Premier League or Champions League? Which one is most coveted by the fans?
The rotation of players by Guus Hiddink for Chelsea’s win against West Ham this weekend was unsurprising now that Chelsea now have a minimal chance of winning the league and a crunch game against Barcelona in midweek.
Fortunately for Chelsea fans the players deployed were of sufficient calibre to defeat West Ham and included in the starting XI were a strong backbone of regular starters accompanied by one or two squad players.
This situation got me thinking about the order of importance of the competitions that teams compete for in the league. I believe that teams should play to win every game avoiding the fielding of absurdly weakened sides in certain competitions or situations.
Whilst I have no problem with the rotating of squads to keep players fresh and to blood youngsters I think that in the case of old adversaries Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson this policy has gone too far. For example the recent FA Cup semi final saw Manchester United field a severely weakened team showing no respect to the eroding traditions of the competition and costing the team a place in the final.
Therefore it is obvious that not all competitions are equally weighted in the importance for each club, many sides including those outside of the top four have chosen to rest players in certain competitions/situations both European and Domestic in nature.
The competition I covet most as a football fan is the Premier League as winning the league is the true sign of dominance and power nationally which as a fan in England is vitally important.
The league is a real test of a team 38 games against teams of varying abilities and aspirations in the sparkling sunshine and driving rain, sleet or snow. It tests the abiity to beat the best in league as well as the ability to pick up points to the minnows of the league on cold and windy nights in subzero temperatures.
The Champions League seems to rise in prominence every year particularly now that English sides have grabbed a real stranglehold in the competition with for the third season in a row English clubs representing 3 of the 4 semi finalists (stats here).
However the competition is no longer the ‘Champions League’ but a much broader competition with 4 English teams entered each season. The competition has grown and evolved and maybe the stubborn streak in me feels that this cheapens the competition just as the UEFA cup is now a shadow of its former self and much maligned a stigma the Europa league will inherit.
I do rate the Champions League or UEFA Cup’s above the FA Cup in importance due to their international significance but I am still embroiled in a love affair with the FA Cup.
Teams from all walks of English life competing often against teams multiple divisions above them in the FA league pyramid is fascinating and continues to thrive in a country that loves the underdog.
I love that any team can win the competition or progress from a lowly position to secure a fixture against Chelsea, Manchester United or any of the Premier League big boys.
That moves me onto the League cup a competition that has lost most of its merit in recent years with few clubs at any level taking it seriously unless they by some accident/miracle end up in the final stages of the competition.
This competition is where most teams blood youth or squad players which may provide a look to the future particularly with the cavalier adoption of the use of the tournament for youth players used by Manchester United and Arsenal, it does little to project the values of English football.
On the evidence outlined above I would rate the competitions I value on the desire for a club to win or progress in as follows.
1) Premier League
2)Champions League
3) FA Cup
4) League Cup
So to conclude unlike many fans I have spoken to who have a great knowledge of other European Leagues and therefore in my opinion a bigger appetite for European football, the league should always be more important to me than Champions League glory.
Whereas in the league luck plays a small role and the best side usually prevails the other three knockout competitions can be won by underdogs such as Porto and Liverpool in the Champions League.
For this reason the league will always be top of my competition hierarchy.
Key Questions
Is the Premier league more important to win for the Big 4 than the Champions League?
If given no choice would Alex Ferguson choose Champions League or Premier League glory this season?
How important is the FA Cup in modern football?
Does the hierarchy of the fans match that of the board?
It has to be the league surely, the champions league is a big competition but its a cup knockout which is why Liverpool won the CL in 2005 and not the countless better teams who were eliminated from the competition.
Premiership every day, CL is only a small piece of any fan that supports a top 4 team.
I prefer premiership football anyday, its exciting to watch and proves how god the game is as you look at the amount of foriegn players that play here and enjoy the experiance
I have always placed the premier league as the ultimate prize in football. Winning the league means that without a doubt, you are the best team. But we have seen extremely poor teams, i.e. liverpool in 2005, win the Champions League. By the same token, however, winning in Europe seems to carry more weight these days. I have ignored it for the most part, but getting so close last year and losing it by 1/2 an inch really left me with a bad taste. The excitement I felt when Terry stepped up to take the penalty, the feeling that the club would never be the same and history would be made…it made me want the champions league. Just once. Once we win the CL, top priority will then go back to the league.
I have to agree with your rankings as to the importance of each trophy. The best team over a season wins the Premier League, which in turn is the best league in Europe (as recent Champions League campaigns have proven beyond doubt). However, the one off adrenaline rush of winning the Champions League would be a bigger single moment than winning the league was in 2005 and 2006. They were amazing moments, but winning them at such a canter meant it was always a matter of when, not if.
I’d always say the league has to be the most important. The European Cup is a huge competition, but like the FA Cup it isn’t always the best team that wins it, while it almost always is with the League. The European Cup is the highest standard of football, but the League is the most important, and the FA Cup is the most exciting
It is true that the EPL better defines the best teams. But making competitions international adds diversity into the great game of football.
I would argue that even with the Champions League expanding in 2000 to include 2nd, 3rd, and in some cases 4th placed teams did not de-legitimize it in my view.
