High Press Episode 18:
Episode 18 of High Press focuses on the return of the Champions League with only two Premier League sides remaining in the competition.
Host Alison Bender is joined by Matt Dickinson, Paul McCarthy and Suzy Wrack to debate the European Super League, the co-efficient and how the Champions League will be structured going forward.
City and Arsenal flying the English flag
First taking a look at why the Premier League has only two teams in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, McCarthy states, “I think Newcastle were excellent in patches… and I think they’ll be stronger as and when they get back into the Champions League.”
There was general agreement that inexperience (and a very tough group) had made it difficult for Newcastle. Manchester United’s abysmal showing was given less sympathy.
The Premier League doesn’t help English teams in UCL
Wrack says that the variety of Premier League teams qualifying for the Champions League ‘speaks to the quality’ of the English topflight. Bender used Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham as examples of teams being in and out of Europe.
“It’s not necessarily a bad problem. It’s intrinsic in the competitiveness of the Premier League. Yes, there’s only two that are through this time round, but when you look at the state Chelsea and Manchester United are in, they’re not states that are going to be permanent.”
Bender brings up some of Jurgen Klopp’s complaints and some areas where Premier League teams are at a disadvantage, including fixture scheduling and the lack of a winter break.
Dickinson responds, “Is it about making the Premier League the most entertaining in terms of the scheduling of matches? Is it about protecting our teams? Obviously there’s been a move towards a winter break but it’s not a proper winter break.”
English dominance in Europe
Looking back on previous periods of English dominance, McCarthy remembers Liverpool and Nottingham Forest’s successes in the 1970s. Bender notes how the Heysel disaster, and the subsequent banning of English clubs from continental competitions, ended a very successful period for English teams.
Wrack describes the mid-2000s as a ‘modernisation of English football’ with managers embracing different tactical ideals, which contributed to the Premier League providing seven Champions League finalists between 2005 and 2012.
Dickinson says, ‘It should be the hardest thing to win in the game’, and even mentions it as a positive thing that PSG haven’t been able to win the Champions League despite the vast investment in the club.
Looking specifically at City, Dickinson draws comparisons with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, who failed to win back-to-back Champions Leagues.
“They could win it three times on the bounce, but we know how hard that’s gonna be. We know the tiny margins it takes to throw that plan off track.”
Bender mentions coefficients, which doesn’t go down well.
McCarthy replies, “There’s too much of an attempt to control football for the big clubs, and just using coefficients to shoehorn Manchester United, or whoever it may be, into a tournament, leaves me absolutely chilled to the bone. I could not care less.”
European Super League
Dickinson warns about the risk of the European Super League. McCarthy describes it as ‘the rich protecting the rich’, but the panel agree that it would not be an overall benefit to European football.
ESL in the women’s game?
The episode wraps up with a look at plans for the women’s game, and McCarthy naming Emma Hayes’ quest for a Champions League trophy as ‘one of the best stories’ in the remainder of the season.
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