Even playing badly, Liverpool & Premier League are light-years ahead

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 16 Feb 2022 16:33 CST
• 3 min read

Inter played almost the perfect game against Liverpool on Wednesday evening. It was nowhere near enough.

For 75 minutes, Jurgen Klopp’s men barely created a chance – their only opening until then being a Sadio Mane header over in the first half.

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Inter had been well on top in the first 20 minutes of the second period and had had the better opportunities. Hakan Calhanoglu crashed a shot against the bar, while Edin Dzeko nodded wide.

A few final balls went astray also from Inter’s attackers that prevented them creating goalscoring chances.

Liverpool, on the other hand, had been well below their best. Diogo Jota made no impact at all. Youngster Harvey Elliott was perhaps thrown a little too deep into the deep end, while Mohamed Salah had got no change out of Alessandro Bastoni.

Yet, Liverpool still went on to win the game. 2-0. And Alisson didn’t even have to make a save.

Substitute Roberto Firmino flicked in a corner on 75 minutes and then Salah turned in with seven minutes to go. That’s the tie done and dusted. No one goes to Anfield and turns around this kind of scoreline in Europe.

Inter will feel that the scoreline is very harsh, and it is. In truth, on the balance of play, they deserved at least a draw.

Unfortunately, this is the status quo now in European club football.

Even when Premier League teams are at their worst and their European opponents are nearly at their best, the outcome is still the same.

When they are at their best, we get results like Tuesday's when Man City thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in Portugal.

Much has been said over the least year or so about the growing chasm between the riches of the Premier League and the rest of Europe’s leagues. This was why, after all, the big Serie A and La Liga clubs attempted to create a Super League last year.

Last week it was revealed that the Premier League’s international broadcasting revenue from 2022 to 2025 amounted to €6.3 billion. Serie A’s revenue amounts to €587 million over the next three-year period. Ligue 1’s comes to €480m, the Bundesliga to €1.08bn and La Liga to €4.48bn.

The gap is only going to get bigger – both in the bank and on the pitch.