Last week, both Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas hobbled off the field for their team’s first leg Champions League quarter final fixture. The sight of these two players limping off the pitch left their respective supporters with more than just a pit in their stomach about the next round in the Champions League but also wondering how they will compete in the remaining fixtures of the English Premier League as well. Say what you like, both of those boys are crucial to their team’s success.
And now today, Manchester United and Arsenal have both been knocked out of the Champions League and with no English teams left in the competition, many British pundits this morning, who aren’t covering Sir Alex Ferguson’s seemingly xenophobic comment, are wondering aloud whether the Premier League hasn’t lost it’s grip as the best league in the world. It hasn’t, yet, but it could and very quickly unless some changes are made.
For the last 5 years the top four Premier League clubs have dominated UEFA’s coefficient rankings, largely due to their success in the Champions League; five successive Champions League finals for English teams and three successive semi-finalists will do that for a league. Mouth watering “all English” quarter and semi-finals have been among the most watched, most talked about matches of the last five years. Well, until the Arsenal/Barcelona game.
Over those last five years, though, the Premier League itself hasn’t been very competitive with only two teams realistically challenging for the title in each of them and one team basically dominating the League with three consecutive wins. That has changed this year as big money was plopped down in Manchester proper sending shockwaves through the League and upsetting the traditions of the last 5 years. Is it any wonder then that with this increased competition players are working harder, games are more hotly contested, and there are subsequently more injuries and overall tiredness?
Look at the Spanish Primera Division, the gulf in class between the top two clubs and the also-rans is most aptly described in one statistic, goal difference. The goal difference between 2nd place Barcelona and 3rd place Valencia is -40 goals. A +1.333 goals per game advantage for the top teams in that league shows that they are able to collect talent in a way that the other clubs are simply not able to compete. Less competition means it’s an easier league and thus less wear and tear on the players.
Moreover, in the Spanish league those top level players are protected by the referees and the league. They don’t want to see Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo hacked out of the game, so games are called tighter and players know that a Ryan Shawcross tackle would not only be a red card, it probably would have been more than a three match ban and it would have been the press calling for an extended ban rather than backing the player as “not that type of player.” No, the Spanish Primera Division is officiated differently than the English Premier League and that takes it’s toll on English players in all the competitions that they play in.
This same critique can be extended, though to a lesser extent, to the Serie A, Bundesliga, and even the French Ligue 1. Their goal difference, the way games are called, and the general pace of say the Serie A is just different: they may play as many games (though the Bundesliga players don’t) but it’s easier on the players.
Crucially, there’s something else that all of those leagues have that the English Premier League does not; a Christmas break. In some cases it’s just a week, in others it’s two, but there’s a break and the players get a chance to recharge ahead of the run-in. English players get no such luxury and worse are thrown in to domestic cup competitions immediately after a hectic Christmas schedule. So while Wesley Sneijder is hanging out on the beach in Majorca, Cesc Fabregas is playing 4 games in two weeks, including a brutal away FA Cup match.
Which is another oddity about the English league, the two domestic cup competitions. The French league does it as well with the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue but the other big leagues don’t bother perhaps because they’ve worked out that having two domestic cups just gives lower division teams the chance to hack away at the top division teams in a heated cup tie.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Carling Cup because I get a chance to see Arsenal’s youth team play and rate the up and coming stars but that strength is also the problem. It’s not quite a Youth Cup and not quite a competition that anyone other than Jose Mourinho and Sam Allardyce take seriously. The League needs to either make it a serious competition, worth money to the clubs, or make it into a reserves cup.
Lest you think I’m hating on the English Premier League, I’m not. It is a special league as evidenced by the world-wide television appeal. The pace and power of the league (more factors in the overall tiredness and injury prone-ness of the players) is something I would never want to lose but I think a few minor changes could make a major difference to return the EPL to the top of the Champions League.
I’d start with a winter break of some sort. Don’t take away the boxing day fixtures, I love that tradition. Instead how about a January break, maybe coinciding with the Africa Cup of Nations?
I’d also work on the refereeing and the culture of football in England which thinks that leg breaking tackles are OK as long as the player says he didn’t mean it. That’s a more difficult thing to change and I suspect won’t be eradicated until a big named English national team player like Wayne Rooney is scythed down the way Diaby, Eduardo, Ramsey, and Fabregas have been for Arsenal. I wonder if Ferguson would have called Ryan Shawcross to give his condolences if it had been Rooney on the end of that tackle instead of Aaron Ramsey. Or if Steve Bruce would stand by his assertion that it’s not even a yellow card if Frank Lampard had his final World Cup hoped smashed in two by a Martin Taylor lunge? I’m sorry but this culture which praises thuggery over skill is partially responsible for the fact that there are no English teams left in this year’s Champions League.
