Comments on: The Europa League

By: John Clark

John Clark — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:13:54 +0000

European football is a mess. Interest is lukewarm in the Europa league, and we have teams like Fulham using it to blood young players, which may be a good thing for them but it starts to put the league on the same standing as the FA Cup for top sides. What is the answer? I’m not 100% sure, but I think they need to keep it simple. UEFA seem to think the solution always involves complicating the competitions and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

By: Sundip Tailor

Sundip Tailor — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:28:02 +0000

Some idealism may be creeping into your argument. The Italians can’t bounce back in the swift way you describe because many teams in Italy outside the usual top 2 or 3 are impoverished.

Premier League has also done well because it has been welcoming to foreign talent and philosophies. Italy is still extremely backwards with regards to this.

By: Dumitru

Dumitru — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:26:17 +0000

I don’t think the EPL domination will be a long-lasting one. it’s present success is a combination of factors like a long-serving coach(Alex Ferguson), a genial talent finder(Arsene Wenger) and a crazy rich russian billionaire(Abramovich). Before Abramovich brought Chelsea, EPL was not such a fashionable league. Sure, Man City and , to a lesser extent, Tottenham have that money too now, but, it doesn’t mean they’ll succeed. Abramovich brought a Chelsea team that were already qualified for the next season’s CL, so all he had to do is buy a couple more world class players(Drogba, Makelele) to add to the already existing core(Lampard, Terry), and you got yourself a team that finishes regularly in top 4 and plays in CL! Before Chelsea got rich, there was no top 4 elite, there was only a top 3: ManU, Arsenal, Liverpool. it takes time to establish a big club and Chelsea is the exception, not the rule. Hoping you can compete with the elite with a bunch of Arsenal rejects and a mentally unstable, immature kid(Robinho) is far too optimistic i say. Anyways, italian teams will bounce back in a few years and, there will be no more EPL domination. More like a rotation of domination, mainly between spanish, english and italian powerhouses, interfered by periodical surprises, like Porto ‘04.

By: Sundip Tailor

Sundip Tailor — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:58:48 +0000

I think your idea about one European competition is a good one.

Maybe some knockout rounds before the group phase for all tier two teams

The only problem is, what happens when quarter finalists are Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, City and Spurs say?

Doesn’t that make a mockery of a ‘European competition’?

By: Dumitru

Dumitru — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:45:28 +0000

Personally, i don’t think Europa League will ever succeed to get rid of ‘the retard cousin of CL’ tag. I’m for a bigger number of teams playing in CL, like 64, and the canceling of Europa League altogether. The Cup of Cups, the predecesor of Uefa Cup and Europa League, had the argument of being played between the winners of the national cups, and even then it was second CL’s predecesor EC.