Is the Champions League More Important Than It Actually Is?

[Danny]

Arsene Wenger has never won it, at the height of his career he was adored by the British media.

Alex Ferguson won it only twice after dominating England for two decades.

Mourinho was considered the best/one of the best managers in the world for a strong decade and has only won it twice.

Guardiola won it twice early on in his career yet there is an expectation that he should win it every year...more so that he is considered a failure by some for not winning it for Bayern and City. Of course City have spent a lot of money, but they absolute rinsed England for domestic competitions last season. Has Guardiola’s early success set unrealistically high expectations? To the point that being phenomenal domestically can be forgotten if it doesn’t involve European success? Even at Bayern he won two German doubles (yes Bayern are head and shoulders above everyone else financially) and I think only one or two managers have ever won the league title 3 seasons in a row in Germany as Pep did. Not that this is a Pep thread, he’s just a good example of someone who has an unprecedented weight of expectation to deliver a Champions League title again, even though he’s already won 2.

Only three managers have won it three times and that’s Paisley, Ancelotti and Zidane.

I think we’re at a level now where the globalisation of football has pushed the Champions League to its highest point in terms of marketing and it has fooled people into believing that winning league titles isn’t enough anymore, and that greatness can only be found in the Champions League. Managers of yesteryear always said that the league is the bread and butter, is what makes a great team. Even Zidane pointed that out when Real won a Champions League but didn’t look like winning La Liga, so it’s not a concept lost on footballing people. Just the marketing people and footballing pundits who get swept up in the absurdity that is the do or die expectation of winning the Champions League 

[Spike]

Because leagues aren't as exciting as cup competitions, that is why it is more important.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

It's the ultimate "We're better than you" trophy. I'd put it above the league title in terms of prestige but below the league title in terms of how important it actually is.

 

The reason Sir Alex only won it twice is because United were a well oiled shite machine, and the premier league is a top league, but not the god tier one of a kind promised land some of its fans consider it. That's why you're always getting knocked out of European competitions by teams Ngonku in africa has never heard of. 

[Spike]

2 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

It's the ultimate "We're better than you" trophy. I'd put it above the league title in terms of prestige but below the league title in terms of how important it actually is.

 

The reason Sir Alex only won it twice is because United were a well oiled shite machine, and the premier league is a top league, but not the god tier one of a kind promised land some of its fans consider it. That's why you're always getting knocked out of European competitions by teams Ngonku in africa has never heard of. 

Even better when it's Thai/German energy drink teams and oil teams to send Euros into a meltdown.

[Danny]

2 minutes ago, Spike said:

Because leagues aren't as exciting as cup competitions, that is why it is more important.

Age of the release of endorphines managing our expectations I suppose, clickbait and all, easier to get people excited over these singular big nights than a seasons worth of work 

[Dr. Gonzo]

To me, it’s the most interesting cup competition in football. I think club football > international football, and the big European leagues have the best clubs in the world.

It’s probably the most prestigious tournament in club football, so I think it’s considered as important as it is because it is that important.

[Spike]

46 minutes ago, Danny said:

Age of the release of endorphines managing our expectations I suppose, clickbait and all, easier to get people excited over these singular big nights than a seasons worth of work 

Well, people used to hold the FA Cup on a pedestal as well right? Cups have always been admired

[AMG]

Champions League >>>>>>>>> League > any other random cups

 

Champions League = best teams of Europe

League = Not even the best in your own country

Cups = not even professional tier 1 teams

[Michael]

The Champions League is the most prestigious football competition in Europe. If you win it, you are considered the best team in Europe. This is nothing new, the Champions League has always been considered the ultimate European competition since its inception.

Add to that the amount of money that can be earned from the competition, then it is easy to see why all the best clubs in Europe are so desperate to win it.

[Smiley Culture]

People definitely go on about the Champions League like it’s easy to win and that managerial reputation and history means more than it actually does. 

The same mouth breathers who called Ligue 1 “a farmer’s league” are now baying for Pep’s blood. It’s pathetic. 

[God is Haaland]

According to the English media the significance of the Champions League in any given season is directly proportional to how far English teams make it in that season.

[DeadLinesman]

2 minutes ago, God is Haaland said:

According to the British media the significance of the Champions League in any given season is directly proportional to how far English teams make it in that season.

Not sure that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish media give two fucks about English teams if I’m honest.  

[God is Haaland]

Just now, DeadLinesman said:

Not sure that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish media give two fucks about English teams if I’m honest.  

Point taken.

[Smiley Culture]

16 minutes ago, God is Haaland said:

According to the English media the significance of the Champions League in any given season is directly proportional to how far English teams make it in that season.

As it is in Spain, Italy and Germany. 

[Honey Honey]

Champions League is the ultimate platform for great sides to showcase themselves. However that doesn't mean that just because you win it or do well in it you're actually a great. It likely does mean if you don't do well you might not be as great as you think you are. 

