FC Porto wrote another chapter in their majestic season by becoming Europa League champions. Porto beat Sporting Braga 1-0 in the Europa League final at the AVIVA Stadium (referred to as the “Dublin Arena” for this final). Porto had previously claimed domestic league honours, their 25th league title, as well as winning the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (also known as the Portuguese SuperCup).

The lone goal of the game came, not surprisingly, from the head of Radamel Falcao. Falcao had already broken Jürgen Klinsmann’s 15-year-old record for goals in a single UEFA Europa League or UEFA Cup season and he took his tally to 17. Falcao also struck 16 times in 22 league games so expect to hear a lot of transfer speculation about him this summer. You will also hear a lot about Givanildo Vieira de Souza, aka Hulk, who scored 23 league goals in 26 games and added 4 goals and 4 assists in the Europa League. It would surprise me to see Hulk move to another club as Port re-signed him until 2016 and added a huge (100m Euro) buyout clause.

One of the more compelling stories has been Porto’s manager André Villas-Boas. The comparison between Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho will persist throughout next season though they are unwarranted. While the current Porto manager mentored with Mourinho at three different clubs, it’s clear that Villas Boas’s style of play is more attack-minded and more entertaining. Villas-Boas is being linked with many high profile vacancies around Europe, including his mentor’s old club – Chelsea. I have to wonder if it may be too much too soon for Villas-Boas, who is the youngest manager ever to win a European competition, at 33 years of age. Porto are clearly a class above the other teams in Portugal and I don’t want to belittle their acheivement in winning the Europa League but this is his first ‘big’ job and he’s only been at it a season. If I were a bigger club I’d be interested in him as a prospect but I’m not sure if he’d be the guy to bring immediate success. Stepping into the manager role at a club like Chelsea where more experienced and more successful managers have been fired would be virtually risk-free for Villas-Boas. If he succeeds, then his reputation is enhanced. If he fails, then people will say too much was asked of a novice manager. Certainly the salary on offer could make the decision attractive for Villas-Boas. It will be one of the more interesting stories to follow this summer.

Plaudits should also go to runners-up Braga. Braga were not given much of a chance when paired against KKS Lech Poznan, Liverpool FC, FC Dynamo Kyiv and SL Benfica but they overcame the odds to reach the finals. Led by manager Domingos Paciencia, a former long-serving FC Porto striker, Braga also made their UEFA Champions League debut this past season. Having finished fourth in the Primeira Liga this season, they will be in the playoff round for next season’s Europa League. If Braga retain their core players they should be strong contenders in next season’s Europa League. The loss will be particularly hard to take for Braga players Custódio, Hugo Viana and Miguel Garcia, who had been part of the Sporting Clube de Portugal team downed by PFC CSKA Moskva in the 2005 UEFA Cup final.

Porto completed their silverware haul with a decisive 6-2 win over Guimaraes in the Portuguese Cup this past Sunday. Congratulations to the Dragons and their fans for one of their most successful seasons ever.

Note:
Most UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup goals in a season
17 Falcao (FC Porto, 2010/11)
15 Jürgen Klinsmann (FC Bayern München, 1995/96)
14 John Wark (Ipswich Town FC, 1981/82)
12 Derlei (FC Porto, 2002/03)

With the another matchday of the Champions/Europa League group stages coming up, I’ve decided to take  a look at what could be the more interesting matches of the 40 which will be played in the two competitions. The way I’ve chosen these matches is by looking at the teams which are playing, how they’ve been doing recently, and whether it’s make or break time for them.

Tottenham Hotspur – Inter Milan

After the fantastic 4-3 match which the two sides played out last matchday at the San Siro, I couldn’t not not include this return fixture which will take place at Tottenham’s stadium, White Hart Lane. But this match looks to be slightly different from the previous one, especially with Inter Milan probably missing Esteban Cambiasso, Dejan Stankovic, and their main keeper, Julio Cesar. But Tottenham have missing players as well, their main playmaker Rafael van der Vaart limped off holding his thigh on the weekend, so he might not be able to play against Inter. And Tottenham’s first choice keeper Gomes is suspended after the red card he received last game against Inter.

My prediction for this match is a 3-1 win for Inter Milan. I expect Rafa Benitez’s side to create and finish opportunities, especially with Samuel Eto’o up front, and I think that they’ll be a little more wary of Gareth Bale. Do you agree or disagree? Share your prediction below by commenting!

