It’s the European League nobody asked for, but with Spurs getting their campaign in the competition underway. We ask ourselves, what exactly can we expect?
It’s a European competition filled with the “who?” of domestic European football rather than the “who’s who”, with very little prize money on offer. At €5,000,000 for the winner, you’ll find more people winning that on the lottery or casino games like video slots for an example across the season than the one team that wins this.
It’s a huge gamble adding an extra European competition. Spurs are the standout favourites, although it does give clubs like Aberdeen, Roma and Feyenoord the opportunity to challenge for European silverware once again. But what can we expect from the rest of the tournament?
A Major Shock
Upsets are part and parcel of the Europa League and Champions League, and we can perhaps expect shocks more in this competition. The Conference League is not going to sit high on the list of priorities for the bigger teams. We’ve already seen Spurs play a weaker side in the competition, and the league and other cup competitions will be a main focus.
Other bigger sides will do the same and that could open the door to the likes of Lincoln Red Imps or CSKA Sofia getting some unlikely results.
Everyone’s New Favourite Team
We love an underdog in Britain and the Champions League or Europa League always throws up a new team to support. Take Dudelange in the latter a few seasons ago. They became the first team from Luxembourg to ever win a Group Stage game. It’s these type of stories that could make the Conference League just that little bit more worthwhile.
There will be plenty of teams to look out for in this competition, and for the neutrals a number of British and Irish sides that, Spurs aside, don’t usually make a mark in Europe.
It To Fail
Ultimately, this extra European competition will likely be short-lived. It feels slightly like an extension of the Nations League, but while that works at international level, it doesn’t for domestic football.
While the European Super League was a disaster, the idea that people want to see the big teams play is true, at least among the social media generation and more casual football fan. The Conference League simply doesn’t offer this aside from less than a handful of teams, and viewing figures will likely be the death of it. Of course, how long UEFA stick with it for is another story.