From 1992-1999 it was truly the CL where only the Champions were allowed. It was in one sense a geography lesson as oyu learned which club was best in each country (Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, Rapid Viennna in Aurstia, Aalborg in Denmark, Bury-Town in Wales, etc.) It really felt prestigous to play in it and when my hometown Dynamo Kiev beat Barcelona 4-0 at Nou Camp in 1997 – it felt special as it signified that the Ukrainian League was superior to La Liga that one year.
When the CL expanded in 2000 to include non-champion teams and resulted in an all Spanish final (Valencia vs Real Madrid) the concept was watered down a bit but the winner was still the best club in Europe. I would argue that the 4th placed English or Saanish team is roughly equal in status to the champion of Austria or Ukraine and should have the same opportunity to be a European champion. The expansion has resulted in more super-club matches such as Liverpool vs Real Madrid and Chelsea vs Barca and decreased the number of Eastern European clubs present. But that is simply due to the poor performance of Eastern European clubs. As an Eastern European, this makes me sad, but this in no way devalues the value of lifting that CL trophy and hearing “These Are the Champions” as you are recognized as being the best in Europe!
The CL is not a glorified Carling Cup but the Club Championship of Europe which determines which club is the best in Europe. This title is simply bigger in scope than being the champion of the best league in Europe – the PL as I would argue the purpose of winning the PL is to qualify for the Champions Laague.
I would gladly trade the 2 Chelsea PL wins for one CL!
for me the league is more important just because usually the best team wins the league.
Don’t worry Kristian, I understand and never get offended with whom I am arguing. I also posted my comments on your soccerlens.com article. I agree that for countries (such as my Homecountry of Ukraine) who had relatively weak domestic leagues (only two OK teams Dynamo Kiev and Shahter Donetsk) the CL was everything. The whole country would stand stop to watch their team play a home CL match and spend their last savings on tickets.
I agree that English lads who grew up watching the best football in their domestic league don’t appreciate the CL as much as the PL featured about equal quality matches. However, that does not make the PL champion the best club in the world.
The CL features much more variety than the PL. To win it you must defeat the rough German teams, the stylish Spanish teams, the ambitious Eastern European teams, the stifling-defensive Italian teams, the fiesty French teams (Olympic Lyonne mostly) not to mention other top English clubs. This is why no team has been able to defend their title since the CL inception in 1992 as the competition is the toughest in the world, followed by Copa Libertadores in South America.
I see where you are coming from but I just don’t see how being the best among English clubs (even if the PL is the best European league) can be seen as being more important than being the best in Europe!
Is the Premier league more important to win for the Big 4 than the Champions League?
I think if you asked the question prior to us winning the league and repeating that feat in the next season the answer would be obvious to any Chelsea fan. The league without a shadow of a doubt. The league as a national competition pits us with other of the country’s finest for whom we know and hate; from whom bragging rights through our proximity gives us fans a special feeling.
But having watched us lift the League and then again. We have what we craved for, we have what a few years before seemed within our horizon though beyond our reach.
Once you have what you coveted like the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs it becomes less desirous because you know what it’s like. The champion’s league is a competition that reminds us you we are not only England’s finest but are among the world’s. And anybody who remember’s us winning promotion with 99 points will have a hard time adjusting to this current reality.
We are were we are. The Champion’s league should be our most coveted prize in my opinion simply because we do not know what that feeling is like. We do not know what it means to hear ‘Champions of Europe’, ‘Champions of the world’So in my opinion I think for us atleast that is what we ought to aspire to.
Totally agree…Europe is key, but the league, is and always will be THE prize, the big one…
Interesting thoughts interested to know what Manchester United fans would do if given a choice now between league or Champions league (only choose one)????
i agree that the premiership is the most valued trophy, as no one can argue that over the course of 38 games, the best team is decided. however, in terms of prestige, the champions league is probably of equal value, so im sure arsenal and chelsea fans would rather complete their collection of the major trophies in preference to winning the premier league at this moment in time.
@Kristian – whatever pays the debts quicker
@Ahmed
Well maybe if one of the Trophies was a magic lamp (of sorts) you could rub it three times and wish away the Glazers
It varies from club to club…as Samir Abdalla says.
If i were a Liverpool fan,I would crave for the league,having tasted European success recently and also having finished runners up 2 seasons ago.
However,as a Manchester united fan,the CL is now more important to me simply because we have underperformed in Europe.
One of my friends is a Milan fan and whenever we have our my-club-is-better-than-yours-argument, he usually has the final word,as recent success notwithstanding, United have won the CL 3 times, and Milan-7.
This leads me to the conclusion that as an international United fan,I value the UCL more because I haven’t grown up in England,and I would much rather have the bragging rights of being the best in Europe rather than being the best in England.
This leads me to wonder,how about once every four years,instead of a knockout-style tournament,we have a league consisting of the 10 best teams in Europe? Due to the added fixture congestion for these clubs,they could be excused from one of the knockout domestic cups,like the League cup.
Winning this super league would surely surpass winning both the EPL and the UCL
Fateh, Liverpool will never win the league with Rafael Beneath us (wait till end of season you will see).
Cup competitions are your only chance of glory!
@ Kris
I think Man United definitely prefer the CL as they have dominated the PL for so long, they want to build history and overtake Liverpool with their 5 CL trophies. And obviousely they wanna keep winning the Club World as well.