Premier power of Europe: money the key as English clubs rule continent

12 March 2009 23:51
Just feel the power of the Barclays Premier League as the English clubs dominate the Champions League quarter finals for the third successive year.[LNB]Italy's finest could not match Manchester United[LNB], Chelsea [LNB]and Arsenal[LNB], and Real Madrid were totally demolished by Liverpool[LNB].[LNB]England's grip on European club football tightens as the Premier League generates more wealth, the rich get richer and those trying to keep pace feel the squeeze.[LNB] Top guns: Theo Walcott roars after Arsenal completed a hat-trick of English victories over Italian opponents on penalties in Rome[LNB]That's the argument at any rate, one being peddled around the continent as this week's results are digested by people like those two highly-influential Anglophobes, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter.[LNB] Penalty kings: Wenger salutes Arsenal shootout stars after victory in Rome[LNB]Fergie desperate to win European Cup as he insists United will face anyone [LNB]Liverpool star Kuyt insists: We can beat champions United again after Real rout[LNB][LNB]Rule changes are already afoot, designed to level the playing field slightly, but Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists England should not be ashamed of its success.[LNB]'It is down to the quality of the work done inside the country and England should be proud,' said Wenger. 'I can see some people are not happy with that but England has created top quality.[LNB]'The ones who lift the standards should be admired and copied. They should not be the victims of jealousy.'[LNB]Poor performances in the UEFA Cup might suggest this quality does not penetrate the depths of the Premier League but Aston Villa and Tottenham simply lost interest in the competition.[LNB]In fact the rude health of top-tier domestic football on these shores has rival leagues fretting about the future of their own domestic games.[LNB]Running wild: Ronaldo celebrates scoring as Manchester United knocked out Inter Milan[LNB]Bayern Munich romped into the Champions League quarter finals with a12-1 demolition of Sporting Lisbon but they are a long way behindEnglish sides.[LNB]And Italy's big clubs have been set back by the corruption scandal. Juventus suffered two years without Champions League football (and therefore Champions League money) and AC Milan had to settle for the UEFA Cup this season.[LNB]Speaking last week, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said: 'If all three clubs go out after three have already been knocked out of the UEFA Cup it would not be good for Italian football or me. [LNB]'One of the ways you prepare your team psychologically for international matches is through the European competitions. If all the clubs were knocked out it would mean that the players are not ready for that stage and it would have consequences for the national team.'[LNB]Alberto Costa, chief sports writer for Corriere Della Sera, wrote on Thursday: 'The simple reason why the Premier League is ahead of Serie A is money. They know how to present themselves in England and they know how to merchandise well which Italians don't.'[LNB]His comments about cash echo what Premier League managers have been saying for years about the unstoppable charge of United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all among the world's seven richest clubs.[LNB]More income equals bigger wages equals better players equals more success equals more income.[LNB]'It's down to money, pure and simple,' said Bolton boss Gary Megson. 'The Premier League is the strongest league by a street and, if Real Madrid can't handle it, it just shows how difficult it is for the rest of us.'[LNB]It may be difficult for the top European clubs to keep up in the Champions League but Wenger warned: 'It will not last forever. It can move away quickly to other countries. You have Real Madrid, Barcelona, the two Milan clubs, Bayern, the clubs in France maybe.[LNB]this is our time[LNB]'Many people are not happy, but remember that 10 years ago it was Italy and Spain who dominated.'[LNB]UEFA president Platini and Blatter, his equivalent at FIFA, are unlikely to sit back and allow the trend to continue. Platini's desire to see more champions from smaller countries in the Champions League led to a tweak in the qualification format which comes into effect next season.[LNB]The upshot for English teams is that three will go straight into the group stages but the fourth faces a much tougher qualification round, against a team from another high-ranking country. [LNB]Blatter, meanwhile, remains keen to impose the 6+5 quota rule, where each side must start the match with six players eligible for the national team of the country they play in.[LNB]Such a rule would devastate Wenger's work at Arsenal. Theo Walcott was the only Englishman to appear against Roma on Wednesday.[LNB]Wenger said: 'It is the responsibility of FIFA to lift the quality of the game as high as possible, not to divide the top players from each other because then you cut the quality and they do not improve any more.[LNB]'Football has to create the opportunity for the best to measure themselves with the best. That's what top-level competition is about. In England that is happening at the moment and I don't know why it should be stopped.'[LNB] Penalty kings: Wenger salutes Arsenal shootout stars after victory in Rome[LNB]Fergie desperate to win European Cup as he insists United will face anyone [LNB]Liverpool star Kuyt insists: We can beat champions United again after Real rout[LNB][LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail