Aston Villa out of Europa cup. Could it be a blessing in disguise?

[CAL4M1TY]

I don't think getting out of the europa cup has helped your chances this season.

Every season is a long campaign and you've basically reduced the number of trophies/titles you can win this season. Also, I would argue that the europa cup is an easier competition (in the long run) then the EPL. Sure, the knock out nature of the Europa cup is much more daunting, but there are less games to play and definitely less difficult opponents.

I'm not sure the added rest from not having to play in the cup will significantly help AV's chances in the EPL, but I guess it doesn't hurt either. I predict 7th or 8th finish this season (Given that I don't think big 4 will change and Man City+Tottenham look to fill out the first 6 places).

Also, if you want a club to build, playing in Europe is crucial. Not just for the experience of playing against different teams, but in terms of building depth for the club, not many middle to top class players who are still relatively young (think: less than 30 years old), will want to come to AV if they aren't competitive in europe.

I'm a Blues fan myself, but I really like AV as a team, so I hope you guys do well this season (even though I predict a Top 6 finish, I don't want Man City to come anywhere near that).