[continued]
I hope that football generally this year is better than in the ones just gone, because the last World Cup was depressing, and the Premier and Champions' Leagues are becoming predictable. There are teams with potential to become very good, but a lot remains to be seen. Internationally, the South American teams and Mexico play very positive, vibrant football. In club football, the Bundesliga is still rooted with its fans and hasn't been forced into unsustainable growth by ridiculous amounts money. We'll see how things go.
Captain Right,
Yet you've gone all the way to the end of the page just so you can type up a comment to tell us that. It's a little self-defeating if you ask me.
If it's seriously beyond your attention span to read a full article, then click on the "back" button in the top left corner of your screen. Don't bother wasting your time commenting on an article you haven't even read.
"Some Thoughts"
You liar.
Indeed, my old Russian Linear Algebra teacher used to begin some of his lectures by saying, "Uh, I'd like to begin this lecture with a brief note on linear operators" which would then go on for ten or fifteen minutes. I see I've picked up his habit!
Spot on, not sure I agree with you likening the European clubs to international teams though, but I agree that the CL was really boring last year, the likes of Schalke getting to the semis says it all really.
Fantastic article sir. I cannot explain the reasons for the lack of competition at international level.
But I believe the reason it is so uncompetitive at club level is due to the lack of numbers in terms of quality. In the 90's for example, a lot of top sides had what you could describe as world class players. They were spread out fairly evenly across Europe - Zidane, Bergkamp, Ronaldo, Raul, Rivaldo, Scholes, Batistuta etc playing at different clubs. In addition, these top clubs often had more than one special player.
Nowadays, as there is a lack of special players, the truly quality players want to play for clubs that can compete, therefore, you often have them all ending up at the same clubs - Barca and Madrid having the pick of Europe.
Brilliant article!
I have to agree with you that the standard of football is falling. I honestly believe that its to do with the spending power of the big clubs that no one else can match. Its been happening in the prem league ever since sky turned up and now its being transferred onto the cl as well. In the late 90's and ealry 00's the competition was a lot tougher because a lot of teams had relatively equal spending power. Now it seems real, barca and utd (city and chelsea recently as well) are hogging all the top players. Both the serie a and bundesliga have fallen away greatly. If each of these leagues all provided 2/3 serious competitors there'd be around 12 top teams battling it out. Add maybe porto and others and you'd have a very strong competition, but sadly thats not the case.
Im not sure if the trend will continue but i sure hope not!
Cult of Personality,
The parallels are approximate, they're general similarities. I was just surprised that I didn't notice this sooner!
I'd really love for the Italian and German teams to become big players in Europe again, but somehow, Ican't see that happening.
Darren the King Fletcher - Balotelli's a Comedy Genius,
The 90s was some decade for football - Juventus were quite some team back then, as were AC Milan. Although Milan are still a Champions' League club, Juventus' demise has been shocking.
There was none of this love-in with the Spanish big two, every country back then had clubs that would run Utd close - and that was with Giggs Keane Scholes Beckham playing, arguably United's greatest ever midfield!
The Next Special One,
The money has definitely gone out of control. Some people say that it's great to see City provide some competition to the top 4. What about the teams that can't compete because City are buying all the players that will get a club into the Champions' League? All it's done is expanded the top clubs by one.
There also seems to be a lack of decent management. Add to the fact that any manager that may have potential to do good things, is never given the time.
Didn't Fergie say that all the managers with the potential to replace him are unemployed?
Probably, I have half a recollection of him saying something like that.
Carlo Ancelotti would have done a pretty good job this year if the Roman Emperor hadn't sacked him. Villas-Boas will still do well, but he'll get the same treatment as Ancelotti if Chelsea have don't continue to replace the older members of their aging squad.
