The epic Champions League semi-final first leg between PSG and Bayern Munich highlighted the lack of adventure in English club football
Michael Olise has enjoyed two sensational seasons at Bayern Munich (Image: FC Bayern via Getty Images)
Immediately after his epic match at the Parc des Princes, Jermaine Pennant’s heart was in the right place. Pennant, who has experience playing at Anfield, remains hopeful that the club will do well.
“Liverpool should go get Oliseh now, at any cost. There is a replacement for Mo Salah, at any cost. In addition to the money, he also has a lot of money.”
Needless to say, Pennant’s suggestion that Liverpool, currently the fourth best team in the Premier League, might lure Michael Oliseh to Anfield was not taken very seriously to say the least. But the irony is that Pennant could have replaced Oliseh’s name with that of Luis Dias, who was Liverpool’s favorite not too long ago.
Against Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi, Oliseh and Dias faced two of the best full-backs in the world and gave them a terrible time despite losing 5-4. Using the magic of Paris to highlight how boring this season’s Premier League is is a gross oversimplification.
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It’s all too easy to use the most entertaining game of football you’ve ever seen as a weapon against the quality of club football in England. There are short-term reasons why PSG and Bayern Munich can perform like they did on Tuesday night. They were well rested.
And there are long-term reasons. They are able to express themselves in every match of the season as their team is very strong.
Bayern have won the Bundesliga in 16 of the past 20 seasons, while PSG have won Ligue 1 in 11 of the past 13 seasons. These are teams that can play big every week. Bayern have scored 113 goals in 31 Bundesliga games.
Luis Diaz capped off an outstanding individual performance by scoring Bayern Munich’s fourth goal against Paris Saint-Germain (Image: MOHAMMED BADRA/EPA/Shutterstock)
These teams hardly know any other way to play. If Arsenal reach the Champions League final, they will present a different type of challenge against PSG and Bayern Munich (who they won convincingly in their recent encounters).
However, what the Champions League masterpiece highlighted was the lack of risk-taking talent in the Premier League. We were amazed at how so many players tried to play against each other in Paris. Not to mention the attacking full-backs of both teams: Diaz, Olise, Hviča Kvaratschelia, Desiree Douye and Ousmane Dembélé.
Despite being highly competitive, there is little of that approach in the Premier League. There are exceptions. Jeremy Doku, for example, is growing in confidence at Manchester City.
However, there seems to be a general reluctance to accept people or take risks. Of course, you need players who can perform that task against elite defenders.
Hviča Kvaratschelia was sensational against Bayern Munich, scoring twice (Image: Getty Images)
And with their resources, PSG and Bayern could attract them. The same goes for Real Madrid and to some extent Barcelona. Talented players will go to Europe’s superpowers instead of the Premier League.
The chances of the next Ballon d’Or winner coming from the Premier League are probably zero. It’s that time of the season when it comes to deciding who will be named Player of the Year, and there is a growing consensus that Bruno Fernandes is the favorite.
And he would be a worthy winner. He has my vote. But will he kick you out of your seat? No, not the way the six did it in Paris.
Again, it would be an oversimplification to say that the first leg between PSG and Bayern exposed the boredom of Premier League attrition. But if Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany have done anything, it’s been to show they can enjoy taking risks.
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