So we are to witness our first all English, UEFA Champions League Final. I must say, that thought just doesn’t appeal to me.
Maybe I’m old fashioned or a so called traditionalist, but to me it’s just not what Europe is meant to be about. I want to see Manchester United vs Barcelona in the final, a battle of two countries, two styles of football between two giants of the game.
It is said by many people that the big four’s (Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal) dominance in England is ruining the Premier League.
So I ask this, is the big four’s dominance ruining the appeal of the Champions League?
I feel the Champions League created the top four in England and is now starting to suffer from the same monsters it has created. The competition simply loses its appeal across too many countries when so many teams of one country get so far.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Do the Italians care? No they don’t. I love the English game and even I’m complaining, so how many others feel the same?
An all English final means there will only be one country caring who wins, one countries fans travelling to Moscow. Hell, why not just change the final to Wembley and save everyone the hassle.
I’ve watched the same "big four" field youth sides against each other in the League Cup over recent years. What is remotely interesting about these teams facing each other in, the Final?
An FA Cup final, yes, as that’s why we have the FA Cup! It’s not there to distract the top four from the Champions League as some people seem to think.
To think the Champions League has already killed the League Cup and is now slowly killing off the FA Cup, season by season.
And for what? Money?
If you took one place off England, Italy and Spain, I bet it wouldn’t even affect the standard! So why do they deserve four? Give smaller leagues and teams a chance to catch up to the above mentioned monsters.
One less English Champions League spot would mean more competition in the FA Cup and dare I say it, the League Cup. Therefore it would be good for English domestic football.
In the end, the whole point in European football is to travel, play in other countries and yes I admit, make some money, but spread the wealth around or we’ll end up with just one real competition in Europe.
The UEFA Champions League!
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8 months ago
Why is this a bad thing? English teams have the best that football has to offer. If there happens to be an all English final, then so be it. There is nothing to apologize for. Play the gajme on the pitch and see who wins.
from 8 months ago
I just feel like I'm not interested in watching it. I watch these same teams play all season and now they're filling up the champions league final too. It's getting boring....
from 8 months ago
ENGLISH teams have the best football to offer.
Yeah and Europe has the best basketball to offer.
China has the best Rugby to offer........I bet that`s what they say on WangChi sports report.
Get global and look at other leagues! What utter rubbish ..English teams have the best football to offer.....England has one(1) world club title. Just ONE measly stinking title and one measly stinking world cup title.....GET REAL!!!
from 8 months ago
We are talking about club football here Darlon, not International football. And guess what, when the game kicks off on May 21st, there will be many English players playing, Scholes, Carrick, Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Terry, Lampard, A Cole, J Cole etc etc
Now go and sit down and take your medication, it appears to be wearing off again, and you did so well in April as well, such a shame.
from 8 months ago
Sorry Simon....the whole `We are number one` shite really gets me going.
It`s a good league.....I watch some games ....but don`t get carried away with the whole we are number one thing....sounding like the yanks man.
Why not call it the EPL Worldseries.
8 months ago
You're jumping to conclusions too quickly. Doesn't mean because English teams have dominated in the last two seasons, it is going to be a permanent thing. It's just a cycle, in a few years time Spain will be on top or Italian teams etc. Just enjoy the teams who are currently playing the best. Right now it is definetely Engish sides so it is perfectly justifiable to have an all English final.
from 8 months ago
This has been coming for years. Domestic competitions are being seriously affected by the Champions League and that's not meant to happen. If Liverpool had reached there 3rd final in 4 years without having even challenged for the English title it makes a mockery of what the competition is all about.
8 months ago
don't think the final will be boring at all to be honest, best two teams in england against each other again, if saturdays match is anything to go by were in for a treat although i must admit i would prefer it to be one of our teams against someone from spain or italy just for the international rivalry.
from 8 months ago
Yes Daniel I don't mean the game will be boring but just the thought of it...As I said and you...I want Chelsea Vs Barcelona or something like that...a game between two sides who haven't met.
8 months ago
I totally agree with you Andrew, i was hoping against hope that Barca would win yesterday so we wouldn't have to see another Premier League match in the Champs League Final. No other country benefits with an all English Final.
from 8 months ago
Thanks Alhaji. Nice to get some support.
8 months ago
I wanted Liverpool in the final. Chelsea just do not play that great a game. I had thought of wembley for the final. It could be done, but of course, we have to keep the russians happy or they'll nuke us. Ridiculous, we talk about the price of football, and now we have fans potentially paying up £4000 to watch a football match. Then they have to apply for visas, and they may not arrive in-time for the match. I am sick to death of everyone hassling the fans about. Anyone notice that no-one has mentioned the effect on the climate with all these flights, train and car journeys. Credit Crunch? doesn't matter apparently. Change it to wembley. Do it. Sorry for the mad rant lol.
from 8 months ago
Thanks for the pick man. Wembley here we come haha
from 8 months ago
well obviously chelsea do play the better football because there the ones in the final so i think you need to rethink your statement because you talk complete and utter rubbish chelsea are by far the best team in england and will win the champions league.