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Some Thoughts
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posted on 7/9/11
[continued]
I hope that football generally this year is better than in the ones just gone, because the last World Cup was depressing, and the Premier and Champions' Leagues are becoming predictable. There are teams with potential to become very good, but a lot remains to be seen. Internationally, the South American teams and Mexico play very positive, vibrant football. In club football, the Bundesliga is still rooted with its fans and hasn't been forced into unsustainable growth by ridiculous amounts money. We'll see how things go.
posted on 7/9/11
i ent reading that
posted on 7/9/11
Captain Right,
Yet you've gone all the way to the end of the page just so you can type up a comment to tell us that. It's a little self-defeating if you ask me.
If it's seriously beyond your attention span to read a full article, then click on the "back" button in the top left corner of your screen. Don't bother wasting your time commenting on an article you haven't even read.
posted on 7/9/11
"Some Thoughts"
You liar.
posted on 7/9/11
Indeed, my old Russian Linear Algebra teacher used to begin some of his lectures by saying, "Uh, I'd like to begin this lecture with a brief note on linear operators" which would then go on for ten or fifteen minutes. I see I've picked up his habit!
posted on 7/9/11
Spot on, not sure I agree with you likening the European clubs to international teams though, but I agree that the CL was really boring last year, the likes of Schalke getting to the semis says it all really.
posted on 7/9/11
Fantastic article sir. I cannot explain the reasons for the lack of competition at international level.
But I believe the reason it is so uncompetitive at club level is due to the lack of numbers in terms of quality. In the 90's for example, a lot of top sides had what you could describe as world class players. They were spread out fairly evenly across Europe - Zidane, Bergkamp, Ronaldo, Raul, Rivaldo, Scholes, Batistuta etc playing at different clubs. In addition, these top clubs often had more than one special player.
Nowadays, as there is a lack of special players, the truly quality players want to play for clubs that can compete, therefore, you often have them all ending up at the same clubs - Barca and Madrid having the pick of Europe.
posted on 7/9/11
Brilliant article!
I have to agree with you that the standard of football is falling. I honestly believe that its to do with the spending power of the big clubs that no one else can match. Its been happening in the prem league ever since sky turned up and now its being transferred onto the cl as well. In the late 90's and ealry 00's the competition was a lot tougher because a lot of teams had relatively equal spending power. Now it seems real, barca and utd (city and chelsea recently as well) are hogging all the top players. Both the serie a and bundesliga have fallen away greatly. If each of these leagues all provided 2/3 serious competitors there'd be around 12 top teams battling it out. Add maybe porto and others and you'd have a very strong competition, but sadly thats not the case.
Im not sure if the trend will continue but i sure hope not!
posted on 7/9/11
Cult of Personality,
The parallels are approximate, they're general similarities. I was just surprised that I didn't notice this sooner!
I'd really love for the Italian and German teams to become big players in Europe again, but somehow, Ican't see that happening.
Darren the King Fletcher - Balotelli's a Comedy Genius,
The 90s was some decade for football - Juventus were quite some team back then, as were AC Milan. Although Milan are still a Champions' League club, Juventus' demise has been shocking.
There was none of this love-in with the Spanish big two, every country back then had clubs that would run Utd close - and that was with Giggs Keane Scholes Beckham playing, arguably United's greatest ever midfield!
The Next Special One,
The money has definitely gone out of control. Some people say that it's great to see City provide some competition to the top 4. What about the teams that can't compete because City are buying all the players that will get a club into the Champions' League? All it's done is expanded the top clubs by one.
posted on 7/9/11
There also seems to be a lack of decent management. Add to the fact that any manager that may have potential to do good things, is never given the time.
Didn't Fergie say that all the managers with the potential to replace him are unemployed?
posted on 8/9/11
Probably, I have half a recollection of him saying something like that.
Carlo Ancelotti would have done a pretty good job this year if the Roman Emperor hadn't sacked him. Villas-Boas will still do well, but he'll get the same treatment as Ancelotti if Chelsea have don't continue to replace the older members of their aging squad.
Page 1 of 1