With European football in full swing as of this week, we will have the first glimpse of the effects it will have on the league schedule for the teams involved. It is a strange conundrum which many teams will go through in search of glory at home and abroad, and the balancing act is one which will test many teams to their limits.
There are two scenarios which teams have and that is dependent on the competition that they are involved in. The Champions League scenario first of all will, to many teams, be one of the main priorities for their season. The Europa League scenario on the other hand can be of an ever changing importance to each team.
Each scenario though has effects on each team individually and the way in which they are handled often sets out the stool for success in the Premier League. The Champions League is fairly predictable, all Premier League teams involved view it with the up-most importance. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal for a number of years have been regulars in the competition and are seasoned in the effects of it.
The routine of playing midweek and again at the weekend is one that these teams are more than used to and it is this experience which helps them to maintain their stranglehold over the Premiership hierarchy. The Champions League is of great importance for them all, aside from Man Utd neither Arsenal nor Chelsea have ever won the competition, and this season many see Andre Villas Boas as being employed with an understanding of winning the Champions League.
For other teams that take part however it is a different question of maintaining high performance and managing the squad. Tottenham last season can only be described as a revelation when it came to their performances in the foremost European competition. Wins against Internazionale and AC Milan where the obvious highlights, but trips to the Bernabeu and such like glittered in a truly amazing journey.
Their performances in the league however pallid in comparison, and their season dwindled after the victory over the Rossoneri. What was apparent was that players failed to pick themselves up again for teams of lesser prestige in the mundane games of the Premiership.
The way in which Manchester City deal with the task is yet to be seen however they should be careful not to fall into the same trap. Their first season in the competition is sure to bring great deal of excitement and the promise of a ‘journey’, yet with competition fierce in the league they could possibly find themselves in an unlikely situation of fighting to maintain their Champions League status.
What is true is that unlike Tottenham, in fact unlike any team really, they have a squad of unprecedented quality. They have the ability to almost put a new team out on a Sunday, one which will be extremely hungry to prove their worth and get a position in the first team. It is with that, that they should be able to cope fine with the extra pressure of Champions League football. Already having many seasoned Champions League players will help immeasurably.
The Europa League provides a different situation. For the likes of Stoke, Fulham and Birmingham it offers them the chance of rocking European nights, great foreign adventures and the chance of glory. For the likes of Tottenham though, as prescribed by Harry Redknapp, it provides a “nuisance”.
Such an analogy sums up the feelings of many at a club that was playing at the higher level the year before. It is an unwanted distraction in their ambition to regain a Champions League place.
The Europa League is a curious one though, for the longer that Tottenham last in the competition the less of a nuisance it becomes. The prestige of winning the trophy and successive prize money is much more appealing. The knowledge of further branding across Europe and the improving of the name of the club are all attractive prospects. But as in many seasons the likelihood of this happening is slim, many clubs fail to make it so far because of the other side of the coin.
The “nuisance” side of the Europa League is what causes it to be seen by many in such a derogatory light. Playing on a Thursday evening in a far Eastern European country followed by a Sunday league match is not the most attractive of prospects. The damage to the squad is also dangerous. With teams all having individual pursuits outside of the tournament, the loss of vital players can be devastating to teams with a small squad. Also as is often the way a team of lower stature can almost sacrifice their place in the Premiership in search of European glory at a lower level.
This is why the Europa League is an ambiguous tournament. It is a gamble, it could provide great success but also cause catastrophe. It is a gamble which unlike the Champions League does not provide sufficient dividends and as such will always remain a constant second in terms of the European tournaments.
So what of the teams in Europe this year, those luckily enough to be in the Champions League have started unconvincingly. Arsenal are still to find their feet in the league and the Champions League may provide valuable game time to their fledgling team, but may also cause ruptures through injury and lack of success.
Manchester City and Manchester United failed to get results against so called lesser opponents, whilst Chelsea eventually beat Bayer Leverkusen convincingly. Mixed results were evident in the opening round of Europa League group matches too, where Birmingham City may feel that it is a bonus that will ultimately harm their promotion hopes..
The Champions League this year (as ever) should further enhance the status of those involved at the end of the day, whereas the Europa League may provide a good breeding ground for Tottenham to bed in some of their younger players. But the pressure from fans for success and victories may push the squad too far and sacrifice their chance of Champions League qualification through the league. As for the lesser English teams, the hope of success may push them to the ‘edge of glory’ or the ‘brink of disaster’ as there often seems to be no in-between.