8 months ago
I'm a huge Chelsea fan, so I must say, I don't find it boring. Combine that with the fact I can't stand Christiano Ronaldo, and I am very excited for the final.
from 8 months ago
I don't expect Chelsea fans not to be excited for the Champions League final.
8 months ago
The finals that Man U and Chelsea have had were just pure boring. I fell asleep watching them play in the FA Cup final and the Community Shield. I hate both teams so its going to be hard to decide which team to cheer for.
from 8 months ago
FA Cup, Community Shield, League and now Champions League....I'm even less excited now. I feel you added to my point though.
8 months ago
Well i think all of you are wrong. Chelsea and United will battle it out in the CL and the league. Chelsea will want to make United pay for the inevitable league triumph and United will want to revenge for their defeat last weekend aswell as showing Chelsea just who the best team is..
Andrew Im sorry but you got this one wrong. Its your opinion I know but, I feel its a bit of naive point of view. Thats just my view on it though....
from 8 months ago
Explain what you mean by naive point of view?
from 8 months ago
Well Andrew. This has never happened before so to get all emotional about it now is not good.We should give it a chance, Ac Milan/Juve and Real Madrid/Valencia played eachother in finals before and its simply now our turn. Im sure the world would love to see a United/Chelse final. The world loved it when Madrid/Valencia played - Why? well because it was really entertaining........
Its United/Chelsea this year. Will this happen again in the next couple of years?? I dont think so..
If it does -- then I would agree with you but I feel your opinion (which i respect) was formed a couple of years too early....
8 months ago
I agree with the guy who said it’s in cycles – we’ve already had an all-Italian final and an all-Spanish final since the turn of the century so it’s only fair/logical that an all-English one would occur sooner rather than later. As I can recall no-one really complained when it was Juve – Milan in the final, if they are the two best teams in Europe then why shouldn’t they be in the final? Better to have two evenly matched teams and the best two in the competition.
I agree that UEFA have bought this upon themselves by allowing 4 teams from the top leagues to enter – although they surely knew this would happen so they were obviously all for it. Platini is trying to change things up to give other leagues/countries a chance to establish themselves in the CL, but as he can’t take the fourth spot away the best that he’s managed to do is make sure that the fourth (and I think third) placed teams have to go through two qualifying rounds first, in which they will probably be drawn against tougher teams (ie possibly vs third/fourth from Spain/Italy).
from 8 months ago
Thanks for the comment Matt. We shall have to see how things pan out in the future. I just feel it's not right nad something has to change. Liverpool should be focusing on the League, where has focusing on the Champions League got them this year? Man Utd could win both competitions or even Chelsea and they must be applauded for that.
It just doesn't float my boat, so to speak haha
8 months ago
I agree that it becomes less and less interesting the more times the same teams meet – it certainly loses it’s specialness and is no longer a unique occasion.
However, this has been happening throughout the competition over the last couple of years as it’s always the same dozen or so teams that make the knockout rounds. Chelsea and Barca met six times in about 18 months a couple of years back and the same thing happened again with Man Utd and Roma playing each other again and again and again…zzz…. I know many Utd fans didn’t really appreciate/enjoy the quarter final this year simply because they’d already played them in the group stages as well as the quarter final last year. As is stands, 6 of Uniteds last 18 games in the CL have been against Roma!! The CL has effectively become the European Super League with the same teams year after year – and this is why it won’t change, why would these clubs want to give this up?
from 8 months ago
Matt, Liverpool and Arsenal have probably met dozens of times. Did that make the match at Anfield any less interesting??
from 8 months ago
I hear you Matt...so European football is just going to get more boring from year to year? I really hope not but unless the format changes surely that will be the case?
Think Platini will actually make any in roads?
from 8 months ago
Stoil....It did make the league match in between an absolute joke.
from 8 months ago
Well yes, but not because they were playing eachother. If Liverpool and/or Arsenal were playing someone else at that stage of the CL they would still concentrate on that and switch to a least damage formation for the league match.
from 8 months ago
Well why? Arsenal would only be 2 points behind now in the EPL if they had one that game? Right?
8 months ago
First of all, I dont even think Chelsea and Man Utd should be in the same competition. The Champions League should be, as the name suggests, the CHAMPIONS League - i.e. the champion of each European Country and thats it. I find it unfair that some countries have two or three teams in the CL and others have to go through three qualifying rounds just to get one in. Theres only one Champion from each country and they should be the only ones in the competition.
