Are English clubs bad for the CL?
Posted on | April 29, 2009 | No Comments
With the semi-finals of the Champions League now well underway, and three English clubs again involved, it seems sensible to wave the magnifying glass over the Premier League’s dominance of the competition.
So is it bad for business? The basic answer, if you are a fan of the three English teams who made it to the latter stages, is predominantly ‘no’.
For the rest of us, the question is a bit more complicated.
On Tuesday night Barcelona drew 0 – 0 at home to Chelsea in a tie which was an example of attack against defence. Granted, Barca did dominate possession, but Chelsea’s basic approach was hardly adventurous.
Many an English fan will tell you that the prospect of another European Cup final involving two English clubs isn’t exactly enthralling. If you are English, part of the point of European competition is seeing anglo teams face up against comparatively exotic and original foreign opposition.
The rest of the continent will just have to lump it for the time being, unless Michel Platini draws up a rule saying English clubs can only play games with ten men or with all their strikers tied together with party streamers.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is, yes, for the most part English dominance of the CL is a bad thing – part of the fun is about contrasting domestic attitudes. And while the likes of big Italian teams and Spanish clubs are largely frozen out by the big four of England, what chance do the smaller clubs have of making an exciting impact?
Remember the Dynamo Kyev side of the late 1990s which caused some of Europe’s top sides so many problems and made the knock-out stages? Such a feat seems a long way off now.
When the wheel turns again – and it will – we are bound to see a shifting of power in the CL which should see broader competition. Until then we all have to let the English sides have their fill at the top table until they are too stuffed to keep up the pace.
Chris Breese
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