Mourinho, Real Madrid Set to Continue Spanish Dominance of Champions League
September 13, 2010
The Champions League is Europe’s number one soccer competition, played between the best club sides from countries across the continent. The eventual winners of the competition are crowned ‘Champions of Europe’ and are widely acknowledged as the best team that year.
Some of the best known names in World Soccer have lifted the trophy, and the final, which is played annually at the end of May, is second only to NFL’s Superbowl as the most watched sporting event worldwide, with TV audiences exceeding 100 million.
Throughout the years, the Champions League has been dominated by teams from Spain, Italy and England. In recent times 11 of the past 13 Champions League titles have been won by teams from one of these three nations. And since the start of the competition in 1956, when it was known as the ‘European Cup,’ until 1992, 35 of the 55 champions have been teams from the trio of countries.
It is as a result of this dominance that the three respective domestic leagues from these countries — the English Premier League, Serie A in Italy, and La Liga in Spain — are regarded as the three best soccer leagues in the world. This year the stranglehold from these European powerhouses shows no sign of slowing down.
It is more remarkable to learn that it is not a number of teams from these three leagues that contribute to this dominance, but rather an elite group of teams that account for this trend.
Until Inter Milan won the Champions League in 2010, Spain boasted the most Champions League victories with 12. Of that dozen, Real Madrid accounted for nine victories, whilst Barcelona made up the remaining three.
But Italian side Internazionale won the Champions League in May this year, ironically at the Santiago Bernabeu — the home of Real Madrid, the most successful side in the competition’s history. That victory meant that Italian sides equalled the 12 Champions League titles accrued by the Spanish duo.
In an interesting twist, Real Madrid has acquired the services of Jose Mourinho during the close season, the coach that won the Champions League with Inter Milan. Mourinho also won the competition in 2004 when guiding Portuguese underdogs Porto to a surprise victory. The tenth title has eluded Madrid since winning title number nine in 2002, and the pressure is firmly on Mourinho, the self titled ‘Special One’, to live up to his previous success.
But Madrid’s fierce rivals, Barcelona, have their own ideas about extending La Liga’s Champions League crowns. They're aiming to win the competition for the third time in six years in 2011, and are currently favourites to lift the trophy at Wembley Stadium, London, on 28th May.
Barcelona’s starting XI boasts seven members of Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning squad, and together with the current World Player of the year Lionel Messi, it is no surprise that the Catalan club are expected to emerge victorious. However, Barcelona's side demonstrated its vulnerability when they lost in the semifinals last year - to Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side.
It will be fascinating over the coming eight months to see how Barca fairs against Jose Mourinho’s new team. Barcelona is set to play Real Madrid twice during this year's campaign, in which they aim to capture a third straight La Liga title. And there is always the potential of a Champions League meeting. A final between both teams would be one of the most eagerly anticipated sporting events in years.
England, with 11 Champions League titles, is hot on the trails of Spain and Italy and hope to catch them this year. Liverpool (five) and Manchester United (three), together with fallen giants Nottingham Forest (two) and Aston Villa (one), account for England’s eleven victories in Europe, but of that quartet, only Manchester United will be playing in this season’s competition.
They are joined by the London based trio of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, all of whom have never won the Champions League, though Arsenal and Chelsea have both been finalists in the past few years and cannot be ruled out. Tottenham is making its first appearance in the competition since 1962, and though a capable side, their lack of experience at the highest level could prove their undoing in the later stages.
But between the strength of the four English clubs, and the fact that the final will be played in their home country, England pose a strong threat to Italy and Spain's Champions League dominance.
Italy will be represented by three teams in the 2010/2011 Champions League: seven-time winners AC Milan; three-time champions Inter Milan; and Roma, who has never won the competition. The two remaining Italian Champions League victories are credited to two-time winners Juventus, who did not qualify this year.
The two Milan sides will always pose a threat to any comers in this competition, and their experience will continue to prove vital - however it is widely acknowledged in Europe that Serie A has fallen some way behind the standards of La Liga and the Premier League in recent years. For that reason the winner of the 2011 Champions League final is most likely to be an English or Spanish side.
The 2010/2011 Champions League season begins on Tuesday 14th September and in predicting the eventual winner it is difficult to look beyond the two Spanish giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both sides boast an abundance of talent amongst their ranks and would be expected to beat any of their closest rivals from England.
Two teams from the same country cannot meet until the Quarter Finals, which would mean that the two would require the luck of the draw for two rounds in order to keep the possibility of a mouth-watering final. And if it does come to a Barca-Real Madrid final, the tactics and psychological mind games of Jose Mourinho may make the difference between the sides.