Anyway, for some clubs, it seems that the World's biggest club competition may have led to subpar performances this weekend. Barcelona lost to, and to be fair, were soundly beaten by, newly promoted Hercules. AC Milan also lost to a new member of Serie A. AS Roma drew on Saturday, and I think we all know (and took immense pleasure from) what happened to Manchester United.Most of the clubs in European competition, at least this European competition, are pretty much guaranteed to be dwelling in the upper echelons of their domestic league table, so they often put an almost irrational emphasis on the Champion's League. Given the prestige involved, as well as the financial benefits, it is hard to blame them.
