Tradition still counts

Europe’s premier club competition was launched one month after UEFA’s first Congress, held in Vienna on March 2, 1955 yet, curiously, the so-called “European Cup” was not a UEFA initiative.

Whereas many of UEFA’s founder members were more interested in establishing a national team competition, the French sports daily L’Equipe and their then-editor Gabriel Hanot, were championing the cause for a European-wide club competition.
Hanot, together with colleague Jacques Ferran, designed a blueprint for a challenge tournament to be played on a Wednesday under floodlights. The tournament initiated by L’Equipe did not stipulate that the participating teams had to be champions of their country, but they invited clubs who they considered had the most fan appeal.
The irony of this is not lost on many considering the current situation regarding qualification, where teams who are not the champions are still able to compete.
The tournament is set up to include as many popular teams as possible thus ensuring the maximum financial appeal.
Real Madrid CF immediately made the trophy their own by winning the first five finals with the 7-3 beating of Eintracht Frankfurt in the last of these still being considered by many as the greatest team performance of all time.
Other clubs in the early days also enjoyed fruitful runs in the competition with AFC Ajax and FC Bayern München both completing three consecutive wins but both these teams had to wait 22 years and 26 years respectively to win their next.
Real Madrid CF are the most successful side overall with nine triumphs, followed by six for AC Milan, five for Liverpool and four each for Bayern and Ajax.
It is these two teams in second and third place who have reached the final this year and this appears to suggest that having a pedigree in this competition counts for something.
Both sides are struggling in their domestic leagues but were still able to beat both Chelsea and Manchester United in the semi-finals – both of whom are comfortably the best teams in the Premiership.
The success of Liverpool when winning the trophy four times in eight years deserves particular mention as effectively they were won with a different squad of players each time.  Milan, meanwhile, has won the cup on a regular basis throughout its history.
However, it was the 4-0 beating of Barcelona in the 1993/1994 final that is one of the most memorable of the modern era.
The Milan side which included Dejan Savicevic and the ever-present Paulo Maldini publicly humiliated the Spanish giants who had been labelled as Johan Cruyff’s “dream team”.     
Two years ago these two met in the ‘greatest’ ever final when trailing 3-0 at half-time Liverpool dragged themselves out for the second half and scored three times to take the game into extra time and ultimately on to a penalty shoot-out which they won.
That year Liverpool was struggling to make it into the top four in the Premiership but they still managed to raise their game in the European matches.
It is not in question that a significant reason for this success is manager Rafael Benitez who also managed a good Valencia side to UEFA Cup success the year before he joined the Merseyside club.
He seems able to understand the tactical requirements required for this style of football much better than the faster pace of Premiership games.
Another significant factor for both teams is their fans and the stadiums they play in. When a ground witnesses so many classic encounters it creates a sense of myth around itself and European nights at the San Siro or Anfield are certainly special.
It raises the games of the home players but also intimidates the opposition.
It is no surprise that it was the San Siro that saw an experienced Manchester United side humbled and frankly in awe of the occasion.
United consider themselves a great European side, based mainly on the fact they were the first English side to win the competition in 1967 but the reality of the situation is that they have a very poor record compared with their counterparts.
They have only reached two finals, both of which they won, but compare this to Madrid’s 12 and the gulf is apparent for all to see, much to Alex Ferguson’s obvious embarrassment.
When the players of Liverpool and Milan run out in Greece on May 23 to contest this year’s final they will know the achievements of the past will place huge expectations on them.
It is these two clubs who along with Real Madrid who best understand what Ferran and Hanot were trying to achieve on these Wednesday nights under floodlights and this fact alone sets them apart from the other top clubs in Europe.

By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk