Are England’s Premier Football Teams Up To European Standards?
A shockwave went through the world of European soccer earlier this month when both Manchester City and Manchester United failed to advance out of the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League tournament. While it’s understandable that Man City would fail to get out of the group, considering that they are playing in their first UEFA tournament in quite a while, Man U not advancing was a monumental shock. In a way, it brought up a question that is being asked across the globe: are England’s Premier Football teams up to European standards? Are we finally seeing the decline of one of the most popular leagues in the world?
Can you say overreaction? While sports is all about overreaction, saying that Premier League soccer has become subpar in terms of European dominance because Man U didn’t advance to the second round is akin to saying that the United States is no longer an economic super power because they got their credit rating lowered. The thing is, when you step back and bit from the shock of seeing Man U taken out so early, you realize that it’s not as shocking as it seems. While Man U is still near the top of the table in the Premier League, this is a team with a variety of new pieces, pieces that take time to meld together. While it’s shocking to see last season’s finalists not make it past the Group Stages, it’s not shocking to see this team fail to do so.
Of course, saying that the Premier League has lost a step is ignoring the fact that there are two league teams that did make it to the knockout stages: Arsenal and Chelsea. Both teams handily won their Groups and both teams play Italian teams with a good chance to make into the quarterfinals. These are not lean years for the Premier League, no matter how you slice it.
December 23 2011 12:00 am | Uncategorized