English clubs stroll through Champions League group phase but fatigue tends to take its toll by the spring
Has there been a great game in the Champions League group stage this season? Probably not. And even if there was, it almost certainly didn’t mean all that much. But that’s the way of the modern game: an extremely protracted clearing of the throat before the real business begins. Uefa will proudly tell the world that only six teams have nothing to play for in the final round of games on Wednesday, but whether it was worth 126 games to get to the mild peril of Napoli or Club Brugge possibly going out, or the questionable thrill of finding out whether Tottenham or Atalanta will have to endure the playoff round, is debatable.
That the reward for finishing in the top eight is not to have to play two further games is itself telling, an admission that there is too much football and that having to play a couple of extra games is now regarded not as a revenue-raising exercise but as an imposition.
Continue reading…English clubs stroll through Champions League group phase but fatigue tends to take its toll by the springHas there been a great game in the Champions League group stage this season? Probably not. And even if there was, it almost certainly didn’t mean all that much. But that’s the way of the modern game: an extremely protracted clearing of the throat before the real business begins. Uefa will proudly tell the world that only six teams have nothing to play for in the final round of games on Wednesday, but whether it was worth 126 games to get to the mild peril of Napoli or Club Brugge possibly going out, or the questionable thrill of finding out whether Tottenham or Atalanta will have to endure the playoff round, is debatable.That the reward for finishing in the top eight is not to have to play two further games is itself telling, an admission that there is too much football and that having to play a couple of extra games is now regarded not as a revenue-raising exercise but as an imposition. Continue reading…
