Shouldn't at least some part of you - being a Real Madrid fan - lament the "changing of the guard" the Guardian speaks of? Or perhaps your RM loyalties don't go particularly far?
If the return legs go in a similar way it is hard to argue against these observations for this season. Whether this change is here to stay for a while remains to be seen over the next few seasons, I have a hard time believing it is that easy (from a Bundesliga PoV). The unresolved race for the spots 3-11 and the huge gaps to #1 and #2 in the BL, as well as the lacklustre performances of every team not Bayern, Schalke or BVB in international football (with the notable exception of 96 of course ) over the last few years make me cautious .
A nice change from the time the Bundesliga was bullied by the top leagues during the last 10 years or so. Might be true that Bayern and Dortmund are the top teams in Europe this season but it doesn't mean that the rest of the Bundesliga teams are stronger on average than those "rest of the league" teams in other top leagues. Judging the strength of a league by the performances of the two top teams is flawed. This goes for any league out there.
Time will tell, and this standard will need to be maintained for a while yet. We need to see more depth across the board for this to stand up, and while Schalke did put up a good show in making it through the Champions' League group phase the results of the second string teams in the Europa League were disappointing to say the least. However, as Bundesliga fans let us revel in this year's achievements.
However, it has to be said that the Europa League is not a good benchmark to compare the quality in depth of different leagues. None of the teams in the EL semifinals is a 2nd string team in their domestic leagues. Benfica, Chelsea and other CL drop-outs shouldn`t be allowed to compete in the Europa League IMO.
Fair point, but Germany also had its own CL drop out (albeit a "preliminary stage" dropout) in the form of Borussia Mönchengladbach. I think that while those clubs knocked out of the preliminary round of the CL should get a berth in the EL, the group phase dropouts should say goodbye to Europe for that season. I'm not just saying that because I despise Chelsea with every fine grain of my soul.
We can talk about this after 2 more years, talking about the best league in 1 year is pretty ridiculous. Though I think overall as a strong league, EPL edges it moreso due to the massive amount of money they earn.
Yep, agreed - I made the point a few posts up. This momentum has to be maintained for at least two or three seasons or else it will just be seen as a very nice one-off, much like in '97 when BVB and Schalke won the CL and then UEFA Cup respectively.
Ersonally, I also see the Premier League as the best league in the world at the moment - there is more depth than in any other league. However, I also believe that PL clubs waste far too much money on average players - the "massive amount of money they earn" doesn`t translate well on the quality on the field. It should be much better than it is now.
True, but that will be very difficult to replicate and is probably a little bit too much to ask for. Even clubs like Inter,Juventus,etc would struggle to achieve more than one outstanding season in the CL these days,let alone repeat it over a prolonged period of time. At the moment, there are probably 4 teams of whom you expect consistent success in the CL: Real,Barca,Chelsea and Man Utd.
I think all of these things move in cycles. It's always been the way. Just as England will be back, so will Italy. And after that Germany will return again. It's silly to see these things as anything more than shifts in the footballing landscape. But we're monkey brained animals who tend to see everything in black and white. Germany gets two teams in the final and they are the best league ever. Six years ago they were the shittiest league in Europe by these same accounts. It's a good ride for Germany. Just enjoy it because it may be gone tomorrow. That being said, I think they are economically strong enough to be strong in Europe for a few years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/may/01/german-fairytale-champions-league-spiel Uli's thoughts
There are some serious issues I got with the hype that started around the Bundesliga and that is - in my opinion- tied close to the ongoing success of Borussia Dortmund in this years Champions League. But it is too very clear that while it is surelly a wonderful thing for Bundesliga fans to have their favorite league going strong internationally it is a bit of a delusion. Bayern and Dortmund are indeed strong sides. Both play refreshing football and both deserve the success they got right now. But the league consists of more then just two teams and there comes the reality into play. Some may say that La Liga has two teams as well dominating it with Barca and Real but i have to say that the middle field consisting of the "Athletics" and other "Reals" is far stronger then the Bundesliga Midfield. In fact i can not see any of the usual suspects of the third and fourth place in Germany survive in international competition. Schalke had some impressive wins last season but they are always doubtful to me. Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hannover always get embaressed in the Europa League by their italian, english and spanish counterparts. The Bundesliga lacks the consistency to call herself "best league". As well to me a huge point is the entertainment that is provided. For footy tactic enthusiasts the Bundesliga is indeed a very interesting league with two teams playing football that might be seen as the next evolution. Physical, disciplined and technically on par with the spanish top teams. But the Bundesliga for sure lacks one thing and that is star power. The best league has to combine entertainment and competition. It is not enough to have one or two teams who are able to win the CL. And lets be honest: No one knows what happens to Dortmund the next season. One can be confident they will find replacements for the players who are leaving but its not certain at all.
In my experience, Britains refer to Europe as an outside entity. They don't consider themselves part of Europe, so I have a feeling the Guardian were excluding EPL when they said best league in Europe. Just a thought...
I think I would include Bayern on that list. This is our 3rd final appearance in a 4 year span and we are number 4 in terms of money.
The powers have shifted :X So who do you guys think will take the Champions League trophy home? Bayern or Dortmund?