The Champions League has been the home of some of the greatest moments in the history of football. Comebacks, tactical revolutions and breakout stars, the Champions League – or European Cup – is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport. It has, throughout the last few decades, been the highlight for any football fan. Some respite from the day-to-day of domestic football, a chance to catch a glimpse of that player you’ve heard all about.
[ffc_insert title=”” name=”FM17 Project” image_ link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/aston-villa/villans-to-heroes-the-fm17-aston-villa-project-episode-3″ link_text=”Episode Three” ]
This year, however, the excitement has been toned down. Probably through fluke rather than intervention, the Champions League has been in the shadow of an unprecedented Premier League campaign. The greater access to domestic football from around the world has contributed, too, we can now watch Rayo Vallecano, Nice or Palermo whenever we want; we are not bound to seeing the biggest teams from the continent only in the middle of the week.
What we can take from this season’s Champions League, though, is that some British teams have almost had a different identity when it comes to playing in Europe.
The two clubs who fought to the end for the Premier League title last season, Tottenham and Leicester, have endured markedly different seasons this time around. Champions Leicester are relegation candidates, Spurs are sitting in fifth. Mauricio Pochettino’s side could still have a wonderful league campaign, that’s for sure, but it is the contrast that is most intriguing.
Leicester look disjointed domestically. The players look disinterested and the superhuman efforts of last season are a remote memory. In the Champions League, however, they have looked a different entity. Fortunate to be rewarded with a relatively easy group, Claudio Ranieri’s side prematurely secured qualification to the knockout phases and have the luxury of a dead game against Porto to finish off. Whether it is a welcome relief from the slog of league football, or a simple recognition that European sides are not familiar with their style of play, Leicester have succeeded in the Champions League– their fairy tale continues.
Spurs, meanwhile, looked far better equipped to cope with the Champions League at the start of the season. Summer additions provided squad depth and Spurs’ young players were only going to improve. Although excuses will be made about playing at Wembley – which clearly hasn’t helped – Spurs have been abject in the Champions League. In a tougher group than Leicester, granted, Tottenham netted just three goals in their five group games. Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow made for a challenging group, without a significantly weaker side, but Spurs have looked short of the quality to progress in the competition anyway. Although some of the difficulties experienced in the Champions League have leaked into their domestic form, they are yet to produce a Premier League performance as uninspiring as they have repeatedly in the Champions League.
While neither team will be pleased with their domestic seasons to date, Spurs are doing just about okay. Leicester, on the other hand, are nearing a crisis point. That, put in relation to their European ventures, seems all the more bizarre. This is not a result of different player management, or anything quite so obvious, both sides have looked almost unrecognisable in the Champions League.
[ffc_insert title=”The worst signings of the season” name=”Top of the Flops” image=”https://www.footballfancast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Simone-Zaza-5-2.jpg?admin” link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/ffcs-ten-worst-signings-of-the-season” link_text=”Hall of Shame” ]
Motivation might be an issue for Leicester in the league, but Spurs have no such excuse in the Champions League. Two teams who benefitted so enormously from not having European football last season – Spurs after being knocked out of the Europa league – have had such gaping differences in their experiences this time around. We may not have expected either to win the Premier or Champions Leagues this season, but we did not expect to see such contrasts.
European football has been a welcome distraction, bringing fortnightly joy to the King Power this season. As league football has frustrated fans and seen players questioned across the world, the Champions League has reminded Leicester of the heroics of last season. The vital respite for the Foxes has been matched by the pain suffered by Spurs. The scars of this season’s Champions League failings will remain, while explanations for their downfall will be analysed tirelessly.
The Champions League has not had its usual drama in the group stages this season, but it has revealed so much about each of the English representatives. Without the joy for Leicester or torture for Spurs, their respective campaigns would be looked at from starkly differing angles.
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