Italy top of UEFA ranking
Italy have shot to the top of the UEFA ranking for this season, leapfrogging England and Spain.
According to the Gazzetta dello Sport’s latest calculations, the fine form of Serie A outfits in Europe has seen them rise to 8.29 points.
That puts Italy’s club sides in front of Germany and, for the first time in almost a decade, England and Spain.
This is down to recent results that saw Milan pick up four points from two games with Real Madrid and the likes of Fiorentina beat Liverpool 2-0.
Inter, Fiorentina, Juventus and Milan are all in a strong position to qualify from the Champions League group phase.
In the Europa League Lazio are struggling after a good start, but Roma and Genoa are well in the running.
The UEFA ranking is calculated by awarding two points for a win and one for a draw, adding them together to then divide by the number of clubs.
It is used to decide the seeding in draws and eventually can dictate how many places in the Champions League each country receives.
http://www.football-italia.net/nov7k.html
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It's a good start after some barren years brought about by financial troubles and domestic league problems, but the litmus test will be to see how far teams can get in the Champions League, ie QF, SF, that is important. As for the Europa League, I don't know how well the teams will do because Serie A has much more importance, but so far not bad.
Full Version: UEFA co-efficient
1. Italy 8.285
2. Spain 8.071
3. England 7.928
4. Germany 7.583
5. France 7.500
Early days yet, but it is good that Italian football is making a recovery.
2. Spain 8.071
3. England 7.928
4. Germany 7.583
5. France 7.500
Early days yet, but it is good that Italian football is making a recovery.
More important than anything to significantly outdo Germany.
anyone got the full updated list? or top 20?
they are converging
QUOTE(nufc @ Nov 7 2009, 04:00 PM) 
anyone got the full updated list? or top 20?
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/d.../ccoef2010.html
It's so close, need a much larger gap over the Germans. I didn't realise the number of clubs was taken into account, it's probably advatageous for Germany to have fewer teams in the CL, one weak team could wreck a country's score.
Abete blames Europa snub
If Italy lose their fourth Champions League berth, warns FIGC President Giancarlo Abete, is it down to “those who snubbed the UEFA Cup.”
Italian teams risk dropping down the UEFA ranking to the degree that the Bundesliga will have four entrants and the Peninsula reduced to three from 2011-12.
“This could happen because at times our sides did not consider the UEFA Cup, now the Europa League, an adequate stage,” said the Federation chief.
“Instead this tournament has equal dignity and worth to the Champions League and should not have been snubbed."
In the 1990s the UEFA Cup was dominated by Italian teams, but in recent years the tournament has been approached using second-string squads.
“Now all we can do is stick together and hope Germany do not overtake us in the UEFA ranking.”
Juventus are the only remaining Italian side in the Europa League and face Fulham this evening, while Inter have the chance to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
----------------------------------
I still think it is crazy with the whole EL points scoring system being comparable to the CL overall. Italian teams have been playing reserve sides for the last four years whilst German sides have been going to win it. Calciopoli also ruined Serie A in that season, with Chievo going into the qualifiers and bombing out, and teams like Livorno in the UEFA Cup, laughable.
Germany might actually overtake Italy in a couple of years because of the low co-efficients in those seasons, combining for the average.
If Italy lose their fourth Champions League berth, warns FIGC President Giancarlo Abete, is it down to “those who snubbed the UEFA Cup.”
Italian teams risk dropping down the UEFA ranking to the degree that the Bundesliga will have four entrants and the Peninsula reduced to three from 2011-12.
“This could happen because at times our sides did not consider the UEFA Cup, now the Europa League, an adequate stage,” said the Federation chief.
“Instead this tournament has equal dignity and worth to the Champions League and should not have been snubbed."
In the 1990s the UEFA Cup was dominated by Italian teams, but in recent years the tournament has been approached using second-string squads.
“Now all we can do is stick together and hope Germany do not overtake us in the UEFA ranking.”
