Eurotrash

It has been a very disappointing season in Europe for British clubs.  This has been highlighted by both Manchesters, United and City, being dumped out of the Europa League, having been demoted there last December.  Channel Five’s bonanza on Thursday nights has been unexpectedly cut short.  Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City and Fulham failed to even make it past Christmas in the competition.  Arsenal were lambasted for failing to finish top of the group last season and going down to aggregate defeat to Barcelona – this season, they did finish ahead of all their group rivals and were rewarded with a Serie A champions-elect AC Milan, then turned in an awful performance at the San Siro that sealed their fate.  Unless Chelsea make at least the semi-finals of the Champions League, only Stoke City have exceeded expectations and they were given the horrendous draw of Valencia.  For Scotland it was even worse, with all clubs bar Celtic failing to make it to the group stage of any competition and the Hoops only got there on a technicality, after the club that beat them fielded an ineligible player and were disqualified.  Next season, Rangers won’t even be competing as they struggle to avoid meltdown.

All this could just be written off it was contained within the season, but it severely damages the UEFA co-efficient i.e. how the leagues are ranked.  The Premier League has been number one recently, though I’m sure it will slip below La Liga for the season after next.  This affects how teams from these leagues are ranked and eventually it affects how many teams from each association can take part in European competitions.  Italian clubs were seen in the 1990s as near near-invincible but now Italy is ranked fourth in Europe, with only three possible entrants into the Champions League.  It could happen to England.  The quarter-finals of the Champions League has a distinctly Mediterranean basin flavour, with Real Madrid and Benfica from the same climes.  Bayern Munich are a rarity north of the Alps and Chelsea are a far northern outpost and who would have thought that of London?  There are no teams from north or central regions of England, Germany and France in the quarters, as are the Dutch who are nowhere, when once so dominant.  A warning to the Wild West Premier League.