And finally, I’d assess the League Cup’s value and maybe try to re-brand it as the Reserves Cup. Teams could still field first team players if they want, but there would be less pressure to do so and more rest for the boys who are playing twice a week for 8 months of the year.
After all, why shouldn’t the English Premier League teams be well rested, healthy, and full strength to face the world’s best in the world’s best club competition?
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Great Article Tim!
I’ve been having a running argument with my brother all year about which is the best league and i feel a little bit vindicated by this. the premier league is not the best league in the world and i hope it stays like that until the league and the football association put a stop to the reckless abandonment of respect for fellow professionals.
i am so fed up of seeing arsenal getting bullied, injured and then insulted by ex-professionals and the media afterwards that i really don’t give a damn about the premier league and the other 19 clubs. its us against them. and the bottom 10 clubs are nothing but rugby players in disguise. when a club like stoke can stay in the premier league that tells you what kind of state the league is in
While folks will debate whether or not the things you pointed out were directly responsible for the underperformance of the EPL in the Champs League this year, I strongly agree with your points. That being said, with so many clubs struggling financially, can we really see them doing away with the Carling Cup and the money associated with it? It’s hard to think of any occurrence in modern, money-driven sport where a league has voluntarily scaled back the number of games that are played. Baseball’s expanded the playoffs, the number of teams, and many years back, the number of games. The NFL seems to be pondering some way to extend the regular season. The NCAA is going to expand the basketball tourney and seems to continue to allow for more regular season and bowl games to take place. That’s why I’m skeptical that England would do the sensible thing and scale back its matches.
What’s also debatable among folks is which league in Europe is the most competitive from top to bottom? Certainly England’s got Spain beat in that category, but I’m not sure about France, Germany, Italy, etc. What would represent a seismic and very healthy shift towards more competitiveness worldwide would be the institution of some sort of measure mandating some level of profitability over a certain period (1 season, 2 seasons, etc?) for each club in order to be eligible for league play. Again, I’m skeptical here as well. We see in America, among other countries, how things typically stay in favor of the richest 1%. The rich are getting richer and more powerful by the day, the gap between rich and poor wider and wider. Why should it be any different in football? You think Ferguson wouldn’t bitch about some policy like this? Again, I just can’t see that happening.
By the way, speaking of Fergie, I found what he said yesterday to be incredibly insulting and I think he should be fined and/or banned for that statement. Can you imagine if someone had come out with a “typical Scot” comment or “typical British” comment? The papers would be up in arms, asking for Angela Merkel to apologize to the Queen, and so forth. How is he not getting more heat for this? Absurd.
TonyM, if only players in the bottom EPL clubs really were rugby players in disguise. . .we’d get no backchat to the referees, no faking of injuries and less hystrionics in general!
April 8th, 2010 at 7:56 am
@RedCurrant, great point
April 8th, 2010 at 8:34 am
@TonyM, More fake blood though.
I suggest watching some italian, german, or french games. Better football, plain and simple. More of a concern to actually play the game. Fuck the English.
Last English team? What about the Europa!
valid points none the less
Well it make more sense, But only Arsenal are given rough treatment in England why ?
Manchester united and others have it easy and in case of Chelsea they have a squad of international sitting on bench. Arsenal went into Barcelona game with so many injuries. Other team do not like the way they play and know with midweek champion league it best to kick of the park to get easy points. As shown by Birmingham at team not suited to division and full of thugs rejected by other teams.
FA is run by bunch of immature upper class and to expect them to change things around for benefit of both the National team and clubs is not possible. Today football is becoming more global with champion league watched all over the world and it matter of time when we would reach Scotland level. Let hope big club pushed the button cause they would lose more money and prestige. The idea of European super league us more appealing. Not to mention club being returned to fans like in Spain and foreign owners driven away.
I recently saw an interview with Steve Bruce where he remarked that the English football fan pays to see their ‘pound of flesh’. I was taken aback by that. The interview was aired on FSC last week and as he was saying ‘pound of flesh’, FSC showed some footage of some pretty nasty tackles.
Thoughts?
April 8th, 2010 at 8:32 am
My thoughts are that Steve Bruce should cut off one of his players’ limbs and hang it outside so all the fans can get their satisfaction of seeing flesh.
English fan here. Great stuff, Ive been saying this to supporters of lesser teams for years
Good article Tim but I want to clarify a couple of things regarding Bundesliga. Yes we have a winter break but this year it was shortened. For a few of the clubs, especially my club FC Bayern, we get less than a week break and then we are off on the road to the middle east to play friendlies. After we get back we start playing in league and cup matches. Im not saying its as a harsh schedule as BPL, but the ‘recharge’ isnt as full as it should be.
Bundesliga is run a lot different than any other league regarding finances. You just arent allowed to go beyond your debt ratio. So while a lot of other clubs in Bundesliga are bitching about Bayern being the ‘Chelsea’ of BPL… well its not our fault that Uli Hoeness is such a great financial wizard.