Juventus are the only remaining Italian side in the Europa League and face Fulham this evening, while Inter have the chance to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
----------------------------------
I still think it is crazy with the whole EL points scoring system being comparable to the CL overall. Italian teams have been playing reserve sides for the last four years whilst German sides have been going to win it. Calciopoli also ruined Serie A in that season, with Chievo going into the qualifiers and bombing out, and teams like Livorno in the UEFA Cup, laughable.
Germany might actually overtake Italy in a couple of years because of the low co-efficients in those seasons, combining for the average.
Germany are 95% certain to get the 4 CL places for the season after next, now Bayern and Hamburg have done well. I think it would require Inter to win the CL. Whilst I think the EL results being taken into account is ludicrous, Serie A coaches clubs only have themselves to blame for putting weak sides out and for not doing enough in the CL in recent years, partly due to Calciopoli.
Glad to see Bundesliga doing well, even if it means have to depend partially on Bayern...
Italy are currently 5th for the year 2009/10
and are likely to slip to 4th, though will remain ahead of France
is it the top 3 who have 4 CL slots or Top 4?
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/d.../ccoef2010.html
and are likely to slip to 4th, though will remain ahead of France
is it the top 3 who have 4 CL slots or Top 4?
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/d.../ccoef2010.html
Surprise Surprise, it's the top 5 who have only remaining teams
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/d.../crank2010.html
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/d.../crank2010.html
Top 3.
Germany deserve it, their league system is one of organization and fairness.
Italian football is way too political and dirty.
Italian football is way too political and dirty.
This is ridiculous, when was the last time, a german team other than Bayern have done any good in the CL huh.
capo, he's just tuggin' our dicks for laughs!
He knows the Germans have had their own match fixing scandal...
But I'll let J.J. elaborate on that point if he feels like it. Right now I need a shot of Jack Daniel's then some sleep!
He knows the Germans have had their own match fixing scandal...
But I'll let J.J. elaborate on that point if he feels like it. Right now I need a shot of Jack Daniel's then some sleep!
1. England 81.142
2. Spain 79.043
3. Germany 64.207
4. Italy 63.910
Here are the possible scenarios in which Italy can regain the 3rd place:
1. If Inter lose tonight but still qualify:
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
2. If Inter draw tonight:
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
3. If Inter win tonight:
- Inter win in the final (no matter how) while Hamburger lose against Fulham
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger qualifies for the final without beating Fulham and then loses the final (but not on penalties).
- Inter lose the final on penalties, while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
In any other case, Germany will have the 3rd place and 4 CL spots in 2011/2012.
Credit to Alen @ juventuz.com for the research.
2. Spain 79.043
3. Germany 64.207
4. Italy 63.910
Here are the possible scenarios in which Italy can regain the 3rd place:
1. If Inter lose tonight but still qualify:
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
2. If Inter draw tonight:
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
3. If Inter win tonight:
- Inter win in the final (no matter how) while Hamburger lose against Fulham
- Inter win in the final (but not on penalties) while Hamburger qualifies for the final without beating Fulham and then loses the final (but not on penalties).
- Inter lose the final on penalties, while Hamburger lose against Fulham.
In any other case, Germany will have the 3rd place and 4 CL spots in 2011/2012.
Credit to Alen @ juventuz.com for the research.
Germany does deserve it after all. The talent they are capturing on transfers and through the youth system are relatively good and not to mention the foreign talent their is probably one of the best in the world.
That's all nice but its only because of the Europa League results, for these last few seasons at least. In the long term though Germany has further growth potential, but it needs to make the league more attractive to players and not just fans.
i really dont see how they deserve it, we're talking about one more CL spot for them while i cant remember when was the last time any team apart from Bayern did anything worthy in the CL, forget the EL, its a completely different manner even if 3rd places in the CL drop into the EL.
with that being said, f**k that COME ON BARCAAAAAA
with that being said, f**k that COME ON BARCAAAAAA
That's the irony of UEFA. They knew the UEFA Cup was dying a death so had to make it important. I really don't get it.
One positive - if Italy does only get three then it means a very strong team will be in the EL, Italy has more stronger teams than Germany so would claw it back if teams field decent sides.
One positive - if Italy does only get three then it means a very strong team will be in the EL, Italy has more stronger teams than Germany so would claw it back if teams field decent sides.
