What means more?

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snate
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What means more?

Post by snate »

Winning the Champions League or winning an elite national league like the EPL or Serie A?

In other words, lets say Chelsea would have won the Champions League.
Whose fans are happier/prouder - Arsenal or Chelsea?

Another thought. It is counterintuitive to me that you make the champions league based on your league performance in the prior year. By the time you play the champions league games the teams can be completely different (see Chelsea). To make the league performance more important and to have a true champion - only the top team from each league should play in the champions league and it should begin right after the national seasons end. Doesn't that seem more exciting?

I'm just trying to understand the landscape of the sport a little more.

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snate
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Post by snate »

The Champions League format seems extremely flawed to me.

I mean does anyone think that Porto or Monaco is the best side in Europe? Please.

And lets say Chelsea won. How could they be considered the best team in Europe when they are not even the best team in their own league (Arsenal)?

Honestly the CL seems more flawed than the dreadful BCS.

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Post by pk500 »

Snate:

I think the CL is more than fair. There are group stages so a lot of teams play each other in the early stages, and the home two-legged format of the rounds between the group stages and final ensures that teams who have a bad opening leg can rally in the second.

Another thing that ensures fairness in the Champions League is that it's not a two-week or one-month event where teams can capture the proverbial lightning in a bottle. You have to be good over a sustained period of time.

Take the NCAA tournament, as a contrary example. Was Syracuse really the best college basketball team in the 2002-03 season? One of the best, but not the best for the whole year. But the Orange was the best for two weeks in March and early April, winning the title.

And what about the Marlins last year? Were they truly the best team in baseball for the entire season? No. They had the third-best record in the National League, let alone the entire majors. But Florida delivered when it counted during a four-week stretch last fall.

Are Porto and Monaco the best teams in Europe? Well, they have a legitimate claim considering they're still standing. The Champions League is not a tournament of luck. You have to earn your way to the final, and Porto and Monaco have done that.

Neither team has the marquee value of a Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Man U or AC Milan, but they're still playing, and those "klieg lights" teams aren't.

Ask yourself this question: Would Man U get sh*t upon like Porto and Monaco if it advanced to the CL final, considering Man U probably will finish third in the Premiership and has suffered through a mediocre season by its standards? I say doubtful, just because it's Man U so everyone just assumes it's a great side.

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Post by JRod »

I think PK gives my argument why there should never be bowl playoffs.


I don't think the winner of the CL and the EPL, Serie A or La Liga can compare. The CL is a huge deal in europe where as the winner of the EPL is pretty dead once you hit france. Each serves it's purpose.

Now how much the UEFA Cup is worth is another story.

And I do have to go with PK and say that the CL is very much a tournament of attrition. One loss could hurt your chances in league play. And the home/away set-up of the final leg is very brutal. Could you imagine if the NFL introduced a home/away playoff series?

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