The grim reality of following a Champions League minnow: ‘We’re on a different planet’
The Champions League — a stage where aspirations turn into achievements, dreams materialize, and heroes are created. Or something along those lines.
Unless you're a team like Dinamo Zagreb, Red Bull Salzburg, Celtic, Red Star Belgrade, Slovan Bratislava, or Young Boys, the Champions League can become a source of anxiety, turning dreams into nightmares and potentially harming careers.
Alright, it might not be as serious as that, but supporters of the clubs mentioned above are likely to feel a bit anxious when UEFA's anthem plays on Matchday Three tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow.
These are teams that consistently excel in their home leagues, clinching victories in 60 to 70 percent of their matches each year, with Red Star even achieving an impressive 84 percent win rate last season, leading them to secure numerous championships.
In the last seven domestic seasons, Dinamo, Salzburg, Celtic, Red Star, Slovan, and Young Boys have collectively claimed 38 league titles out of a total of 42. Dinamo has secured all of the Croatian championships, while Red Star has achieved the same in Serbia. The other teams have won six out of the seven titles they were eligible for.
In their home countries, these teams often dominate to such an extent that it can become monotonous. However, when looking at the first two rounds of Champions League matches this season, these six teams have managed to score a total of 12 goals but have allowed a staggering 49 goals in against them. This results in a disappointing goal difference of -37 across 12 games.
Shifting the happiness of home life to achieve success in Europe is quite challenging, particularly when your budget is just a small portion of what clubs like Manchester City, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich have at their disposal.
As reported by the transfer site Transfermarkt, Slovan has invested a total of £2.6 million ($3.4 million) on new players over the last three seasons, with their entire team valued at around £24 million. In comparison, the same source indicates that City has spent £365 million during that time (which honestly seems relatively modest for them), and their squad is valued at just over £1 billion. This means that since 2022, City has spent about 139 times more than Slovan, and their team is worth 43 times more.
When the teams met three weeks ago on Matchday Two, Slovan had extremely low chances of winning at home, listed at 40/1. While they typically dominate the Slovakian championship, their budget is comparable to that of a League One club in English football, making it unsurprising that they couldn't compete with City.
“We always hoped that someday, one of the top teams in the world would visit us,” said Slovan manager Vladimir Weiss during a press conference prior to the match. Unfortunately, the actual experience was far from what they envisioned: City took 28 shots, netting four goals, struck the post three times, and had an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.8. On the other hand, Slovan managed only 24 percent possession and couldn’t produce a single shot on target.
"Honestly, this turnout was exactly what we predicted," says Tomas, a Slovan supporter who was at the match, in an interview with The Athletic. "Slovan hasn’t participated in the Champions League for 32 years, having struggled to get through the qualifying rounds 11 times, so just being here is a significant achievement."
“When we triumphed over Midtjylland, the champions of Denmark, to secure our spot in the next round (after successfully navigating three previous matches in a campaign that kicked off just four days after the last season ended with the Euro 2024 final on July 14), it felt like one of our top achievements in recent years. It was almost like experiencing a European final for us.”
Next, we found ourselves up against teams like Manchester City, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid in the league games. We haven't faced teams like these in a long time, so even if we likely come out on the losing side, it still feels like a significant opportunity. The loss to Celtic (Slovan lost 5-1 in Glasgow during the first match) wasn't ideal, but it's worth noting that even a club like Celtic has a much bigger budget than we do.
On November 5, we’ll be facing Dinamo (Zagreb) at our home ground. It's a game that we have the potential to either draw or win. However, my main focus for these eight matches is to ensure that both the players and the owners learn valuable lessons. Additionally, I want us to capitalize on television revenue and packed stadiums, so we can invest in enhancing the team.
Slovan radiates a clear sense of joy and excitement about participating, but this attitude isn't something you find among all the smaller teams in the Champions League.
Salzburg, set to participate in the updated Club World Cup in the U.S. next summer due to their steady qualification for the Champions League group stage in recent years, are getting used to a new coach, Pep Lijnders, who was an assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. They were likely seen as a potential surprise team heading into the league phase.
Instead, they suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss at Sparta Prague and were unexpectedly defeated 4-0 at home by the French side Brest. Currently, they sit in fourth place in the early stages of the Austrian Bundesliga, trailing leaders Sturm Graz by six points, but they have two games in hand.
Pep Lijnders shows appreciation for Salzburg supporters following the loss in Prague (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)
“I’m not looking to make excuses; I fully accept the blame,” Lijnders stated during a press conference following the loss to Brest. “This team has plenty of talent, and it shouldn't have unfolded this way. That does concern me a bit.”
"We anticipated the Champions League would kick off on a much better note, especially after successfully qualifying by defeating FC Twente (5-4 on aggregate) and Dynamo Kyiv (3-1). I’m tired of hearing labels like ‘young team’ used to describe us. There shouldn't be any excuses; we have the talent needed to win matches in the Champions League."