Fulham knock out Hamburg... what does this mean?
QUOTE(iosonocanadese @ Apr 29 2010, 10:45 PM)
Fulham knock out Hamburg... what does this mean?
It means that, Hogdson is better than we all thought
It means that if Inter win the CL final inside 120 minutes, then Italy keeps 3rd spot.
Are you absolutely positive about that? I'd check myself, but I fail at math... 
Seeing numbers would make me feel better.
Seeing numbers would make me feel better.
QUOTE(JuveJay @ Apr 29 2010, 11:14 PM)
even a draw may actually do it, JuveJay
How? Italy are .155 () behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.
) behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.
OK, then, I'll be forced to say something that, unless it gets to this sorry-ass stage again some time in the future, I hope to never, ever say again...
but FORZA l'INTER. There... now let me go and wash my hands a few thousand times and spraypaint the word 'UNCLEAN' on all my clothes.
but FORZA l'INTER. There... now let me go and wash my hands a few thousand times and spraypaint the word 'UNCLEAN' on all my clothes.
Actually, maybe the 4th place might be a good thing longer term, we don't know really. Short term, people will signal the death knell of Italian football, but fact is that our co-efficient has been going up since the self destruction aftermath of Calciopoli in 2007-08.
QUOTE(JuveJay @ Apr 29 2010, 10:18 PM)
How? Italy are .155 () behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.
) behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.WTF? this shit goes into the thousandths of points?
Exactly how fucked up IS the coefficient system, anyway? LOLSounds from reading the posts here like they've kept the same system they've used since the eighties and earlier... which is, for obvious reasons, hopelessly irrelevant today. There's really only one relevant competition anymore, giving such weight to the UEFA Cup/Europa League is a tad silly.
QUOTE(JuveJay @ Apr 29 2010, 11:18 PM)
How? Italy are .155 () behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.
) behind, so a draw up to 120 minutes means no change.I know, but IIRC, you do get about .200 for a draw I think
QUOTE(JuveJay @ Apr 29 2010, 10:20 PM)
Actually, maybe the 4th place might be a good thing longer term, we don't know really. Short term, people will signal the death knell of Italian football, but fact is that our co-efficient has been going up since the self destruction aftermath of Calciopoli in 2007-08.
Actually... you do have a point. The only thing is that I'm not sure if the lack of cash flow from one less CL place might do too much damage in the short term.
but a lot of people are saying that losing the spot to Germany would provide real incentive for the politicians in Italy to put Serie A teams on an equal footing with clubs in Spain and England with regards to taxes and other stuff. Also, it would provide greater incentive to sort out the many other problems calcio in general has right now.
Basically even if Italy do stay ahead for the 2011-12 season, they will need some fantastic results next season to stay ahead the year after, as Germany had one much stronger year in those last 5, and with a fading Milan and Samp/Palermo in there I'm not betting on it.
OK, so I just had a look, and what you said about the EL/UEFA Cup being on level with the CL has just sunk in. Fulham, believe it or not, earned the most points of any English team this year.
WTF? Does UEFA think it's still 1991 or something and the Europa League actually matters? That's absolute BS. Most teams don't even play full-strength squads for EL matches, because it's a crappy little competition for sixth place teams.
WTF? Does UEFA think it's still 1991 or something and the Europa League actually matters? That's absolute BS. Most teams don't even play full-strength squads for EL matches, because it's a crappy little competition for sixth place teams.
It's a load of shit, designed for UEFA to give importance to a competition few care about.
Yep. It doesn't take an expert to see that the only way to make it relevant again is to make it for teams that actually achieved something in their respective leagues. Nobody wants to watch average teams play each other. If UEFA want to 'fix' their other competition, the solution is simple. Top two teams enter the Champions League, next 2 enter UEFA Cup.. Rocket science, ce n'est pas. Of course, if I had it MY way, it'd be that the top team enters the European Champions' Cup, 2nd place enters the UEFA Cup, and the cup winner enters the Cup Winners' Cup ala 1980s, but one can't always get what one wants...
