And they’re utterly skint. Way too many big wages there. Hell, they’re paying Bale a fortune to NOT play for them. Perez is so determined to have the ESL mainly because his club is seriously in the ****.
Pundits sure forgot which teams they were calling "greedy elitists" just two weeks ago in a hurry, didn't they?
What puzzles me is what the PL sides saw in the whole project. It was so obviously a last desperate ploy to restore some financial parity for the other clubs around Europe. 4 finalists 2 years ago, at least 3 possibly 4 this year...the pendulum has firmly swung in the PL's direction and Perez and his cronies are panicking.
I suspect we signed up reluctantly (possibly Arsenal too) for fear of missing out on the top table. A premier league without our NLD rivals, Chelsea the North West big teams is a bit of a dull prospect. We just lacked the nous/nerve to realise it would fall apart
El Plasticoooooooooooooooooooooo !!! Truly the literal end game UEFA desired when they first plotted to create the CL.
Putting aside the scenario that Chelsea winning the cup affects our qualification (unlikely), who is the lesser of 2 evils for us in CL final. Come on City?
It is probably in our long term interest to have signed up. I don't see any other outcome but the CL getting bigger and bigger and we would certainly be in a weaker position if we hadn't joined up.
Statistically the likes of CR7/Messi/Ibra etc should have injuries etc that have reduced their potency or longevity. It cannot be mere luck that this has not been the case, given the on-pitch hatchet jobs etc they will have endured over the years.
I understand that. My question was more about the collective eagerness of the PL group of 6, the single largest bloc, to jump on Perez' gravy train when every shred of evidence points to a reality where if PL teams just hold tight for 5 more years, Europe's other major leagues will be totally irrelevant. The gulf in quality and money is obvious and is the result of the PL doing a lot of things right while Spain, Germany and Italy did a lot of things wrong. I'm just amazed the PL execs couldn't see that the ESL was never about "saving football" and always about Real and Barca trying to find way to siphon off chunks of the cash that flows whenever PL teams are involved. I guess what they say is true. Greed is blinding.
They have had injuries. Their recovery time from them has been much shorter and much better, because of their long-term physical condition.