Young Boys, whose performance in the Swiss Super League is comparable to that of Austria's Bundesliga, would have anticipated more success than currently finding themselves at the bottom of the 32-team Champions League standings after suffering two losses (3-0 at home against Aston Villa and 5-0 against Barcelona).
Similar to Salzburg, the Bern club is facing challenges in their domestic league and recently let go of manager Patrick Rahmen, who had just taken the position in the summer, shortly after the heavy defeat to Barcelona. Currently, they sit in 10th place in a league of 12 teams. On Wednesday, they will host Inter Milan, the Serie A champions and three-time winners of the European Cup/Champions League.
Dinamo made the decision to part ways with their manager following a significant loss in Champions League history, where they were defeated 9-2 by Bayern last month. Sergej Jakirovic had guided Dinamo to a successful Croatian league and cup double in the 2023-24 season, but the heavy defeat against Bayern was considered intolerable, leading to his departure two days later by mutual agreement.
The stark truth about Dinamo Zagreb's difficulties in Europe is clearly reflected in the score from their match against Bayern Munich (Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images).
A 2-2 draw at home against Monaco in their second match, with new coach Nenad Bjelica at the helm, indicated that they had made a good choice. What's next? They will be traveling to face Lijnders and Salzburg on Wednesday.
Then there's Celtic. Unlike many of the teams previously mentioned, this Scottish club is a familiar contender in the Champions League and has achieved remarkable wins against top teams like Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, and AC Milan. They even claimed the trophy back in 1967. However, all of these triumphs occurred at Celtic Park, where the electrifying atmosphere created by their passionate fans makes them a formidable opponent for any team.
When playing away from home, things take a turn for the worse. This season has showcased Celtic’s European journey in a nutshell: they dominated Slovan with a 5-1 victory at home but then suffered a crushing 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. In that match, they let in five goals before the halftime whistle, marking the first time a British team has experienced such a scoreline in a major European tournament since the 1997-98 season. This defeat added to their ongoing struggles, as it was their 31st loss in 37 away matches during the Champions League group and league stages, with a staggering total of 100 goals conceded across those games.
Despite facing criticism similar to what he experienced during his first time at Celtic, manager Brendan Rodgers stood firm and refused to alter his team's strategy for the match against Dortmund. In the past, his teams have suffered heavy defeats, including a 7-0 loss to Barcelona at Camp Nou, a 7-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, and a 6-0 loss to Atletico Madrid during his second stint last season.
"We approach the game in a manner that helps us excel in our league," Rodgers stated. "We understand there will be challenges along the way, but we must still demonstrate our skills with the ball. Are we going to hold back and just defend? Absolutely not."
Celtic fans who have spent a significant amount of money journeying across Europe to watch their team win only two out of 37 Champions League away games (a win against Spartak Moscow in 2012-13 and another against Anderlecht in 2017-18) might view things from a different perspective. While it's hard to say that Celtic supporters haven’t enjoyed their travels abroad, anyone who has attended all 37 matches has likely covered over 70,000 miles—nearly equivalent to circling the globe three times—for just two wins.
"I haven't been to too many away games, but I've never witnessed us winning outside of our home ground," says Alasdair, a Celtic season-ticket holder, in an interview with The Athletic. "The atmosphere during away matches is always fantastic, and we appreciate the chance to explore amazing cities and stadiums. However, it can be quite disheartening."
Celtic supporters love traveling across Europe for matches – that is, until the game kicks off. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
"The club might have some overly high hopes about our performance, but when you consider our resources in comparison to the Premier League and the top clubs in Spain, Germany, and Italy, we’re operating on a completely different level. The new structure is likely to widen the gap even more."
After two rounds, we're dealing with a very limited number of games, but the initial findings from the expanded 36-team 'league phase' indicate a noticeable shift. We've witnessed some significant scorelines, including 9-2, 7-1, 5-0, and 5-1, alongside four matches that ended 4-0. With 36 games played so far, this version of the Champions League is shaping up to be one of the most high-scoring ever, averaging 3.19 goals per match, which is almost at the record high of 3.24 set in the 2019-20 season.
This Champions League season has proven to be the most lopsided one to date, featuring an average winning margin of 2.57 goals. This figure significantly surpasses the previous record of 2.37 from the 1993-94 season.
Increasing the number of teams in the competition may lower the overall quality. However, this larger initial phase could encourage teams to adopt a more adventurous style of play. With the likelihood that earning just around 10 points from eight matches could be enough to secure a spot in the knockout stage, where spots in the round of 16 are available, teams might take greater risks.
As the wealthy continue to accumulate more wealth and the financial gap grows wider throughout Europe, we can anticipate similar trends to persist. Supporters of smaller clubs in the Champions League are likely to feel apprehensive about their international experiences instead of excited.
(Featured images: Getty Images)
