Does the English Premier League deserve more Champions League Spots ?
- Thread starter kkkkasd
- Start date
W
woobie
Guest
What Manuel said. And Guardian.
Just...no. No, England doesn't deserve more CL spots.
Just...no. No, England doesn't deserve more CL spots.
Deco 20
Scandinavian 101
Just because the english invented the football game that doesn't mean they should get all around. You see, the Greeks invented the sex, well, the Romans introduced it to the women, but I don't see any Greek or Italian pretending that they have more of it. Just my thoughts
wut?
AnfieldEd
I am Leg End
AnfieldEd
I am Leg End
Just because the english invented the football game that doesn't mean they should get all around. You see, the Greeks invented the sex, well, the Romans introduced it to the women, but I don't see any Greek or Italian pretending that they have more of it. Just my thoughts
Speak for yourself...as a Greek Cypriot I am sorted in that department
RedMadridista
The Troll Hunter
lol
barcetia
Mikrofonkåt
Though on a side note currently the 5th and 6th teams in the epl would beat the 3rd and 4th teams in la liga
dalitis8
Banned
This season, England, Spain and Italy got 4 places.
England: Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal.
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Villarreal.
Italy: AC Milan, Internazionale, Napoli, Udinese. (Udinese were eliminated by Arsenal in the non-champions play-off round)
So it is the three top leagues that enjoy the luxury of sending 4 teams to the Champions League (from next season, Germany replaces Italy)
Now, after clarifying that, let's get into the gist of your argument (or lack thereof)
It is true that for the past few years, the EPL has enjoyed a massive financial advantage over the other major European leagues. This has partly been translated on the football pitch by England's big four, but no one else.
This financial advantage has mainly to do, with the extremely lucrative TV rights that the EPL has managed to sell to Arab countries and East Asia. (EPL gets 4 times as much from overseas TV rights than does La Liga currently, but the aim of La Liga is to boost that revenue in the near future)
Overall, the EPL generates around 2.5bln per annum, whereas Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga around a billion less than that. But for all its financial supremacy, the EPL has not achieved very much. I have many times noted on this forum, that EPL's on-pitch advantage, has more to do with the two oil-sponsored clubs, and not its fabulous commercial revenues. My point is that without the Russian and the Arabs, the EPL would have been nothing really special (could conceivably been weaker than the other 3, surely vis a vis La Liga)
So, to conclude, what would be the rationale for European football by rewarding an already privileged league?
In fact, I have a different, and much more radical suggestion. Limit foreign players to a max of three (like in times of old) so that football nations that actually produce talent will be rewarded, and so that financial superiority cannot be readily translated on the pitch. A rule like the one that I am suggesting, will greatly improve competitiveness across Europe as well as within nations for very obvious reasons. Oh, and if such a rule comes into play, the mighty EPL, will really, really be tested...
*Real Madrid and Barcelona are not always many levels above the rest in Spain. In fact this is an extremely recent phenomenon (last 3 years or so) Remember that in 2007/08, Villarreal finished 2nd, above Barca. In 2006/07, Sevilla was fighting for the league title until the penultimate jornada. During the late nineties and early noughties, Deportivo de La Coruna and Valencia were just as potent as Madrid and Barca. In 1996, Atletico (yes, Pathetico, won a domestic double) in the early 1980s, Sociedad and Bilbao, dominated for half a decade. So your first point goes out of the window.
**As someone else noted, the combined coefficient of Real Madrid and Barca is lower than that of Chelsea and Man Utd. So, what you call an "unnatural boost" is a myth.
***More importantly, even if it were true, I cannot see what the problem is. The same can be said, about the EPL's top 4. By extending your logic, one could claim that the EPL's number one UEFA ranking is all down to the "Big |Four" -> an "unnatural advantage"
****Places 3-6, is where the EPL is the strongest in relation to other leagues, and especially La Liga (as things now stand at least) It seems to me that you are using this point to declare your admiration for the EPL, which is perfectly legit, but I would rather you came out and stated your preference clearly, instead of taking the long way round.