This is why Italy is fucked next season in regards to entry the season after, they lose the 05-06 season as it is the last 5 seasons taken into account, which is a 5 point swing against Germany. In 3 of the 4 other seasons Germany has done better, it would take a massive flop for the German teams and for an incredible set of results for Italy to keep 3rd position, it isn't going to happen as teams simply don't care about the EL.
Season 2011/12
Yeah, you know what I mean.
No movement near the top, but as Jay says, it is close
Yeah UEFA Cup (and now Europa League) has been on a par with the CL for as long as I can remember. Actually the UEFA Cup winners tended to get more points as they played more games and had easier opposition so could rack up more wins and therefore more points.
Thanks to Alen at Juventuz:
Serie A vs Bundesliga, CL only last 5 years:
Germany 15.33 + 18.16 + 10.00+ 9.33+ 11.00 = 64.26
Italy 12.00 + 19.75+ 12.87+ 13.375+14.125 = 72.12
Says it all.
Serie A vs Bundesliga, CL only last 5 years:
Germany 15.33 + 18.16 + 10.00+ 9.33+ 11.00 = 64.26
Italy 12.00 + 19.75+ 12.87+ 13.375+14.125 = 72.12
Says it all.
QUOTE(JuveJay @ Dec 17 2010, 09:16 PM)
Thanks to Alen at Juventuz:
Serie A vs Bundesliga, CL only last 5 years:
Germany 15.33 + 18.16 + 10.00+ 9.33+ 11.00 = 64.26
Italy 12.00 + 19.75+ 12.87+ 13.375+14.125 = 72.12
Says it all.
Serie A vs Bundesliga, CL only last 5 years:
Germany 15.33 + 18.16 + 10.00+ 9.33+ 11.00 = 64.26
Italy 12.00 + 19.75+ 12.87+ 13.375+14.125 = 72.12
Says it all.
And that's the five black years since Farsopoli...
Italy loses Champions League place
The number of Champions League places allocated to clubs in Serie A will be reduced to just three from the start of the 2012-13 season.
Despite Inter's victory in the competition last year poor performances in general from Italian clubs over the last decade has seen their co-efficient ranking plummet.
Inter, Roma and Milan all lost the home legs of their Champions League knock out ties this month, making the prospect of any Italian team reaching the Quarter-Finals slim to none.
The distance between Italy and Germany in the co-efficient rankings is now too big to recover and in two years' time the team that finishes third in Serie A will have to go through the preliminary stages to reach the Champions League outright.
There are also ramifications for participation in the Europa League, as from 2012-13 the team that finishes sixth in Serie A will stay at home.
http://football-italia.net/feb25k.html
it's official people
The number of Champions League places allocated to clubs in Serie A will be reduced to just three from the start of the 2012-13 season.
Despite Inter's victory in the competition last year poor performances in general from Italian clubs over the last decade has seen their co-efficient ranking plummet.
Inter, Roma and Milan all lost the home legs of their Champions League knock out ties this month, making the prospect of any Italian team reaching the Quarter-Finals slim to none.
The distance between Italy and Germany in the co-efficient rankings is now too big to recover and in two years' time the team that finishes third in Serie A will have to go through the preliminary stages to reach the Champions League outright.
There are also ramifications for participation in the Europa League, as from 2012-13 the team that finishes sixth in Serie A will stay at home.
http://football-italia.net/feb25k.html
it's official people
Just basically confirmation of what we knew for a long time.
The bigger problem is that this year the Italian teams in the CL have also done poorly, and could in theory all be out from the first KO.
Either way, Italy would have to have a big shift in EL mentality to get the 4th spot back.
The bigger problem is that this year the Italian teams in the CL have also done poorly, and could in theory all be out from the first KO.
Either way, Italy would have to have a big shift in EL mentality to get the 4th spot back.
From Garganaese at g***.com:
Raped.
QUOTE
How can Italy losing a Champions League spot to Germany possibly be justified when the Bundesliga have only progressed past one quarter final in eight years?
Edinson Cavani prolonged Italy’s ‘interest’ in the Europa League just a little while longer last night by heading home a dramatic injury time winner against Steaua Bucharest that sees Napoli progress to the knockouts as Serie A’s only representatives.