CSKA Moscow – Palermo

This match is a very interesting match, although Palermo have been playing some beautiful football in the Serie A, with their brilliantly talented playmaker Javier Pastore, they haven’t started well in the Europa League. The Italian side are second-last in the group with only three points, meanwhile CSKA Moscow are top of the table with nine points having won all three of their matches so far. But what I think makes this match very interesting is the fact that Palermo need to get a result, and they have the players to do it in style. So could we see a full-out attacking match by the Italian side which will be fighting for whatever it can get away from home? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big scoreline from this match.

AC Milan – Real Madrid

This is a strange match, and while at first it may look like a clash of giants, I think that the game will be very one-sided for the Spanish side. The two historic sides faced each other at the Santiago Bernabeu last matchday, and that match was dominated by the home side which comfortably won 2-0. While you think that AC Milan will be able to pull something off at their home stadium in order to regain some pride, they just lost to Juventus 2-1 with the San Siro crowd booing the home side. As for Jose Mourinho’s side, Real Madrid are top of the La Liga table having scored 25 goals in just nine matches.

My prediction is a 2-1 win for Real Madrid. I think that Jose Mourinho is too meticulous and careful to detail to let this disorganized AC Milan side stop his team’s good run. And Cristiano Ronaldo looks sure to score considering that he has been playing wonderfully for Real. Agree or disagree with me? Well, make sure to share your thoughts on how this big match will go by commenting below!

FC Basel – Roma

This is a big match for Group E, with Bayern Munich in first with nine points, and the rest of the sides all tied up below the Germans with three, this could decide who goes through to the next round. Roma have been doing terribly in the Champions League, and having already faced FC Basel at their home stadium, the giallorossi were humiliated losing 3-1 in Rome. But Claudio Ranieri’s side has gained momentum, and after their latest 2-0 victory over Lecce, their were plenty of positive things which could be transferred in their away trip to Switzerland. So can Roma manage to win away against Basel to claim the second place in the group? We’ll have to wait and see until Wednesday before we get an answer.

If you have any thoughts or comments regarding matches in the Europa/Champions League, be sure to share them below by commenting!

A massive number of clubs are involved in the Second Qualifying Round (80 in total).

The winners of the 23 First Qualifying Round ties were joined in this round by a further 57 clubs that includes the domestic cup winners from the national associations ranked 30 to 53 in the UEFA coefficient, the runners-up from the associations ranked 19 to 34, the third-placed sides from the associations ranked 16 to 21, the fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 10 to 15 and the fifth-placed sides from the associations ranked 7 to 9.

What does all that mean? It means that some well known names enter the competition like Romanian giants FC Steaua Bucure?ti, Turkish side Galatasaray SK, Danish club Aalborg BK (a participant in last season’s Champions League group stage. The Danish sides did not farewell in the first leg as Brøndby IF, the first Danish side to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage in 1995/96, succumbed 1-0 at home against Estonian side FC Flora. Meanwhile Aalborg BK could only draw 0-0 with FK Slavija Sarajevo.

The biggest wins of the night went to Dutch side NAC Breda and Rapid Vienna. Brada ran riot on Armenia’s Gandzasar, racking up a 6-0 scoreline. Rapid Vienna also had a good day at the office as they beat Vllaznia of Albania 5-0.

The complete first leg results were as follows (winners are in bold):

