Beyond The Score

The inaugural season of the Europa Conference league was one of gripping entertainment and edge-of-the-seat drama, with a side of severe skepticism. There was a real worry that competitors wouldn’t prioritize the European stage due to the lack of glamour the third tier may provide. That view wasn’t just from the fans either. When Leicester City dropped out of the Europa league Brendan Rodgers articulated “I’ve got to be honest I don’t even know what the competition is.”

While Rodgers uncharacteristic arrogance could have had a tarnishing effect, it was clear that come to the business end of the season the European stage became top of his priority list.

The group stages were an interesting experiment, although unsurprisingly it moved a few gears up at the knockout stages. Alongside the Europa League on a Thursday night, it could have become the second fiddle act, although the integument was on par, as we saw clubs fighting out in knockout rounds with little experience of that stage.

The major pull factor for this tier of competition was seeing clubs strive in Europe that did not have that typical pedigree to match. A prime example in Bodo/Glimt stole the limelight. The Norwegians had recently destroyed Rosenborgs’s dominance of Norway’s domestic football and now looked to make an impact on the European stage. Such a style of football they played that it had you glued to your screen in excitement. Demanding an attacking forefront, they did not lie down to anyone and played a man-to-man system reminiscent of Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. Players would commit forward, play out from the back no matter the situation, and take players on in an unforgiving zonal system. However, as always with that style of football, the higher the level the harder to execute. Against tournament favorites Roma they executed a 6-1 dismantling and got a point at the Stadio Olimpico. Although when they met the Italian giants in the knockout stages it proved to all be in vain as a dismantling at the hands of Roma occurred.

When the knockout stages commence as with all stages in Europe things went up a considerable notch. The likes of Celtic, Marseille, Leicester and Feynrood dropped down from the second tier, looking to avenge their European campaigns. A major controversy with Tottenham Hotspur only added to the spectacle. Due to Covid infections, the London side decided to call off one of the group games, which led to a major fixture congestion compilation. UEFA decided to forfeit one of Tottenham’s games, which left Antonio Conte in complete outrage. Although come to the end of the season a top-four finish which was assisted by a fresh calendar come April, I’m not convinced he would’ve been wishing for the Thursday nights.

A robust side in Roma showed diligence as the tournament wore on. By the final day, there was only going to be one winner. Hardly world beaters in the group stages conceding eight to Bodo/Glimt as already mentioned, when the business end came a new beast was released. A routine one-nil victory on finals day was followed by scenes of euphoria as the Italian giants won their first European major competition. Mourinho was adamant that the quality of the conference league was greater than the Europa League, although a controversial statement you could reason with his opinion. After all, Rangers and Frankfurt would struggle against Roma, while Feyenoord would give both teams considerable challenges

 Feyenoord would fall at the last hurdle of course but look back on an incredible campaign. When it comes to ranking European atmosphere’s last season you would have to conclude they were near the top of the list, the De Kuip was a scene not many will forget.

What the conference league did give a usually mundane European campaign an eye-opener, that doesn’t only favor those at the top of the food chain for a change. Lower coefficient teams battling it out on the biggest stage was a real eye-opener and often more entertaining than the elite battling. The Conference league outshone their two brother tournaments goals-wise with 408 compared to 380 and 367. A lighter League bracket had improved the overall quality of the European stage. Yet, what makes this competition so worthy of my time is the fact that it has leveled the game slightly. Sure, the champions league money is ludicrous and the conference league comes nothing close to it, although it gives smaller clubs a chance to attract players and have adventures.