++ [ originally posted by Andy ] ++
I will refer you to Inter's performance in the Champions League against the likes of Valencia and Werder Bremen. The Nerrazzuri beat Valencia 5-1 at the Mestalla and won their group by a decent margin, looking like one of the best sides in Europe. Then they come to the Serie A and draw against supposedly weaker sides. Those sides in Italy might not be as weak as everyone thinks. Meanwhile in England a team called Arsenal loses to the likes of Inter and Dynamo Kiev in the CL but comes home and wipes all competition aside, going 49 games unbeaten. Does that sound like a strong league to you? It certainly does not and the fact that Arsenal went 49 games unbeaten is something down to lack of domestic competition rather than the skill everybody thinks.
I just do not get you at all, you base your points on one match and circumastances which you seem to ignore, yes Inter beat Valencia 5-1 but they also beat Messina 5-0 and Udinese, 3-1 while also drawing in matches they should have won, they have not lost this season and due to hard luck and poor play they probably do not get results their performances deserve. Maybe everthing clicked on the day they beat Valencia and thats why they won, like that afetr all they drew 0-0 with the same opposition at the San siro when Valencia were not as attacking. Arsenal have always had a problem wiht teams that that put 10 men behind the ball and in the Epl teams just do not do that , hence they win their fair share and they have actually gone to Psv and beat them 4-1, have they not , just as they have gone to Inter and won 5-1, that because these teams came to atack them not to put 10 men behind the ball. Mayeb Arsenal got lucky oin the day and everything clicked into gear, its not as black and white as you are making it out to be and not all the time does the best team win Cl.
The worst Depor team that I can recall got to the semis last season but they have had better sides in the past which have gone out in the first stages, its called luck of the draw. When Milan went that season without losing in SerieA, they did not win the Cl, not because they were not the best team in Europe but who knows what happened. they were the best team in Europe last season but didnt win Cl
When Real Madrid won in 2000, they were beaten both home and away by Bayern in the group stages and played 0-0 with Man united in the Bernabeu where if Andy Cole was not so wasteful man u ought to have won there comfortably but at OT, Keane scores an own goal and all of a sudden man un are looking for 2 goals an off cos open themselves up for counter attack asnd Raul scores 2 more goals and they go on to win Cl beating Bayen along the way but at that time they were going thru such a poor phase
It just happens, does not mean your league is good or bad, it just happens
I have never understood how you can compare what you do at home to what you do elsewhere as circumstances are not the same.
I mean Juve were pretty dominant in the league but they then they go to places like Vigo and lose 4-0, lose to Panathinakos 3-1, Hamburg at home 3-1 and still do well in the league, does this mean serieA is poor
No the 2 competions are different and too many circumastances determine what the outcome is
Also , Arsenal do not have the air of invinciblity in Europe that others have, so the respect or fear is not there which is importatnt as if teams fear you, they tend not to attack you and not likely to beat you but if they do not fear you. then they will attack you and perhaps beat you. Man united have earned the right to be feared and they get results their performances and perhaps ability do not deserve because they now know how to play in E urope, Arsenal do not know how to, yet.