Martin O’Neill has done little to hint that he will treat European football any more seriously next season, criticising the decision to revamp the Uefa Cup into what he perceives to be the equally convoluted Europa League.
O’Neill – along with the likes of Harry Redknapp – this season made plain that his priorities lay in domestic matters by fielding a weakened side in Europe when the season begun to concertina.
It is a problem the Aston Villa manager will once again have on his hands next season having led his side to a guaranteed top-six finish.
Uefa have reduced the number of teams in next season’s secondary European competition but have simultaneously increased the number of fixtures by introducing home and away matches whilst persevering with two knockout rounds even before the last eight.
"There are too many games,” said O’Neill. “One thing they could have done was that whoever comes out of the group stage would be in the last 16, like the Champions League.
"The last 32 is a round too many. I accept there are more teams and that there are teams that drop out of the Champions League and go into it, but you can devise a system that those teams that come out of the group should be in the final 16.
"It should have been redesigned with that in mind because you can see the problems teams in the Champions League have had. Manchester United, going all guns blazing for every single competition, go to a semi-final of an FA Cup and play a weakened side.
"United can possibly get away with that but there's fixture congestion at the most important time of the season. And that's the Champions League. So you can image what it's like with the extra Uefa Cup games."