Regarding SAF’s comments toward the Germans and me being one, I really dont take insult from it. Actually I had to laugh about it because Im pretty sure he was talking about German ‘clubs’ and not German ‘people’ but what really made me laugh was how hypocritical he was. Like his club never had players rush a ref? I used to watch BPL up until 2 years ago and from what I remember ManU and Chelsea did that a lot and watching CL, more than a lot. He is very bitter that ManU couldnt defend against that last goal so he has to take it out on someone other than himself or his club. I for one have never taken anything SAF said seriously.
Heres hoping you gooners win the league this year!
April 8th, 2010 at 8:23 am
@Tomas, Thanks for the clarification and the encouragement, Tom. Is there any talk of the Bundesliga going back to a two-week break?
April 8th, 2010 at 8:49 am
@Tim, Actually time until this season we had a month and a half winter break. Now we are down to 3 weeks. I know the supporters, me included, were sick of not being able to watch football for a month and a half (6 weeks) especially in winter. But now that the break is cut down to 3 weeks it isnt so bad. I also mis-typed in my previous statement and left out that not ALL players are required to go play friendlies. But unless injured, they must show up for winter training, so even though they arent playing they still have to show up for work. But still a lot less hectic than the BPL schedule.
Tim, just caught your phone in on Arsenal tv… do you need any help setting up an ‘autograph signing’ schedule at Doyles??!!
April 8th, 2010 at 9:01 am
@Tomas, it’s always good to have typical Germans providing the muscle in any celebrity event.
I actually like the Carling cup because it gives me a chance to see our second string side in action. In most countries you traditionally have at least a cup competition and a league. There are some great cup games and sometimes they bring me even greater joy than some of the league games (the mancs losing to leeds in a good example). So while it’s true that many peeople feel that the FA cup is gradually losing its appeal, I would hate to see it go. The bigger problem is with the FA and the way games are officiated in England, as you correctly pointed out. However there is a rub here too. Players like Rooney/Gerard/Lampard are actually given a certain degree of protection that players like Fabregas/Diaby/ Song are not. It’s xenophobia. Plain and simple. I bet if we had more Engand internationals on our team, the ratio of yellow cards to fouls against us would have been much higher. Unfortunately this is a phenomenon that is not going to change. Our only hope is FIFA taking a deeper look at fouls and coming up with more stingent punishments and passing on that mandate to UEFA as well. Only something like that will probably bind the FA to take action. It’s of little use thinking that until some England international is seriously hurt, the status quo wont change in England. The way I see it, the chances of that happening are quite low as the England internationals ARE given a degree of protection which foreign players don’t get. Do I think this kind of bigotry affects us in Champions League as well? Absolutely. Almost all the injuries we have come from the league games. It’s not even debatable.
As far as Rooney or Gerrard getting their legs broken, it ain’t gonna happen. Why? They get protection. I watched a Liverpool game and El Hadj Douf went in very late with a forceful stamp. Had he connected, he could have seriously injured Gerrard but he managed to jump out of the way. The ref, having seen the incident, was waving play on until Steve turned and appealed. Only upon realizing it was Gerrard did he stop play, award a free kick, and caution Douf. Rightly so, it was a bad challenge. The point being that if you’re an England international, you do get protected from malicious tackles.
Whereas I agree, sort of, the one flaw in the argument is that English football hasn’t changed over the past five years, or fifty for that matter. The Steve Bruce quote sums up the way the game has always been played. Also the top two teams in Spain have pretty much always been the top two teams in Spain, the top one in Germany, the top four in Italy. The only league that has really moved on has been in Spain and that has been producing top quality football for the past few years. Before that it was Italy. Football is cyclical and next year I expect English teams to be back and competing in the semis again, especially the team in red from N London! If there is any major difference I think there have generally been more injuries in the EPL this season (more than I can remember anyway).
United aren’t there because of an injured Rooney and a transferred Ronaldo. Chelsea because they were out thought by Mourinho and Liverpool because they are crap. We aren’t there because no team could have sustained the injuries we have had an progress. Plus the fact Barca had Messi! However, it would have been an interesting contest if we had a fit first eleven. It just might have been a little more even.
I have mentioned elsewhere that the difference between us and other teams is that there are more ‘bad’ tackles allowed on us before a card is shown, if ever. I believe it is because we are regarded as softies and need to be taught a lesson. I like the physical side of the game, but draw the line at fouls (there is a basic difference). The longer the fouls are allowed to go unpunished the more the offender feels they can commit worse fouls each time, and hence we end up with seriously injured players.
Thoughts on Marouane Chamakh and the news that Arsenal can announce his coming to the club this summer? I have been pretty impressed with the goals i have watched from him. He really knows how to use his head and has a crazy vertical.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:54 am
@TxGun, he’s very brave in the air as well. That will serve him well at Arsenal.
9 goals next year? That would be pretty good.