It’s rare enough to be reported but, as spring settles in Europe somehow, a few (very) powerful are threatened with not making it to the next Champions League. Which, for many of them, hadn’t happened for a long time.
Juventus Turin is the most symbolic case of all. The Piedmontese club, which maintains a love-hate relationship with the C1, is chasing a third coronation for a quarter of a century. The men of Andrea Agnelli, chief defender of sports inequity, have not missed the meeting of the giants since… 2011/2012. At this time, the Old Lady, who has stacked the league titles like pearls (9 in a row), is on waivers for participation in the next C1. Currently third in the Italian league after Wednesday’s victory against Naples, Juve has three points ahead of players from Campania (5th). A very light mattress when you know the Piedmontese inconstancy this season.
Champions League
The yellow card signed by Haaland soon to be auctioned to support an association
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14 HOURS AGO
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An armchair for three
In England, the Big Four is still too small for the mass of contenders. But rarely has he been so embarrassed in the headgear as this year. Behind the two Manchester clubs point two incongruous: Leicester and West Ham. If the Foxes were crowned in 2016, there are few people who imagined finding Rodgers and his gang putting both feet on the podium, with… the Hammers in their wake. At this time, three victims of choice would not be part of the party next year in C1: Chelsea (5th, 51 points), Tottenham (6th, 49 points) and Liverpool (7th, 49 points). Among these, there will inevitably be an unfortunate one. Or even two, as Leicester has the margin (3rd, 56 points). West Ham remains (4th, 52 points). Spring will be hot.
The Bundesliga is not far from having delivered its verdicts. For the league title, it settled down last weekend: Bayern took its ease by beating Leipzig. For the Champions League, it also seems settled at the expense of… Dortmund. Weird season, failed (except in C1…) and Borussia, 5th at seven units from Frankfurt, solid 4th, can forget the top 4. And undoubtedly give up on Erling Haaland, who probably does not want to pass a year of playing the Europa League, or even the new European Cup for children, the Europa League Conference. The butterfly effect at its peak.
In Spain, after a diesel start for Barça in particular, everything is back to normal. Atlético, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will be there. It remains to be seen who will be the champion.
Atlético and the specter of a historic ‘fiasco’: How La Liga got a full revival
There remains the case of France, with for the first time since the arrival of QSI a decade ago, an accounting threat over the heads of Paris. After the defeat conceded against Lille (the 8th of the season), Paris Saint-Germain found themselves closer to a folding seat for the Europa League (two points ahead of OL, 4th) than to a tenth national crown (three units behind the LOSC). Obviously, there is no fire in the lake but the situation is exceptional enough to be underlined, linked to Parisian shortcomings as well as to the emergence of a top 4.
The season when Paris saw Monaco win the cup (2016/2017), the capital club were 17 points ahead of Lyon (4th) at the same stage of the competition. Since the arrival of QSI, the question of a non-qualification of PSG in C1 via L1 had never arisen. This is the case this season when, in the capital, the midweek is more enjoyable than the weekends.
PSG-Lille crossover, crazy rise of Monaco: how the locomotive of L1 was formed
Champions League
Why Neymar is the real architect of the Parisian feat
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16 HOURS AGO
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Champions League
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17 HOURS AGO
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