A LEAGUE OF
THEIR OWN
THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
ROUND OF 16 IS COMPRISED
ONLY OF TEAMS FROM
EUROPE’S ‘BIG FIVE’
LEAGUES. IS THIS A
COINCIDENCE, OR A SIGN
OF THINGS TO COME, GREG
MURRAY ASKS...F
or the first time in its current
format, the knock-out phases of the
Champions League will be comprised
solely of teams from England, France,
Germany, Italy and Spain. This comes
despite warnings from the European Clubs’
Association before the season started that
the dominance of the so-called big five
leagues will not go unchecked. What has
happened in Europe’s biggest competition
that this issue is so obvious, and yet so hard
to combat.
Wealth has long been closely aligned to
success in football. Long before takeovers
by sheikhs and oligarchs, it was brand
power that saw the likes of Manchester
United, Liverpool and Real Madrid become
global sporting powerhouses. However,
in recent years it has become evident
that high achieving clubs can not only be
categorised by their own financial means,
but also of the affluence of their country.
Within Europe’s premier club competition,
a pattern of success is not only emerging
but entrenched. Since the format changed
from the European Cup, only two countries
outside the big five have won the
Champions League, whilst only two out
of the top 10 winners of the competition
are from these smaller nations. The last
winner to not come from England, France,
Germany, Italy or Spain was Porto back in
2004, who failed to even qualify for this
season’s competition.Moreover, the format of the Champions
League itself seems purpose built to ensure
that the monopoly of the wealthy countries
continues. As the prize money has increased
over the years, getting to the round of 16
or beyond provides further funding to the
successful clubs. As progression equals
coefficient points, this correspondingly
provides these clubs another chance of
repeating their results the following season.
Practically, what this means is that Spain,
England, Germany and Italy all have four
automatic entrants, and France three.
Of course, it is unfair and factually incorrect
to claim that Champions League money alone
is responsible for this hegemony. Television
money from domestic fixtures is ever
increasing, with even the worst-performing
Premier League club likely to make upwards of
$100m come the end of the 2019-20 season.
Furthermore, the global branding power of
Europe’s big five leagues has motivated the
purchases of the likes of Manchester City and
Paris Saint-Germain by Sheikh Mansour and
the state of Qatar respectively. It is investment
from billionaire owners that has seen these
teams achieve success domestically, and
correspondingly, within Europe. The fact
that Chelsea, despite having a transfer banABOVE LEFT:
Liverpool’s 2019
success was the
latest in a long line
of winners from
Europe’s big five
leagues
LEFT:
Naby Keita
celebratingSPOTLIGHT
THE DAY OF
LA DEA
Anyone searching for romance in the
Champions League need only turn to
Atalanta. Greg Murray looks closer at
the Serie A upstarts...For those still looking for an underdog
story in this season’s Champions
League, look no further than Atalanta.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have reached
the knockout stages in their very first
time in the competition, despite failing
to win any of their first four games.
Their turn-around was inspired by a
home draw against Manchester City
and followed by wins against the same
opponents [not to mention a fortuitous
run of results].
However, Atalanta are no flash in the
pan, and are currently proving their
worth in Serie A, despite having a wage
bill just 15% that of Juventus. The club
known as La Dea – The Goddess – have
invested intelligently over the past few
years, developing their academy and
scouting network to establish one of
the best, not only in Italy, but in Europe.
This has allowed them to discover the
likes of Dejan Kulusevski, who was
sold to Juventus for $37m, despite not
making a single appearance for the
club.
The combination of clever loan
signings, such as Mario Pasalic, Mattia
Caldara and Adrien Tameze add to
a well-established and experienced
squad starring the likes of Alejando
‘Papu’ Gomez and Josip Ilicic. Led by
newly-crowned Serie A coach of the
year Gasperini, Atalanta have fought
to fourth place in Serie A again this
season, whilst playing an attacking
brand of football that saw them beat
Torino 7-0 in January and outscore
any other teams. With arguably the
best possible draw in the round of 16,
Atalanta may still not be the favourites
against Valencia, but it would be a
mistake to write them off.