But this victory will not be enough to maintain Italy’s four Champions League spots. From 2012/13 the German Bundesliga will be granted this privilege, with Italy having to make do with just three qualifiers – one of which will have to negotiate their way through the preliminaries.
The reason we have reached such a situation is due to UEFA’s nonsensical co-efficient formula that basically rewards teams in the Europa League/UEFA Cup with the same number of points as clubs in the Champions League. Over the past five seasons where points are tallied, Germany has outperformed Italy emphatically in Europe’s ugly sister competition.
06/07 – Only one Italian team reaches last 16, two German clubs in last 8, one in semi finals.
07/08 – One Italian team and one German team make semis, but four German squads in last 16, to Italy’s one.
08/09 – One Italian team in quarters, two German sides in semis and one in final.
09/10 – Only one Italian team reaches last 16, two Germans in last 8, one in semi finals.
10/11 – Only one Italian team reaches last 32, two German sides in last 32.
Some loyal Bundesliga fans (naming no names, Clark Whitney) will try to argue that the above demonstrates their championship’s greater strength in depth. To be brutally honest, though, it illustrates the disdain Serie A has for a tournament, lacking any rewards or prestige, which is nothing more than an annoying distraction and drain of resources.
Anyone who has watched Serie A compete in the Europa League/UEFA Cup over the past decade – since UEFA annihilated the competition by expanding the Champions League – will note that even when clubs haven’t fielded virtual reserve sides the players have been strolling around the pitch like they are in a pre-season training camp.
Buli followers will argue that it is Italy’s problem for not treating the Europa League seriously, but why should Serie A respect a system that is so clearly flawed? The easiest way to get a promotion at work is to brownose your boss - if you are a female it may be to sleep with your boss - but that doesn't mean everyone should do it. If the system is wrong, it needs changing.
The financial rewards of the Europa League through prize money, sponsors, gate receipts and television are so measly that it is wise for clubs to rest players and concentrate on their weekend domestic matches. A win in the group stages earns a club just €100,000. Atletico Madrid only made around €6 million in winning the whole 2010 edition.
Peanuts.
A club is not going to risk domestic relegation that in today’s financial climate could destroy the club. Sunderland received more prize money finishing 13th in the Premier League last campaign than Atletico Madrid did winning the Europa League. In 2004/05, when Parma were just recovering from financial meltdown, the Gialloblu advanced all the way to the UEFA Cup semis with their youth team. They deployed their youths because they were at risk of a destructive relegation that could have finished them.
Then, of course, there are those clubs that are challenging for Champions League qualification. Would Napoli prefer to win the Europa League this season, or finish fourth in Serie A and qualify for the formerly-named European Cup? I don’t even need to give you the answer. The financial rewards are astronomical. UEFA awards €2.1m to each team in the play-offs round, €3.9m for reaching the group stages, €0.55m per group match played, €0.8m for each group win and €0.4m for each group draw. Each knockout round the prize is €3m, each quarter finalist €3.3m, semi-finalist €4.2m, runners-up €5.2m, and €9m for the winners.
Which makes the equal distribution of co-efficient points for the CL and Europa League all the more ridiculous. Shakhtar Donetsk won the last-ever UEFA Cup by beating the likes of CSKA Moscow, Marseille, Dynamo Kyiv, and Werder Bremen. Meanwhile, Barcelona roared to CL glory by defeating giants Lyon, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United. Incredibly, Shakhtar actually earned more co-efficient points for Ukraine than Barcelona did for Spain.
The Champions League and Europa League must be separated from one another in judging how many entrants Italy and Germany should receive for the former. Whether you look at the league’s respective records in the Champions League over the last one, three, five, 10, 15, 20 or 30 years, Serie A has embarrassingly outperformed the Bundesliga.
06/07 - Only one German team, Bayern, got out of the groups. FC Hollywood were beaten in the quarters by Milan. Three Italian sides reached the last 16, two reached the quarter finals, and one won the competition – Milan.
07/08 – Only one German team, Schalke, got out of the groups. Schalke were beaten in the quarters by Barcelona. Three Italians reached the last 16, one reached the quarter finals.
