FOXES FEAR
DANIELE ACCURSO would love to see Leicester win the Premier League – but believes it shows how weak the competition has become
Will they flop in Europe?
WHILST everyone is cheering Leicester City onto unparalleled success seen in the Premier League era, myself included, I can’t help but feel a tinge of pain for the demise of English football.
The Foxes, under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri, have shown passion, commitment and fantastic know-how to remain top of the league.
Their three star players, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante have climbed the ranks through the English and French football pyramid.
With a squad who were nearly relegated last season, this surge up the table to take pole position has seen neutral fans cheer on Ranieri’s men.
Beating the likes of Man City and Spurs away to cement their place at the top, we’re all praying the unthinkable can happen.
In the modern era where money seems to generate success, Chelsea and Man City showing this trend as they dominated English football in recent years, Leicester offer a breath of fresh air and hope for football fans, showing how passion can beat money, with the right mentality.
However, as the Tinkerman’s side keep winning, I do feel this shows the dire situation English football is in.
Man City and Arsenal should be storming away at the top, along with Spurs who spent serious money a few seasons back, acquiring the players they have to date e.g. Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen. Manchester United should be in the hunt without a shadow of a doubt too. Anthony Martial cost more than the whole Leicester starting 11!
And don’t get me started on Chelsea.With these sides not even being able to dominate the league this season, we wonder why our sides are struggling in the Champions League and Europa League.
How will Leicester fare in the Champions League? Imagine Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG or Juventus having the Foxes come to them.
Of course, the prospect of Vardy at the Nou Camp with Messi on the same pitch would be an enjoyable occasion. However, it does spell certain defeat.
Leicester would go crashing out of Europe’s elite competition, most likely finishing fourth in the group, not even qualifying for the Europa League knockout rounds!
I could be wrong and, for English football, I hope I am wrong. But with Leicester, Spurs and possibly West Ham making up three of the top four, we’re at serious risk of not achieving the criteria to allow us to have four teams to enter the competition in the coming years. This would seriously hamper the domestic game. One team, theoretically, who may have several English,Welsh, Irish or Scottish players may miss out on the chance of Champions League football, meaning less big game experience for our players. Revenue for English clubs would also decrease, widening the gap between ourselves and our counterparts abroad. The way Arsenal and Chelsea were beaten comprehensively by Barcelona and PSG respectively in the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League was frightening. The new mega-money TV deal is on the way and that may help our clubs attract top players. I’m hoping Leicester and Spurs keep hold of their stars and can replicate their Premier League form in the Champions League or it’s “goodnight Vienna” for the domestic game! That is, however, a problem in store for the future. Despite my concerns, until that final day of the season I’ll be cheering on Leicester to win this title and show that passion and commitment beat money every day of the week!