and immediately on early August, while still building your squad, they have a match. It's normal that they're not ready yet, and some accident can happen.

The "accident" could also happen later, but under these circumstances it's much more likely.

If Marseille had patience, they could be reaping the benefits in a few months. They didn't, let's see if they won't regret it.

Worse than losing in the CL is losing in the EL, and worse than losing in the EL is losing in Conference League. The lower the level, the more unacceptable defeat is.