08/09 – Only one German team, Bayern, got out of the groups. Bayern were beaten in the quarters by Barcelona. Three Italians reached the last 16, and all were eliminated.
09/10 – Two German teams reached the last 16, one of whom was eliminated. Bayern progressed to the final where they were beaten by a Serie A side. Three Italians reached the last 16, two of whom were eliminated. One won the competition - Inter
10/11 – Two German teams reach last 16, three Italian teams reach last 16.
In the last eight years prior to the current one, a German side has only once progressed past the quarter finals – Bayern last season. During three of those eight years, not a single Bundesliga squad even made it past the last 16. Only five teams in eight years – four of them Bayern (so much for strength in depth!) – have made it to the quarters.
Compare this to Italy’s record over the same period of time. Despite being in crisis since the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, Serie A has won three titles, had five finalists, seven semi-finalists, and 14 quarter finalists. They have won two of the last four Champions Leagues.
Italy's Superiority Over Germany
5 Number of German CL quarter-finalists in 8 years
14 Number of Italian CL quarter-finalists in 8 years
9 Years since Germany last won the CL
2 Number of CL titles Italy has won in last 4 years
1 Number of German finalists in last 8 years
5 Number of Italian finalists in last 8 years
Just to close the argument with a historical statistic. In the last 34 years, the German Bundesliga has won three Champions Leagues or European Cups. Serie A has won eight. Italy has appeared in 17 of the last 34 European Cup finals, exactly half. The same ratio as the last four years, both of which resulted in Italian triumphs - a record better than any other league in Europe, England and Spain included.
Yet some idiots in UEFA, who have obviously never kicked a football in their lives want to tell us that the results of glamour ties Stuttgart-Odense and Sampdoria-Debrecen are more important in judging whether Italy deserves three or four Champions League spots.
Edinson Cavani prolonged Italy’s ‘interest’ in the Europa League just a little while longer last night by heading home a dramatic injury time winner against Steaua Bucharest that sees Napoli progress to the knockouts as Serie A’s only representatives.
But this victory will not be enough to maintain Italy’s four Champions League spots. From 2012/13 the German Bundesliga will be granted this privilege, with Italy having to make do with just three qualifiers – one of which will have to negotiate their way through the preliminaries.
The reason we have reached such a situation is due to UEFA’s nonsensical co-efficient formula that basically rewards teams in the Europa League/UEFA Cup with the same number of points as clubs in the Champions League. Over the past five seasons where points are tallied, Germany has outperformed Italy emphatically in Europe’s ugly sister competition.
06/07 – Only one Italian team reaches last 16, two German clubs in last 8, one in semi finals.
07/08 – One Italian team and one German team make semis, but four German squads in last 16, to Italy’s one.
08/09 – One Italian team in quarters, two German sides in semis and one in final.
09/10 – Only one Italian team reaches last 16, two Germans in last 8, one in semi finals.
10/11 – Only one Italian team reaches last 32, two German sides in last 32.
Some loyal Bundesliga fans (naming no names, Clark Whitney) will try to argue that the above demonstrates their championship’s greater strength in depth. To be brutally honest, though, it illustrates the disdain Serie A has for a tournament, lacking any rewards or prestige, which is nothing more than an annoying distraction and drain of resources.
Anyone who has watched Serie A compete in the Europa League/UEFA Cup over the past decade – since UEFA annihilated the competition by expanding the Champions League – will note that even when clubs haven’t fielded virtual reserve sides the players have been strolling around the pitch like they are in a pre-season training camp.
Buli followers will argue that it is Italy’s problem for not treating the Europa League seriously, but why should Serie A respect a system that is so clearly flawed? The easiest way to get a promotion at work is to brownose your boss - if you are a female it may be to sleep with your boss - but that doesn't mean everyone should do it. If the system is wrong, it needs changing.
The financial rewards of the Europa League through prize money, sponsors, gate receipts and television are so measly that it is wise for clubs to rest players and concentrate on their weekend domestic matches. A win in the group stages earns a club just €100,000. Atletico Madrid only made around €6 million in winning the whole 2010 edition.
