What is it about the Carling Cup? Or maybe the answer lies somewhere else; the top two leagues, it would seem, are becoming increasingly tightly fought.
It is clear to see that the top two leagues no longer have the gap between them they once did. Swansea and Norwich are thriving in the top flight this season, achieving beyond their wildest dreams. The year before West Brom and Newcastle came up and survived comfortably, whilst Blackpool were only narrowly relegated. These are leagues in which it is not so much mind, but walk over, the gap.
Yet look at Norwich, coping so well this year, having come up two years in a row through the leagues. And then at Southampton, promoted from League One last year and now doing so well in the Championship. The closeness of the leagues is not confined to just the top two.
What does this mean? It means that the league is becoming increasingly competitive, though perhaps at the same time, this means that it is not the same quality it once was. Manchester United have always been the best team in the league but they have remained so at the level the league is at itself. As the league has declined in quality, so have United, but they remain clear of their rivals. Tottenham and Man City are now suddenly among the top teams; in part through their own improvements, but also owing to the need Chelsea and Arsenal have had to rebuild. Liverpool are still in a state of flux. Newcastle are among the top six after all – whilst impressive this season, they’re not that good.
Quality has improved lower down the league though. Most teams are of a quality now where they will pose a tough test for any other on their day. Blackburn’s win at Old Trafford was a great example of that. But then so was Cardiff’s draw with Liverpool in the Carling Cup final. Arsenal’s defeat to Birmingham last year in the same competition final showed the same thing. Teams lower down the league are getting better whilst the top teams are getting worse. That has been the theme for some time now.
It is a simple fact of football, that the more competitive the league, the weaker it is in quality. The least competitive of the top leagues in Europe is the Spanish one; yet the quality is probably the highest. Barcelona and Real Madrid are a level above any team on the continent. In Italy, their league was skewed by Calciopoli and the advantage that gave to Inter Milan, making it the exception to this rule. But now the league seems on the rise once more; with Juventus and AC Milan just ahead of the pack, as is their historical position. Udinese, Napoli, Roma, Palermo, Inter of course and Lazio make for an ever intriguing title race. France has long been one of the tightest leagues in Europe, as has the German league. But in France, where the quality edges slowly upwards, with the top teams getting better and better, now there is a two horse race for the title this season. In Germany, Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach cling on to the coat tails of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. But it is hard to see for how long, in another of Europe’s improving leagues.
For England, it is perhaps just something we have to accept. The competitiveness of our league is the reason for its lack of quality on the European stage. You can rarely have both though.
