The Beautiful Game

So Liverpool are out of the title race. Spurs are going to win the league and Everton are going to get relegated.

Well that is the story of the Barclays Premier League table if you look at it today. The first three matches have been played and there have been more than a few shocks. Manchester City look a tight unit, Burnley are world beaters and Michael Owen has forgotten where the goal is.

However, that is the classic knee-jerk reaction that some Fantasy Football managers would adopt when they pick Abou Diaby from Arsenal because he scored two against Portsmouth at the weekend (he only scored 4 goals in 36 matches in 2008/2009). The football season throws up numerous shocks at the start, players gaining fitness and learning to play new systems and with new team-mates. Just think about Hull last season in the Barclays Premier League.

What I think is the interesting thing this year is that the difference between the top teams and the rest of the division is becoming less, and the competitiveness of the 'mid-table' Barclays Premier League teams is growing each season. The TV cash and sponsorship is still growing the game at the elite level and will continue to do so as brands invest more in players and passions (of which football is one of the greatest) and broadcasters pin more and more of their strategy on top tier live rights.

But for me the big change has come with the power shift to Spain's La Liga as Manchester United and Liverpool have lost two key players to that league and although Chelsea are still strong (and I believe will be Champions) they have not been able to strengthen as more and more players choose La Liga over the Barclays Premier League. Meanwhile, Manchester City have eaten away at the Arsenal Squad with the signings of Adebayor and Toure.

With the Big Four not being able to strengthen as much as they would like, and emerging teams like Spurs, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Manchester City all spending big I expect more of the Big Four to lose games.

I still believe that the usual suspects will be there or thereabouts come May, with maybe Manchester City crashing the party, but I can see the required points total for the champions being lower than recent seasons and more teams taking points off the Big Four, I think the United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will each lose 4-5 games. I might even be so bold as to say within a couple of seasons it will be more a Super Seven...  

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Later on this season I shall be making a football pilgrimage to the home of the holders of the UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona. Over the coming years I plan to visit all the major footballing arenas across the globe. From Wembley Stadium to the San Siro to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and one day the Estádio do Maracanã in Brazil. The list goes on. It is a long one, but a great one and my plan was to take in a match at Camp Nou this Autumn.

However, the logistics of my trip have clashed with the recent La Liga fixtures and instead of witnessing the Messi and Pep show at the Camp Nou I will instead be heading over to the other side of Barcelona and taking in RCD Espanyol v Tenerife. Some may see this as a disappointment, others a failure of organisation and planning and frankly a bit of a waste of time.

However, to me it is a footballing opportunity.

Chances are that RCD Espanyol/Tenerife, Fulham/Wolves, Genoa/Bari or Cologne/Vfl Bochum would provide a clearer indication of the power of the top European leagues than the standard matches that happen at the tail end of the UEFA Champions League. Sure the players are not considered as good (they are probably earning a lot less than Cristiano Ronaldo) and get less headlines but that does not mean they can not play. We are still talking about elite professionals. For example, I will get to see Iván de la Peña, Carlos Kameni and Shunsuke Nakamura play for RCD Espanyol - all International footballers.

I am excited by RCD Espanyol v Tenerife and the true experience at the new Estadi Cornella-el Prat stadium, and I encourage others to not always be drawn to the flame of the glamour clubs - there is more out there to experience and enjoy within the game we all love.

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