Just how good is the world’s ‘best’ league?
BY common consent, this is the most open, exciting, intriguing Premier League title race in years.
Entertainment levels are high, goals are flying in, and the bookies change their favourites week by week.
But excitement does not necessarily equal quality, as the next few days may reveal.
Europe’s two top teams are coming and we’re about to find out just how good“the best league in the world” really is.
OnTuesday, Barcelona visit Manchester City. A day later, Champions Bayern Munich are at Arsenal.
When the draw was made, both English clubs were flying.The Gunners topped the table and City were wiping the floor with all-comers.
They’d finished second in their qualification groups and consequently drew a top team.
Obviously you couldn’t get it much tougher but there was also the suspicion that neither Barca nor Bayern would fancy it either.
City had only just been pipped by Pep Guardiola’s side in their group, winning in the Allianz Arena and coming just one goal short of taking first place.
At the time, Manuel Pellegrini seemed to have got his sums wrong, settling for a 3-2 victory
Now the cold reality will be dawning
when he might have pushed on for 4-2 and top spot.
ArseneWenger’s men also failed to take first place despite finishing with the same number of points as Borussia Dortmund.
Both clubs seemed happy just to progress and hang the consequences of the tougher draw.
But that was then and this is now. Cold reality will be dawning.
It’s a particular problem because both Arsenal and City have looked more fragile recently. City’s flood of goals have slowed to a trickle, while the sharp, confident Arsenal midfield has gone into hibernation.
England’s other two representatives, Manchester United and Chelsea, did the professional thing and secured a top spot. Opponents Olympiacos and Galatasaray should be more manageable.
But would you bank on United beating anyone these days? And Chelsea’s lack of goals is an obvious worry at this level.
Where would it leave the glitzy Premier League if no-one made it to the quarter-finals?