And what is top level club football?
The EPL?
La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A?
The UCL?
The WC is the highest level of the game. Yes, the top clubs in the final stages of the CL may be more fluid, for obvious reasons, but the contest never rises to the level of the latter stages of the WC, which is often a contest of cultures and nations. Even the players themselves reflect this…
I understand English fans tend to be rather parochial wrt club football, but this is more often an English only view.
It is probably the highest level in an emotional sense, certainly for the players. But absolutely not in terms of either the quality of player on the field, nor the level to which the teams have refined their collective play.
On the first point, I think one need only look at the starting XI of the last four teams to make that obvious. Most of the star players are surrounded by a better supporting cast at their club than their national team can provide.
On the second point, it could not be otherwise - international managers get perhaps a month and a half to work with their players at this tournament, and something like two or three weeks a year otherwise. Top level club managers will tell you their teams are still coming together two months into a season, following a careful program of developing flexibility around one or more tactical platforms, adding progressively more patterns of play and set pieces, etc.
Highest level of global attention, cultural signifcance and impact, therefore level of pressure for players - largely because it draws casual viewers from entire nations who might not follow club football, national pride etc.
Never heard anyone with any football knowledge saying it’s the highest level of football in terms of quality.
Again you skirt my reply, our control wained throughout his tenure and as I said in the 1st season after the 1st 6 months. I haven’t pined, I pointed out a pertinent point, again which you couldn’t reply to to with an adequate answer.
Just own up, over most of Arne’s time here we haven’t controlled the tempo of games due to possession style approach anywhere near what Spain have.
