Same procedure as every year

Every second or third year Danish clubs do well in Europe. Last year Aalborg Boldklub had an excellent spell first in the Champions League and then in the UEFA Cup, and FC Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland both did well in the UEFA Cup.
So this season there were again great expectations that Denmark could ascend in the ranks of European clubs, perhaps even to the degree of having a team in the CL every year, or even another qualification spot!
Well, keep dreaming unrealistic dreams... Danish club football should not compare itself with Netherlands, Belgium or Romania, but should go one level down, to Austria or Hungary. Perhaps you could also say Cyprus and Switzerland, but these are already showing more steady participation in the European tournaments than Denmark has.

There were high hopes for the three Danish teams remaining in Europe this week. FC Copenhagen had an apparently good shot at qualifying for the Champions League, but were disappointing, not to say pathetic, in their elimination against Apoel Nicosia, where they looked like a team without motivation and power.
Brøndby IF looked excellent against Herth Berlin after winning 2-1 at home, and winning 1-0 in Berlin. But in the last 15 minutes of the match the Germans scored three goals against a Brøndby team that suddenly looked completely physically worn out!
Finally, we had Odense Boldklub, who never had a chance against a superior Italian side Genoa, and after losing 3-1 in Italy, played 1-1 in Denmark. However, the game was marked by physical games bordering violence, in particular the vicious attack on Genoa's Ivan Juric belongs in a criminal court.

So that is what we can take with us from Danish participation in Europe: lack of motivation, low physical strength and viciousness (unless FC Copenhagen, who will be playing the UEFA Europa League, does somewhat decently) .
But hey, surely in a couple of years one Danish team will have another good season, and everyone will be hoping again!

Start of the Danish Superleague

The Danish Superliga started last weekend on its season 2009-10, and already there have been some interesting results: My favourite Brøndby is looking even more disappointing than last season after losing to Esbjerg and 2-2 against OB. The Odense team is supposedly one of the strongest teams this season, and have also started well with the tie against Brøndby and a victory against Sønderjyske. The defending champions of FC Copenhagen started out with a surprising loss away to FC Nordsjælland, but this week they showed that they are still favourties for the title by smashing the new superliga team from HB Køge by 7-1. Køge is already on the way down.
The other newcomers, Silkeborg IF started the league by 1-1 against HB Køge, but this week went to first spot by defeating FC Midtjylland 4-0 in a long-awaited local derby in central Jutland. Surely the ambitious FC Midtjylland must be in pain after such a thorough defeat!