Total Football (Champions Cup)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Champions Cup
Date:	05/05/05 (1423 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Players, Great Teams

Disadvantages: No Tottenham

-Introduction-

The UEFA Champions League is Europe's premier cup competition and has been so ever since its creation in the 1992/93 season. It replaced the European Cup, a tournament with such a rich history behind it. The change is said to have taken place, in order to modernise the tournament and the inclusion of a group phase was welcomed. The Champions League is very topical at present and I have thought it necessary to give a bit of background on the tournament, a look at the players and teams over the past 13 seasons and also to look at where it may go in the future.


-Competition Format-

In its short existence, the actual Champions League format has undergone numerous changes. The tournament has always included Europe's elite teams, in the first season only 8 teams took part compared with the 32 teams that began this seasons tournament.

Initially the 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four teams each. They play each other at home and away, each team playing a total of six games in the group. The top two teams from each group then progress to what now is the second round. The top placed teams are seeded therefore they can't meet in round two. There are also certain procedures put in place to separate teams from the same group and country in the second round draw. The matches are played over two legs, home and away with the winning team advancing to the quarter finals. A further draw is then made, where any team can meet a team from their old group or federation. At this time, the semi-final draw is also made so that the teams know who they will meet should they advance. The final is played out over one leg between the teams who advance through the quarter and semi finals, on a neutral venue decided by UEFA far in advance of the competition getting underway.

The games in the knock-out stages are played over two legs. The teams play each other at home and away and the team with the best aggregate score goes onto the next stage of the competition. If a team scores a goal when playing away from home, then it has more value than one scored on their own territory. An example would be that the first leg finishes 0-0, with team A having played at home. The second leg finishes 1-1, with team A playing away from home. The aggregate score is 1-1, but because team A scored an away goal, they would win the tie. Away goals only come into play if the tie is drawn, otherwise they are irrelevant.


-Attendances-

The number of fans going to watch European matches rapidly declined in the early 1990's for a number of different reasons. The first is that the format had become somewhat tired and fans simply lost interest in the tournament. There was an increase in the amount of games shown on television, which lead to many fans staying at home to watch their teams play. The attendances at games have now risen, as the group phase format has once again appealed to the football fan. The vast majority of the games around Europe are sell outs and even attendances in Italy have risen, after marked reductions in numbers at games.


-TV Coverage-

It is possible for residents of the UK and other parts of Europe and even globally, to view all of the Champions League matches taking place. Sky Digital viewers can choose between all of the games on a Wednesday and all but two on a Tuesday. The number of people watching the games is huge and the exposure of the game is ever increasing. There are huge amounts of money involved as far as the screening of games is concerned. ITV and Sky pay huge sums of money for the right to show matches and this then filters down to the clubs who receive huge windfalls simply for qualifying. The TV coverage has opened the tournament up to a wider audience and the changed competition format, has attracted new viewers.


-Champions League Anthem-

The familiar sound of the Champions League anthem at the start of television broadcasts and just prior to kick-off, has become a key part of the whole tournament. It is almost like a war cry, it gets the two teams and the fans in the mood for the game ahead. The anthem was composed by a Mr Tony Britten. It is performed (sung) in three languages; French, German and English. It was seen as a way of unifying the participants and giving the tournament an identity.


-Tournament History-

Since the very first year of the Champions League in 1992/93, there have been nine different winners of the trophy. Real Madrid have won it three times and AC Milan have triumphed twice in all. The single biggest margin of victory, came in the 1994 final when AC Milan thumped Barcelona by 4-0. There are only two players, who have won the Champions League with two different clubs. Paulo Sousa and Marcel Desailly are the two players that go down in the tournaments history. It hasn't been possible to uncover some of the other statistics that I feel will have added to the review. If anybody knows where I can get the all time list of topscorers and such statistics, then I would be very greatful.


-Future-

I can see the competition continuing to be a great success for many more seasons yet. It is always exciting from the very first match, to the last kick of the final. It always lives up to its billing as the greatest club competition on earth. There won't be too many changes to the present format, which has only changed this season. The number of games has been cut by four, amid pressure from managers who have said that there are already too many matches in a season.

There is always talk about a possible breakaway European League, that would see the top teams from Europe leaving their home federations and competing across Europe week in and week out. However, this is still as distant possibility and isn't really realistic in the near future. The domestic competition in Spain, Italy and England are as exciting as ever and the Champions League is more than good enough. The only substantial change that I can for see, is the scrapping of limits placed on countries with regard to the number of teams that they can enter. There are often three or four weak teams that play in the group stage, that could be easily bettered by teams that haven't quite done enough to qualify from the bigger leagues in Western Europe.


-Conclusion-

Although my team, Tottenham Hotspur, have never completed in the Champions League I can still see the appeal and magic of the tournament. It showcases the very best of Europe's footballing talent, bringing together the best club sides. It consistently lives up to its expectations and the competition is always exciting. The standard of play is also a joy to watch, as a fan of football in general. To see the foreign teams break with such pace and ruthless efficiency is a great sight and to see Italian teams contain some of the most attacking teams in Europe is also intriguing to watch.

In recent years, it hasn't always been the better sides that have reached the latter stages. The last team to lift the trophy, FC Porto, were huge outsiders at the start of the competition but defied the odds to win it. Teams like PSV and Liverpool weren't expected to do so well this year, but they have excelled themselves and found ability that they never knew that they possessed within the team. It is a tournament that brings out the best in the players and they really do give it their all. It certainly seems to mean a great deal and the put a lot of effort into trying to get wins.

If you are a football of any sort, then surely you will have followed the Champions League. If you don't take an interest, because your side isn't in the competition then you are missing out on top quality entertainment. Some of the matches can have more twists and turns that your average soap opera and they always through up surprises. I also support the English and Scottish teams when they are in action, because the better than those teams do the greater profile that our domestic game receives. So do make sure that you catch the forthcoming final in Istanbul, which features Liverpool who scraped through against Chelsea. I can't think of a single reason not to watch the Champions League, you are mad if you don't have an interest in it.

Summary: A great competition for the neutral fan