Having said that, Chelsea and Man Utd did find themselves in the same competition, and I think they truly deserve to be in the final. Yes, Man Utd vs Barcelona could have made a good final. But it did make a good semi-final, and Barca lost. To get to where they are, these two teams have defeated the some of the best teams in Europe, hence, they should bask in all the glory.
Keep in mind we did have an all-Italian final with AC Milan and Inter (which was the most boring final I have ever seen) and an all-Spanish final with Real vs Valencia (which was one of the best finals I have ever seen), so who knows, we might be in for a treat!
Also, the tickets to the final are sold way before anyone knows who will be in the final. A portion of the tickets it kept for each team's fan clubs, but the majority have been sold to your average football fan (say you and me) ages ago, and thats the beauty of the Champions League - that in a stadium in Russia, you have two English teams playing and a crowd of English, Spanish, Russian, Italian, etc, etc...
from 8 months ago
My heart agrees Stoil (the CHAMPIONS League) but my head says it won't ever again happen. As for the ground comment, I was just saying it tongue in cheek...didn't mean it to be taken too seriously. Thanks for the comment mate.
from 8 months ago
Yeah, well its all a business anyway...obviously this current setting brings in more revenue so I don't see it changing anytime soon. Some positive changes are coming in effect in 2009, when 6 new entrants are introduced to the automatic qualifying, so i guess thats a step forward...
8 months ago
No english club has been eliminated by a foreign club, yet all have played them. Arsenal beat AC Milan, Liverpool beat Inter, and united beat Barcelona and Roma. Munich didn't qualify, neither did juventus. The top 4 have proved this season is theirs. Last season they lost, this they have not. were u this pesimistic when Juventus took on Milan 5 years ago?
from 8 months ago
Hey I don't know Mark, I was a kid!
from 8 months ago
Well I was only 16 so I guess I didn't know about this stuff back then either. All I am saying is, would you feel the same way if it was Barcelona against Real Madrid, or Celtic against Rangers? I do not think many people would.
Seems unfair to me, for people to constantly say the premierleague is bad for football. no one can deny Chelsea and Man utd are currently the best two teams in the World. this coming from a gooner! This match will not be boring, and will be a great game. just seems like jealousy to me.
from 8 months ago
Why would it be jealousy from me? My own club is having its best season for 15 years! I'm perfectly happy.
I can't talk for other people Mark but I just told it the way i see it. Rangers, Celtic in the European Cup Final? No thanks we play them up to 6 times a season already...Give me Barca or Bayern anyday!
8 months ago
An english final is great. The fast up-tempo style of play will have us standing on our seat. Were you bored with the chelsea-liverpool match? Great football game! And if your argument is soley about the two teams being from england and not different countries going at it, then your input is wrong. Plus, a final of this magnitude will be seen from the whole world! Even classic south american games like Boca vs River have the whole world watching, its very simple! Great football will be played!
8 months ago
An english final is great. The fast up-tempo style of play will have us standing on our seat. Were you bored with the chelsea-liverpool match? Great football game! And if your argument is soley about the two teams being from england and not different countries going at it, then your input is wrong. Plus, a final of this magnitude will be seen from the whole world! Even classic south american games like Boca vs River have the whole world watching, its very simple! Great football will be played!
8 months ago
An english final is great. The fast up-tempo style of play will have us standing on our seat. Were you bored with the chelsea-liverpool match? Great football game! And if your argument is soley about the two teams being from england and not different countries going at it, then your input is wrong. Plus, a final of this magnitude will be seen from the whole world! Even classic south american games like Boca vs River have the whole world watching, its very simple! Great football will be played!
8 months ago
An english final is great. The fast up-tempo style of play will have us standing on our seat. Were you bored with the chelsea-liverpool match? Great football game! And if your argument is soley about the two teams being from england and not different countries going at it, then your input is wrong. Plus, a final of this magnitude will be seen from the whole world! Even classic south american games like Boca vs River have the whole world watching, its very simple! Awesome football will be played!
The whole point of European football is just brilliant football! Traveling is just a detail of the sport. Great football no mater what team goes at it should be watched because its great football.
8 months ago
i think that the bracket should be set up so that major teams from the same league don't have an oppurtunity to meet in the biggest matches of the champions league (final, semifinal) other than the world cup and the european cup, the champions league is the biggest football stage in europe. its hard to say how the tournament should be set up. maybe it should be expanded to allow more small teams in, but did besiktas stand a chance against liverpool? no, they lost 8-nil. on the other hand, maybe the field should be smaller so only the best teams from the previous year get in. but then u cut out teams like zenit st. petersburg who just beat giant bayern munich 4-nil in the uefa cup. who knows? thanks for listening to me babble on. later mates
from 8 months ago
Thanks for your thoughts Pat. The Besiktas result was a freak result I think an most small teams in the competition challenge hard and never embarrass themselves.
from 8 months ago
also, look at besiktas other result against liverpool. a 2-1 victory for the turks!
