Can we take the Europa League seriously?
The Europa League qualifying rounds continue in earnest with Liverpool now joining the fray. However, Europe’s second-tier competition has come under criticism for being too bloated and being a haven for Champions League failures.
The Europa League format is like a maze to navigate through, and certainly some English sides long for the exit. Clubs lucky enough to avoid early qualifiers still have to play in a play-off round over two legs,to even get to a six-match group stage of four teams. The top two teams advance which should leave 24, however UEFA parachute 8 Champions League sides who finished 3rd in their Champions League groups into the first knockout round leaving 32 teams. So, teams advancing from the Europa League group stage have to play eight games (or more) to get to the first knockout phase, no wonder British sides tend to put out second string sides, such as Tottenham last season. Fulham’s epic run to the final three seasons ago saw them accumulate over half a Premier League’s season’s worth of games to get to the final.
The gulf in prize money between the Champions League and the Europa League also appear to provide more evidence of why some teams don’t bother. Obviously, the tournament can provide huge benefits for sides with little chance of qualifying for the Champions League. A case in point being Shamrock Rovers from the Republic of Ireland becoming the first Irish side in history to qualify for a major tournament. Their run provided a financial boost of nearly £1 million.
However, considering the financial strength of the Premier League, the Europa League money for English sides pales almost into insignificance, and success in the Premier League is a higher priority. Major alterations need to happen for the competition to be looked at more favourably by the top sides, otherwise it will continue to be a unnecessary distraction in most managers’ eyes.
Newcastle are in it this year, I’d love to see us win it just because it’s been so long since we’ve won anything. Having said that, I wouldn’t be too disappointed with not winning it, just because it’s not a prestigious competition. If we were in the Champions League, I’d obviously feel different. If we did win the EL, yeah, I’d be happy about it, but it would be quickly forgotten about.
It is ridiculous how many games teams have to play though. I kind of felt bad for Fulham last year. It might be a more attractive competition if the teams that get knocked out of the CL group stage didn’t automatically get a spot in EL. It’s unfair on the teams that qualified for the EL and the bigger clubs only see it as a secondary competition, something they have to settle for. Those that qualify for the EL won’t see the point in competing if the teams knocked out of the CL automatically have a chance of winning the EL.You’re right, changes need to be made to the Europa League.
In my eyes the Europa League is massively devalued by parachuting Champions League failures into it. It was possibly a move made to pander to the big clubs, but (as English football fans saw with both Manchester teams) the big clubs don’t care.
Conversely it would gain some prestige and value if an automatic qualification for the following season’s CL were offered as a prize.
I am an old fogey!
I much preferred the old times of three KO competitions – the European Cup (for the Champions of each country); the European Cup Winners Cup (for the Cup Winners of each country); and the UEFA Cup (for te ‘best of the rest’ from each country). Each two-leg round mattered, because it was death or glory. Great nights, great spectacle, great excitement!
You could happily watch a match between two teams you did not have an affinity for because they would both be “going for it”.
OK maybe the old competitions might have had a better seeding arrangements, so that the “big” teams did not end up meeting each early, with the loser losing out on a long run and the associated revenues.
However, the two current competitions are boring and constructed just to ensure that the clique of about 14 clubs – you know who they are – qualify each year and amass so much money that they will always be better than the other clubs in their country, so that they will always qualify each year (for the Champions League) and amass lots of money.
Having the Europa Cup played on a Thursday is just the equivalent of Musak in a supermarket – there has to be football on TV every night to keep the numpties happy!
It’s all about money and not about the fans.
Apologies if I sound like a grumpy old man – it’s because I am a grumpy old man!!
Leave your response!
I am a massive Tottenham Hotspur fan and like to express my views on anything and everything! Please like my facebook page to find out more http://www.facebook.com/JohnPetersBlog?ref=hl
Recent Articles
The Good Stuff
Most Commented