Willy Meisl, brother of the General-Secretary of the Österreich Fussball Verband, Hugo Meisl, wrote an article, in 1922, regarding the great clubs of the past years: AC Sparta, MTK & FC Barcelona. According to Willy Meisl, these three teams were in a constant decline, and the focused force of football was going to Sweden. In this article, Meisl comments about some mistakes which these teams were making.

First of all, Willy Meisl commented about AC Sparta, whose team was, according to most specialist, the sucessor of the great MTK of Jimmy Hogan. Sparta reached their peak between 1918 & 1921, but, according to Dr. Willy Meisl, their decline line started in 1921, and, therefore, they were no longer the great team once they were. Meisl wrote:


The Sparta stood at the zenith of its knowledge in its victory against the Celtic.
 
Their downhill run are the 9:0 defeat in Copenhagen; followed by a 3:0 defeat to Viktoria Žižkov in the Czech Cup final and a 3:0 defeat to F.C. Nürnberg.

The "unofficial continental champion," in sports language, hasn't been knocked out yet, but there are so many facts that says they fell to the ground.

Not to mention, Sparta still has a series of big victories ahead of it, but the fact that it’s downhill can’t be denied either. It’s just not yet known if the slope will be as steep as the sudden and quick climb to the roof. After all, many circumstances can contribute to this, the involvement of which is unpredictable.

Schaffer's name can already be excluded from the combination related to the future of Sparta.

They were not satisfied with Schaffer's contribution and his first appearance, and his class is out of the question.

Schaffer, however, is a Scottish style, a master of slow but sure attacks with refining, technical and tactical readiness, he plays the style that MTK has introduced to the continent under the masterful hands of Robertson and which represents the most perfect amateur style. And from this style, the Czechs took part only in the inevitably necessary.

The Czechs only play for the goal without any ornament, their game is characterized by strength, speed and shooting, without a big preliminary.

And Schaffer doesn't fit into this team. In the case of Dvořáček, the new star, it is not even possible to establish the true class. Janda and Pilát are uncertain and Meduna can't be known for adapting to the lineup.

The Sparta is dilapidated.

The gaps that can be seen can be filled in, but it seems that in many places the ship remains perforated.


The MTK was the second club which Meisl commented. After dominating the whole 1917/19 scenario, MTK, due to some of their stars leaving, lost their class, and, eventually, saw AC Sparta taking place as the best European team. However, according to Meisl, MTK did not suffer that much, due to some players who were taking place as some of the best players in the world — György Orth & József Braun, for example. MTK still domanted the whole Hungarian territory and was still strong to play against the some of the greats. According to Dr. Willy Meisl, the Hungarian club was the one who managed to do great after their best moments. Meisl wrote:


MTK, whose performance can be admired even more than the meteor-like rise of Sparta, also seems to have given up their leading position.

MTK has sprung up all over Europe with the best players and has done a lot, a great deal not only for its nation but also for the continent's football team.

MTK lost a real classic player to a team, perhaps more salt in a short time, and miraculously, even if he couldn't bring in this great blood loss, he happily escaped his "dangerous period" almost unheard of.

Just to name a few, we mention a few names: Schaffer, Schlosser, Szabó, Winkler, the brothers Konrád & Kertész, Feldmann, Nyúl and the further losses of the post-war times. And yet MTK kept the championship. Tradition of his great past, great president: sports gentleman Alfred Brüll and his fellow comrade, Dr. Fodor, his leftover old players and some excellent young players like Braun, Orth and Molnár are the cornerstones of the association that the association has needed again and again for a healthy could always count on its construction.

It is now heard that the injured Orth, who was completely recovered from the winter operation, is oriented towards Switzerland; Kertész's fierce and temperament also created a crisis, and so the breakdown of MTK took a serious form, with the twilight of the Gods appearing to hit his head. MTK are going to hibernate for a short time, but I think healthy rest will get them back on their feet and reappear at the head of their competitors soon. MTK are like the Republic of Austria: "the emperor was not deprived of his throne; he himself left his throne."


Barcelona


The third worthy opponent, Barcelona, ​​is also hardly able to scratch their old position. The Spanish champion has lost six of their best players, including Zamora, and has so far been able to maintain their great vitality. But his situation is also dangerous, for the same reasons that shook the proud teams of Sparta and MTK.


The Swedes are coming


Swedish footballers are the prospects of the future. The all-encompassing Scandinavian wave of sports throws them high. Their great achievements in athletics, swimming and wrestling also captivated football players. Some Swedish club teams used to rank deservedly in the continental best class, 

but now the Swedish national team has reached the highest level.

Johansson, the Swedish chief of staff, took his team to complete victory. After defeating Finland and Norway, he also won 2:1 over the Danes in Copenhagen. Under these circumstances, Sweden also has a say in the European football concert.
 
The best of the Swedish team, Karlsson, sailed to America, but this loss was compensable. In Sweden, there were the best teams on the continent, from whom they learned a lot and got a great routine.