8 months ago
I agree Andrew, the whole competition is a mockery. It should be 1 team from each country competing against the champions from other European countries. Hell there are enough countries in Europe for pete sake.
The league format with the seeding system is ridiculous, it only ensures the same teams progress to the Knock-out stages year in year out.
Bring back the old system, one club from each country playing a staight knock-out tie against a randomly drawn opponent. This would mean the revival of not only the domestic game in England but the rest of Europe aswell. Fanciful thinking I know but hey we can all dream.
8 months ago
Thanks for the comment and the pick Chris.
8 months ago
I just gotta agree andrew had said because you just cant afford to see two of finalists both from the same country i.e england .the match between manchester united vs chelsea manchester united is my favourite club but still i have no mood of watching the stupid final. bcoz chelsea is aformidable side but i hate seeing chelsea ....... ijust hate the team.
-joseph
from 8 months ago
Why everybody is so bored about this game CHELSEA AND MAN UTD? is it because chelsea want to create their own history as man utd and clubs? Ac Milan, Roma, Real Mandirid, Barcilona etc.. are best clubs, and they're proud of themself, but now is it CHELSEA is bored or MAN UTD?
KINGSLEY
8 months ago
lsn andrew i understand where ur coming from.. but being that u are neither a man u fan or a chelsea fan you have a biased view on the final game..
being a man u fan i cant wait till man u wins..
but true it would've been a more intruiging if it was against a spanish or italian team...
wish your team the best of luck in the next fa
GLOORRRYY GLORRRYY MAANNN UNNIITTTEEDDDD!!!!!
from 8 months ago
I wouldn't say biased but I admit that it is unreasonable of me to expect Man Utd and Chelsea fans to think negatively about their up coming final and that wasn't my intention.
Thanks for the comment.
8 months ago
*intruiging game if it was.........
8 months ago
I don't see how this final could possibly be boring at all. It will be an amazing game between the two clearly best teams in Europe.
8 months ago
Can you imagine just how few good teams would be in the champions league if it was just Champions? This season: Man Utd., Lyon, Real Madrid, Inter Milan. One of which got to the semi-finals this year. Would you tune in to see matches like Drogheda United (Ireland) vs Debrecen (Hungary) week in, week out? A tie such as this would be confined to the qualifying round of the Uefa Cup, but instead would now be in the biggest Club competition in the world . . . I'm sure you can imagine the joy of watching Manchester United vs Kaunas of Lithuania.
from 8 months ago
To be fair Stephen, I didn't put that idea forward. I just don't see why some countries need four places and I believe it's harming football. Smaller teams to deserve a bit more of a chance.
8 months ago
OK LET US WAIT FOR THE DAY TO COME
8 months ago
I can't say I am that excited by the game to be honest, I think its great to have an all English final but I fear a similar game to the worse FA cup final in history played at Wembley last season.
A game like that will hardly give the rest of Europe a good impression of our league.
8 months ago
The league game between Chelsea and Man Utd was one of the most exciting of recent times. The final could go either way, I'm just hoping it will go the right way.
How many teams qualify from each European league? Is there some type of list? The English get two automatic qualifiers and two who have to go through qualification. I do agree that it would improve the standard of the whole European system if they only had three qualifiers, the same with Italy and Spain. I don't think four is a disaster however, all four always qualify because of the strength of their teams - and that's what it should all be about, it's just ashame there isn't a greater variety of strong football leagues in Europe.
8 months ago
Chelsea, is a very fastest club in England, for them to appear in Moscow shows that this cup belong to them.
KINGSLEY
7 months ago
we are few hours to the main issue,and i'm excited already, i can't wait to see Man -U carry the day. wao- it will be great.
7 months ago
since when was football a bloody egalitarian utopia where everyone gets a fair crack of the whip? You dont just hand out finals and trophys to teams who you believe should win. You have to earn it. Both teams are there on merit. Just the same as Portsmouth and Cardiff were in the FA Cup Final on Merit. The reason Barca arent in the final is simple. In 180 mins of football they couldnt once get past Man United's defence. That's football.
And the idea that allowing smaller nations teams in is just a joke. Look at this seasons results. Liverpool put 8 past Besiktas and Arsenal put 7 past Slavia Prague. These were the 2nd best in Turkey and Champions of Czech Republic. All that would happen is the big clubs in Moldova, Lichetenstein etc would get better and more dominant domestically (look at Scotland/Greece/Ukraine/Holland) and then get continually whooped by the bigger teams. For me the only way around it is a Champions Cup with champions and runners up only (straight knock out) and a bigger better Uefa Cup (straight knock out). None of this league cobblers (the FA and League Cups would benefit from this too).
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