Peanuts.
A club is not going to risk domestic relegation that in today’s financial climate could destroy the club. Sunderland received more prize money finishing 13th in the Premier League last campaign than Atletico Madrid did winning the Europa League. In 2004/05, when Parma were just recovering from financial meltdown, the Gialloblu advanced all the way to the UEFA Cup semis with their youth team. They deployed their youths because they were at risk of a destructive relegation that could have finished them.
Then, of course, there are those clubs that are challenging for Champions League qualification. Would Napoli prefer to win the Europa League this season, or finish fourth in Serie A and qualify for the formerly-named European Cup? I don’t even need to give you the answer. The financial rewards are astronomical. UEFA awards €2.1m to each team in the play-offs round, €3.9m for reaching the group stages, €0.55m per group match played, €0.8m for each group win and €0.4m for each group draw. Each knockout round the prize is €3m, each quarter finalist €3.3m, semi-finalist €4.2m, runners-up €5.2m, and €9m for the winners.
Which makes the equal distribution of co-efficient points for the CL and Europa League all the more ridiculous. Shakhtar Donetsk won the last-ever UEFA Cup by beating the likes of CSKA Moscow, Marseille, Dynamo Kyiv, and Werder Bremen. Meanwhile, Barcelona roared to CL glory by defeating giants Lyon, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United. Incredibly, Shakhtar actually earned more co-efficient points for Ukraine than Barcelona did for Spain.
The Champions League and Europa League must be separated from one another in judging how many entrants Italy and Germany should receive for the former. Whether you look at the league’s respective records in the Champions League over the last one, three, five, 10, 15, 20 or 30 years, Serie A has embarrassingly outperformed the Bundesliga.
06/07 - Only one German team, Bayern, got out of the groups. FC Hollywood were beaten in the quarters by Milan. Three Italian sides reached the last 16, two reached the quarter finals, and one won the competition – Milan.
07/08 – Only one German team, Schalke, got out of the groups. Schalke were beaten in the quarters by Barcelona. Three Italians reached the last 16, one reached the quarter finals.
08/09 – Only one German team, Bayern, got out of the groups. Bayern were beaten in the quarters by Barcelona. Three Italians reached the last 16, and all were eliminated.
09/10 – Two German teams reached the last 16, one of whom was eliminated. Bayern progressed to the final where they were beaten by a Serie A side. Three Italians reached the last 16, two of whom were eliminated. One won the competition - Inter
10/11 – Two German teams reach last 16, three Italian teams reach last 16.
In the last eight years prior to the current one, a German side has only once progressed past the quarter finals – Bayern last season. During three of those eight years, not a single Bundesliga squad even made it past the last 16. Only five teams in eight years – four of them Bayern (so much for strength in depth!) – have made it to the quarters.
Compare this to Italy’s record over the same period of time. Despite being in crisis since the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, Serie A has won three titles, had five finalists, seven semi-finalists, and 14 quarter finalists. They have won two of the last four Champions Leagues.
Italy's Superiority Over Germany
5 Number of German CL quarter-finalists in 8 years
14 Number of Italian CL quarter-finalists in 8 years
9 Years since Germany last won the CL
2 Number of CL titles Italy has won in last 4 years
1 Number of German finalists in last 8 years
5 Number of Italian finalists in last 8 years
Just to close the argument with a historical statistic. In the last 34 years, the German Bundesliga has won three Champions Leagues or European Cups. Serie A has won eight. Italy has appeared in 17 of the last 34 European Cup finals, exactly half. The same ratio as the last four years, both of which resulted in Italian triumphs - a record better than any other league in Europe, England and Spain included.
Yet some idiots in UEFA, who have obviously never kicked a football in their lives want to tell us that the results of glamour ties Stuttgart-Odense and Sampdoria-Debrecen are more important in judging whether Italy deserves three or four Champions League spots.
Raped.
indeed
too bad it wont change a thing though
too bad it wont change a thing though
FIFA just continue their quest of flogging a dead horse. Eventually they'll realise it's a shit competition and think up something else with new co-efficients, but the damage will be done to Italy's ranking.
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