As a tournament, there is no equal to the World Cup. It’s a 30-day magical mystery ride for teams, players, fans and TV viewers at home.
That said, however, I disagree with many that this is the best tournament in years. The first round matches arguably have been the strongest in recent memory with some very entertaining games. However, the second round, quarter finals and semi-finals have been anti-climatic. The stars didn’t show up. 4-5-1 formations have been used too frequently. The standard of officiating has been disappointing, and there have been too few goals.
Consider this unpopular opinion, though: I believe the Champions League is more entertaining than the World Cup. Gulp, I’ve said it. Yes, I know. It’s sacrilegious. With so much of an international flavor in the top teams these days, clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, Manchester United, Juventus and others have become “all-star” teams featuring the best players in the world on one team.
Take this year’s Champions League final, for instance. Read through these line-ups and remember how many of them had a great impact during this year’s World Cup:
Arsenal’s line-up was: Jens Lehmann (Germany), Sol Campbell (England), Ashley Cole (England), Emmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast), Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast), Gilberto Silva (Brazil), Francesc Fabregas (Spain), Aleksander Hleb (Belarus), Freddy Ljungberg (Sweden), Robert Pires (France) and Thierry Henry (France).
Barcelona, meanwhile, lined up as follows: Victor Valdes (Spain), Edmilson (Brazil), Marquez (Mexico), Olequer (Spain), Puyol (Spain), Deco (Portugal), Giuly (France), Van Bommel (Netherlands), Van Bronckhorst (Netherlands), Ronaldinho (Brazil) and Eto’o (Cameroon).
It’s not just the “all-star” aspect of the tournament. As a whole, the Champions League matches appear to be played at a faster pace. Plus, the matches are played during the “prime” of the season rather than post-season when players are physically exhausted after enduring approximately 60 matches for their club.
What’s your opinion?
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Pingback: West Auckland F.C., The First World Champions! « My Hot Topics
TheScout
July 7, 2006 at 9:55 am
As it happens Bobby McMahon has a thread on his Fox Soccer blog about this:
http://blogs.foxsports.com/BobbyMcMahon/2006/07/06/Is_the_World_Cup_soccers_marquee_tournament
Alistair Paterson
July 4, 2006 at 5:05 pm
I was talking about the self same thing yesterday with a friend, and we both agreed that, like you, the Champions League is a greater competition. You can be sure that you’re turning up to a game of Europe’s elite.
It has a variety of world players, just like the World Cup, yet, I feel the passion is greater for club teams.
Its great going to a Champions League game on an autumn night. The music as the teams line up, the stunning vocals of the away fans, barely matched in league games. But, more importantly, the competition is spread over the season. The time period builds anticipation and allows time to savour games better.
The Gaffer
July 4, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Just after I post that entry, Italy turns on the magic and scores fantastic goals to defeat Germany. Exceptional skill after a nerveracking 120 minutes.