Sliema Wanderers (Malta) 0-0 Maccabi Netanya (Israel)
Crusaders (Northern Ireland) 1-1 Rabotnicki (FYR Macedonia)
Zestaponi (Georgia) 1-2 Helsingborg (Sweden)
Milano (FYR Macedonia) 0-4 Slaven Belupo (Croatia)
Naftan (Belarus) 2-1 AA Gent (Belgium)
MSK Zilina (Slovakia) 2-0 Dacia Chisinau (Moldova)
Flamutari Vlore (Albania) 1-0 Motherwell (Scotland)
Liepajas Metalurgs (Latvia) 2-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Sevojno (Serbia) 0-0 FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 0-0 Tromso (Norway)
Honka (Finland) 2-0 Bangor City (Wales)
Metalist Donetsk (Ukraine) 3-0 MTZ-RIPO (Belarus)
Tobol (Kazakhstan) 1-1 Galatasaray (Turkey)
Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova) 0-0 Pacos de Ferreira (Portugal)
Skonto Riga (Latvia) 1-1 Derry City (Ireland)
Bnei Yehuda (Israel) 4-0 Dinaburg (Latvia)
Rosenborg (Norway) 0-0 Karabakh (Azerbaijan)
Anorthosis (Cyprus) 2-1 Petrovac (Montenegro)
Vetra (Lithuanua) 0-1 HJK Helsinki (Finland)
Suduva (Lithuania) 0-1 Randers (Denmark)
Elfsborg (Sweden) 3-0 Haladas (Hungary)
Cherno More (Bulgaria) 1-0 Iskra-Stal (Moldova)
Sigma Olomouc (Czech Republic) 1-1 Fram (Iceland)
Rapid Wien (Austria) 5-0 Vllaznia (Albania)
Sturm Graz (Austria) 2-1 Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Basel (Switzerland) 3-0 Santa Coloma (Andorra)
Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) 2-0 Ujpest (Hungary)
Omonia (Cyprus) 4-0 HB (Faroe Islands)
AaB Aalborg (Denmark) 0-0 Slavija (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Legia Warsaw (Poland) 3-0 Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia)
Gorica (Slovenia) 1-0 Lahti (Finland)
Differdange (Luxembourg) 1-0 Rijeka (Croatia)
Rudar Velenje (Slovenia) 0-1 Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Brondby (Denmark) 0-1 Flora Tallinn (Estonia)
Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) 1-0 Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)
Juvenes/Dogona (San Marino) 0-1 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)
Falkirk (Scotland) 1-0 Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
NAC Breda (Netherlands) 6-0 Gandzasar (Armenia)
St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) 1-1 Valletta (Malta)
KR (Iceland) 2-0 Larissa (Greece)

As we reported on a number of weeks ago, the UEFA Executive Committee has finalized the change in name of the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League starting in the 2009-10 season. Along with the new name come major changes to the competition, which will feature a 48-team group stage.

Changes to the name, logo and brand identity of the competition are seen by UEFA as the next logical step following the decision to alter the format of the UEFA Cup and create a true group stage, with both home and away matches. That decision was made back in December 2007 so this is not an overnight decision.

UEFA’s ambition in making all these changes is to rejuvenate the competition that has fallen into the shadows of the massive success of the Champions League. The UEFA Cup, which was introduced in 1971-72 season and replaced the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, has been the only European club competition other than the Champions League since the Cup Winners’ Cup was dropped in 1999. The fact that clubs who have failed to survive the group stage of the Champions League continue in the UEFA Cup has contributed to its perception as a second-rate event and the general perception is still that the ‘big clubs’ will be in the Champions League.

However, I think the UEFA Cup/Europa League is an important and often underrated competition. While perhaps not as prestigious as the Champions League, it does offer other clubs a vehicle to earn extra revenue and gain experience playing against clubs outside their domestic league. It seems to be mostly the mainstream media and a large number of bloggers that trash the UEFA Cup as meaningless but those same outlets are generally only focused on the so-called “glamour” clubs.

I think if you ask fans of the clubs involved in the UEFA Cup, they are happy to be there and competing for a trophy. There have been some great matches in the UEFA Cup including last season’s final and semi-final involving Zenit St Petersburg. That club is a prime example of what this competition can do for a ‘smaller’ club that is looking to advance itself.

Reuters reports that UEFA is considering changing the name of its second tier UEFA Cup competition to the UEFA Europa League or the Europa Cup. The planned rebranding was revealed by Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, also the acting chairman of the new European Clubs Association, The European Clubs Assocation was presented with the proposal on Monday.

Rummenigge alluded to the general impression that maintains that the UEFA Cup is a second-class competition . Despite the fact that it is often more exciting and more unpredictable than the Champions League, casual football fans choose to turn their nose up at the UEFA Cup simply because the ‘big clubs’ are not involved rather than judging the quality of football on offer. However, the thinking is that a fresh start for the competition and more aggressive marketing might net UEFA more dollars in terms of advertising and TV deals.

The name change will likely be brought in at the same time as the revamped format for the UEFA Cup takes hold as of the 2009-10 season. The new group stage will directly copy the format of the Champions League.

I don’t want to be a stodgy traditionalist and I am in favour of the group stage changes but I have to admit that I’m initially not impressed with the proposed name change. Europa League? It just doesn’t carry the excitement of a name like Champions League. One thing for sure is that it will certainly take a while before people stop calling it the UEFA Cup or ‘competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup’.

What’s your take on the proposed name change? Feel free to post alternate name ideas and/or your suggestions for improving the competition.