 

[Azeem]

Champions League is like a dick measuring contest. No matter if the other perfomes better in bed than you ( domestic league ) but having a bigger dick still gives you a superiority over the other.

[God is Haaland]

1 hour ago, Smiley Culture said:

As it is in Spain, Italy and Germany. 

Not true at all. Last year Italy didn't give a fuck about the all English final.

[Danny]

11 hours ago, Spike said:

Well, people used to hold the FA Cup on a pedestal as well right? Cups have always been admired

Yeah but no one viewed winning the FA Cup as bigger than a league title...these days you could win multiple league titles and still get sacked because you’ve not won the CL.

Problem is it is more difficult to win a league title in England or Spain for example, but the Champions League seems to have a level of exposure these days that it didn’t necessarily have before that means board members who are focusing on marketing the club in Asia, Africa etc will desperately want a CL...more than what is logical to win it

[Burning Gold]

No. It's the pinnacle of European football, the most prestigious club competition in the world, and a massive money spinner (which, for all we wish it wasn't, is a major motivator for modern football clubs). It's incredibly important. I don't think you can claim to be elite if you haven't won the Champions League/European Cup. That applies to both the club as a whole throughout its history, and any given iteration of the team over a number of seasons. PSG keep winning Ligue 1, but French football is historically weak, so what's their true level? The Champions League is where you test yourselves agains the best in Europe, and if you don't come out on top, or at least give a good show, you're nothing more than flat track bullies.

I'm not sure I agree that there's a lot of pressure on managers to win it. Guardiola's a bit of a special case and you've tried to extrapolate his position to where it doesn't exist. He's under a lot of pressure to win it because of the teams he's had at his disposure, the money he's spent, and the fact it's been so long since he's won it (the latter being more relevant to his reputation than anything else). Tuchel's arguably in a similar situation with the first two factors as well, but I don't think any other manager in European football has winning the Champions League on their list of board expectations. Guardiola's probably brought some of it on himself by setting the bar so high in his first few years, but that's the reason he got these jobs in the first place. If you stake your reputation on European success, that's what'll be expected of you.

[Lucas]

I can understand the point @Danny makes.

The problem for me is that that the Champions League has been created and modified in a way that undermines the domestic league's every season by allowing England, Spain, Germany, Italy etc at least 4 teams in the competition.

Then, it doesn't help either that they try to take the Europa League that was on it's arse, and dangle the golden carrot of Champions League entry to the winner.

So then theoretically, Wolves could have won the Europa League and been in the Champions League despite finishing 7th.

Spurs were one game away from being on paper classed as 'the best club in Europe' last season but jesus, would you really believe that? I wouldn't have.

Hey look, it's the big money spinner for clubs and end of the day money talks. It's notorious around the World as the 'Elite' competition although I do think it's a better reflection on your efforts if you win your domestic league over more games/longer period.

Generally speaking, there is a core of maybe 11-12 clubs that breeze the group stage and are in the last 16 every single year and it seems to me only then does the competition get going.

Some clubs are just more suited to 'knockout football' than the prolonged league format. Luck plays a big part.

 

[Dan+]

The Champions League's importance has gone up because of the fact nearly all of the leagues in Europe have some sort of monopoly. Bayern, PSG and Juventus can all win their league and have a year deemed as a failure. That's quite bleak to be honest.

[RandoEFC+]

I've found it boring and repetitive for years to be honest. Last season with the likes of Spurs and Ajax causing dramatic upsets was better but from a neutral perspective, it's one of the most predictable tournaments in world football and with the same teams getting to the latter stages most years they just accumulate more wealth. You'll see about 10 different teams win the tournament for the rest of your life if you're lucky. It's also continuing to kill the competitiveness of Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga as Dan has already mentioned. The league is little more than a set of friendly matches for Juventus and PSG in particular while whenever anyone gets close to Bayern they can just buy their team so they fuck off. 

[Cicero]

I think the fact European giants continue to win it increases its prestige for me. Especially when the likes of City and PSG continue to fail. 

 Makes it all the more special when you do win it. 

[carefreeluke]

I think partly because you're getting those scenarios in recent years where some of the big teams have won their domestic leagues and domestic cup competitions and the Champions League is becoming 'the missing piece of the jigsaw' which is something you hear more and more of these days. We were like that for many years, the narrative was constantly 'the Champions League is the one Roman wants' and narratives would occur like 'so and so has been brought in to deliver the holy grail'. You're getting similar narratives now with City, Juventus, PSG, and Pep had it at Bayern for a bit as well. Real Madrid before they won it three times. Of course, a good portion of those teams had or have won it before but it might be the one they are missing from their collection in particular parts of their history.

[The Artful Dodger]

The league is harder to win and the ultimate goal, but European success is what marks you out from the rest.