Who would have thought the Ukraine and not England are first in the UEFA Country ranking for the season 2008/09. Ukraine wins the ranking, thanks to the good results by its clubs in the UEFA Cup. For the first time since Ukraine's independence will there be a Ukrainian club in a final of a European competition.
Shaktar Donetzk and Dinamo Kiev are playing the semi-final, with the winner meeting either Werder Bremen or Hamburger SV. The UEFA Cup is often belittled for being the losers cup, for teams that are not good enough to qualify for the Champions League. The competition, however is often viewed as a the real measurement of football power in Europe. The lack of strong English competition in the UEFA Cup, is evidence that the Premier League is loosing its dominance over European football. The top four clubs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool are so in England that they have dwarfed any competition within their own league. The result is that any other team, but the top four has problems competing with average clubs from the rest of Europe.
In the past the UEFA Cup, has been a window into the future showing the emergence of new football powers. Russia has been dominant in this competition over the last few years, with Zenith St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow, going all the way winning the competition in 2008, and 2005 respectively. The UEFA Cup therefore reflected the growing wealth of Russian football, and showed the world that Russia is a reestablished power in World Football. Turkey's football progress was also reflected by strong play in the UEFA Cup, Galatasaray Istanbul became an international institution after the club won the 2000 version of the competition. Before England became dominant in the Champions League, there clubs showed strong displays in the UEFA Cup.
This years result could be the indicator for a shift in European football. The strong result of Ukrainian clubs show that despite the recession in Eastern Europe its clubs are still strong enough to compete. It also shows that the Bundesliga is once again emerging as a football power. The Bundesliga is now on the way to replace Italy in the top three in the UEFA 5 year ranking and therefore regaining their fourth Champions League spot starting with the 2010/11 season.
The UEFA Cup itself is also entering new waters the competition is going to be renamed the UEFA Europa League. With a simpler format and with the cup winners of every nation the UEFA Europa League promises to be an interesting supplement to the Champions League.
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