Could this season be the end of the big 4? As an exhausted Liverpool fell to an on fire Chelsea team thanks to a back pass by Captain Fantastic (just as bad as Terry's slip...) they mathematically were eliminated from a UEFA champion's league spot. Liverpool has had a torrid season, which cannot really be blamed on Rafa or the players, but on the organization as a whole The game on Sunday summed up their season, playing hard, giving themselves a chance at winning, then watching their opponents celebrate after the final whistle. While Liverpool's implosion has been all over the media, another team that fell apart but has slipped under the radar is Arsenal. True the challenged for the title, but they lost too many games that they should have won, this puts them in an interesting position. If Man city and spurs don't tie when they play on Wednesday, it puts one of them in a position to leapfrog Arsenal and push the Gunners down to 4th. This situation could easily become a reality as Arsenal blew an early lead today leaving them at 72 points. They must play Fulham on Sunday while Spurs play already relegated Burnley. Man City will be playing almost relegated West Ham, but for City to end the season in third would require them to beat spurs then score enough goals to claim third on goal differential. A less likely situation, but if Tottenham win on Wednesday, third will be theirs to take. Arsenal would once again have to play for their chance to make it to Champion's League group stages.
Is this a good thing? Well, it is a good thing that there are more than 4 English teams capable of performing at the highest levels. This season could be the end of the big four with Liverpool barely claiming a UEFA cup spot. There is speculation that there are now a big 6, this is a silly claim to make after only one season. Furthermore, there are 6 teams that could have claimed that 4th spot. Even Fulham who are sitting 10th on the table could have easily ended 4th. Who could forget their European adventure this year in which they surpassed Roma, Juve, Wolfsburg, and finally Hamburg? The rest of the top ten could have easily taken fourth place this year with a little luck. The premier league is exploding with talent, and the end of the big four is good for the league and the world perception of the premier league. It is also good for world football in general, as it will allow more players to make their debuts on the larger stages in Europe. If this is the end of the Big Four, then I say goodbye and good riddance.
Nice article! I'm just confused about your conclusion. I didn't know about the fact that if you win the super cup as well you gain champions league entry. I might be incorrect but I think a ruling was made on this specific subject regarding a 5th English team in the Champions League. After Liverpool won the Champions League and finished 5th they were allowed back in because they won but that same year I think Platini made a ruling that only 4 teams can qualify and the 4th place team in the league gets priority. I might be wrong but I was just curious.
ReplyDeleteSo about that rule - that year was the only year only 5 teams were allowed into the CL from England. After that the rule was amended so that if the team that won was outside of the top 4 it would take one of the top three spots and the team that finished 3rd would be bumped down into 4th and have to prequalify, while the team that finished 4th would be bumped out of the Champion's League.
ReplyDeleteThat's messed up. Well the chances of team winning the Champions League and finishing 5th is pretty low.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's kinda crazy, though a team that win's the champion's league isn't likely to finish 5th; there is the possibility of the a Europa League winner winning the Super cup and taking the 4th spot away from another team...arsenal could be in trouble...
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