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Ode to Django
You're not even a real journalism
AnfieldEd
I am Leg End
Remind me again when Liverpool played Valencia pre season who won
and um yeah you seriously expect Levante to beat either Spurs or Liverpool.......yeah right 
As it stands Liverpool & Spurs > Levante and Valencia
Manuel Traquete
New member
Good comment overall, but this here is the biggest myth of all. All evidence points 1-2 being fairly equal (although this season it's probably advantage Spain, but over the past five years it's slight advantage to England due to Madrid's shortcomings), 3-4 advantage England, 5-7 advantage Spain.
If the 5-7 teams from England are so strong, they can prove that by out performing their Spanish counterparts in the Europa League. But they do not, in fact Spanish teams have far outperformed English teams in the Europa League. PL fans love to boost that their league has more depth, but until they can prove it and 5-7th English teams start outperforming 5-7th Spanish teams in the competition designated for that effect, it's no more than wishful thinking not backed up by any meaningful facts.
AnfieldEd
I am Leg End
Most the english clubs in the europa don't take it seriously. That is unfortunately a fact.
Only we and Fulham have taken it seriously in recent years. The likes of Spurs, Portsmouth, Villa, Everton etc played their reserve team or fringe players in that competition as to preserve their status in the premier league. So for them the priority is not europa at all.
The perception is that it is a hinderance rather than a great opportunity, which is a shame.
Even still from the year 2000 the difference is not that big.
From 2000 England have been represented in 4 finals:- Arsenal in 2000, Liverpool in 2001, Middlesbrough in 2005 and Fulham in 2009.
From 2000 Spain have been represented in 6 finals:- Alaves in 2001, Valencia in 2004, Sevilla in 2005, Sevilla and Espanyol in 2006 and Atletico in 2009.
So the myth spanish teams "greatly outperform" english teams in europa is also a big myth.
Only we and Fulham have taken it seriously in recent years. The likes of Spurs, Portsmouth, Villa, Everton etc played their reserve team or fringe players in that competition as to preserve their status in the premier league. So for them the priority is not europa at all.
The perception is that it is a hinderance rather than a great opportunity, which is a shame.
Even still from the year 2000 the difference is not that big.
From 2000 England have been represented in 4 finals:- Arsenal in 2000, Liverpool in 2001, Middlesbrough in 2005 and Fulham in 2009.
From 2000 Spain have been represented in 6 finals:- Alaves in 2001, Valencia in 2004, Sevilla in 2005, Sevilla and Espanyol in 2006 and Atletico in 2009.
So the myth spanish teams "greatly outperform" english teams in europa is also a big myth.
W
woobie
Guest
Well, not so much ed. How many of the Europa League/UEFA Cups in the last few years have been won by English teams? How many by Spanish teams?
Pretty sure you'll find the Spanish winning that one easily.
Pretty sure you'll find the Spanish winning that one easily.
Manuel Traquete
New member
I'm afraid that's their problem and doesn't constitute a valid excuse. If they don't want to compete in Europe, they can refuse to and let someone else go (the team immediately below them in the table), but once they're in they're representing England.
If the English are so convinced that their 5-7 teams are stronger than their Spanish counterparts, they have their chance to prove that in the Europa League, a competition created for that effect. Simply claiming that they're better is meaningless, they need to prove it.
You conveniently ignore the fact that Spanish teams have won four of those finals and English teams just the one, not to mention that Spanish teams have accumulated a lot more points in the Europa League. That's the only reason Spain is so close in the rankings despite the shortcomings of all non-Barca teams in the Champions League over the past few years.
So yeah, all evidence suggests that Spain's 5-7th teams are better than their English counterparts. I'm afraid that "they don't take the competition seriously" is not a valid argument. If they don't take it seriously, it's their problem.
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