Glancing at the list of the last 16 clubs in the UEFA Cup, it’s interesting to see only one club from England (Man. C), one from Italy (Udinese), and no Spanish representation at all. After last season’s UEFA Cup final between Zenit St. Petersburg and Glasgow Rangers, I asked whether, bar the elite three or four clubs, Europe’s so-called top leagues are so great after all. Not many would consider the Ukranian league to be among Europe’s strongest, but they have no less than three clubs in the last 16: Dynamo Kiev, Shaktar Donetsk and Metalist Kharkiv. There are also two Russian sides: CSKA Moscow and the current holders Zenit. The Bundesliga, which is also widely considered to be one of Europe’s strongest leagues, still has Werder Bremen and Hamburg in the competition, while France has PSG, St Etienne and Marseilles. The make up of the last 16 is healthily spread around the continent in the form of Braga (Portugal), Aalborg (Denmark), Galtasaray (Turkey) and Ajax (Holland).
Compare that with the last 16 of the Champions League, which featured four clubs from both England and Spain, three from Italy, two from Portugal, and one each from Germany, Greece and France. That list has now been reduced to four from England, two from Spain and one each from Germany and Portugal.
So is the gulf between the creme de la creme and the rest in Europe’s “best leagues” even bigger than we thought? Have they got strength in depth or is it just a case of super-club dominance? Perhaps “best” really means least competitive, with leagues in Germany, France, Portugal, Russia and the Ukraine appearing to have a much healthier balance about them.
