Continent’s big four may falter but their striving for super-league is ever stronger | Jonathan Wilson


Barcelona, PSG, Bayern and Juventus have won 25 of the last 28 league titles. Europe has become the only testing ground

D id you feel it? The great disturbance in the force, as though millions of voices cried out in hope? Last weekend, something remarkable happened: none of the champions of Europe’s big five leagues won (a statistic that admittedly loses some of its potency when it is acknowledged that Serie A hadn’t started: Juventus kicked off their Serie A campaign on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Parma).

Last season was the first time that each of the big five leagues had been retained, but here was the little man striking back: Barcelona lost, Paris Saint-Germain lost, Manchester City drew, Bayern drew. Do you hear the people sing?

Related: Juventus's star signings mask unease while Inter and Napoli can challenge

What is the point of super-clubs collecting league titles when they are not playing particularly well?

Related: Sylvinho has revived Lyon so will Ligue 1 have a title race after all?

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