The UEFA Champions League is club football’s elite competition in every sense of the word.
With its distinctive home and away format, the Champions League is a whole different ball-game that calls for immense tactical planning, experience and a combined team effort to emerge victorious in the biggest club competition on the planet.
The fact that the tournament throws up a different winner every season just shows how arduous it is to win in Europe.
Looking at the quarter-finalists of this season’s Champions League, the line-up is conspicuous by the absence of English teams.
Also, this is the first time since 1996 that the Champions League quarter-finals don’t feature an English club.
Of course, Chelsea won the competition last year, but what’s concerning is that the Blues were the lone English team to feature in the quarters then.
And with no English presence at this stage of the competition this year, is it fair to say that top English teams are not bankable in Europe with competition like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid?
Does this mean that top EPL teams are no longer potential challengers for the Champions League title? Definitely not.
Well, I might be jumping the gun but with the EPL’s high-flying status, you’d expect the English clubs to dominate akin to the 2007-08 season when three English teams were semi-finalists (Manchester United eventual champions).
What sets the EPL apart is the fact that there are at least five teams capable of winning the domestic title every season which makes the league all the more intriguing and competitive unlike the Serie A, Liga BBVA and the Bundesliga.
But this is sport and the fortunes of teams follow a cyclical pattern so it would be premature to write off teams from the most-watched league on the planet just yet.
With an ambitious owner at the helm, Chelsea is currently going through a transition phase. They are expected to settle into a formidable unit by the beginning of next season.
Manchester United, despite going down to Real Madrid (controversially, maybe) recently, is still a potent force in world football and with the indefatigable Sir Alex Ferguson in charge, there’s no stopping the Red Devils.
Fashionable Manchester City is the perfect example of a team struggling to come to grips with the competition in Europe despite their recent success in the EPL.
With a wealth of talent and skill in their ranks, they probably need a new manager to boost their performances in Europe.
The quality of Arsenal has unquestionably declined in recent seasons. It’s probably time for the astute Arsene Wenger to move on because what the club needs is a fresh new approach.
Liverpool, like Arsenal, has been inconsistent and if you put Luis Suarez’s heroics aside, the club would be languishing at the bottom of the ladder.
The last two seasons in Europe may have been disappointing for English clubs but I believe this is just a glitch.
England still outranks Spain, Italy and Germany in terms of overall quarter-final, semi-final and final appearances in Europe.
So there’s no crisis at all and the EPL still possesses immense quality and it’s just a matter of time before teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea begin to dominate Europe’s leading club competition.
jbinnie
Guest
WSW77 - What is an EPL snob? and even more puzzling what has that got to do with the question I asked you which I will repeat,"is that the 1st,,2nd,or 3rd Rise of the Calcio you are talking about. You do mention 10 years but I ask why not use the wimnners list of European Cups & Euro Champions League as a measuring stick,that is 1955-2012 (57 years) If you do that you will find Spain dominated the first 5 years with 5 wins,then from '97,-'01, another 3 wins and '05, -'10, another 3 wins, so, 3 perods of domination. Italy has had 2 periods of similar domination '62,-'68 with 4 wins and '84,- '96, with another 5 wins,(and the reason for my question). England '76 to '82,had 6 consecutive wins giving them 1 period of domination. Netherland and West Germany are also two countries that have had dominant periods of around 3 or 4 years. I could not find anywhere in that list where it could be said Italian clubs dominated for 10 consecutive years. jb
k77sujith
Guest
Seems like teams from Spain and Germany are going to dominate Europe in the years to come.
k77sujith
Guest
I dont think they underestimated anyone. They were just not good enough.
Dazman
Guest
Sorry, I guess I sounded a bit blunt. As for the rest of your piece, I don't think English football is in crisis either, but in the coming years I also don't think they'll be dominating like they have from 2005 until a few years ago. It'll be interesting to see the effects of the Financial Fair Play regulations (if they're enforced properly, of course) on clubs like Chelsea and Man C compared to Bundesliga clubs which aren't allowed to have mega-rich sugar-daddy owners and are thus used to striving for success whilst still living within their means.
Damiano
Guest
Fair enough then. Perhaps the English teams underestimated their opponents in the Champions League, I couldn't say... Chelsea were a better team on paper than Juve, but tactically and technically, Juve were superior. I didn't watch the other games with English teams to proffer an opinion. Certainly a game like Stoke Vs West Brom is no advertisement for the quality of the EPL (no offence to supporters of those teams, but its direct and straightforward stuff).
nordster
Guest
Even once the source of these investments have their accounts pilfered, cypriot style? Or will Grillo save the calcio?
WSW77
Guest
Calcio dominated European Football for 10 years they had the best players in the world, then it was Spain and now it's England. And you can now see Serie A stating to comeback, with better investment and local players are booming, also they are no longer leaving. May I ask are you an EPL snob?
k77sujith
Guest
Hi Dazman...never meant to say the Bundesliga is not competitive...the main idea behind this piece is about the English teams as a whole and not to debate on which league is superior...
dazman
Guest
Please do some research, Sujith, the Bundesliga is faaar more competitive that the EPL, Serie A and La Liga.
k77sujith
Guest
Thanks Nick, at least someone could see my point of view. This sn't about which league is the best!
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
I think some roarers thought you were trying to prove the superiority of the EPL. The main point that I saw in your article is that the EPL isn't in decline despite having no clubs in the QF this year and only one last year and I agree with that. It is so tight These days that there is no guarantee you will make the QF of the UCL even if you're as powerful as Man city or Chelsea. To be fair, Man U and Arsenal were extremely close to qualifying against two of the favourites of the comp. Same with Chelsea, they didn't pass the group stages despite finishing with the same number of points than n2 chatkar Donetsk. So no sign of decline for me.
jbinnie
Guest
WSW77 -Can't help but smile but is that the first,second, or third "Rise of the Calcio" you are talking about.jb
Matt F
Roar Guru
"What sets the EPL apart is the fact that there are at least five teams capable of winning the domestic title every season which makes the league all the more intriguing and competitive unlike the Serie A, Liga BBVA and the Bundesliga." Sorry but that's simply not true. There are no more than two or three teams that can win the league; Man U, Man City and Chelsea (and Chelsea are a fair way off lately.) I'm assuming the other two clubs you're referring to are Tottenham and Arsenal? Neither of those two teams have been within 10 points of the eventual Champion in the last 5 years, in fact they're very rarely within 15 points. They're top 4 competitors but both are a long way off title challengers. The EPL in terms of potential champions is no more competitive than La Liga or Serie A and much less competitive than the Bundesliga.
WSW77
Guest
They still play the English Football style that is so predictable and easy for continental teams to figure out. EPL is just a little too overrated in my opinion.... The Rise of the Calcio is on it's way!
nachos supreme
Guest
When you take the EPL as whole, quality defending both tactically and technically has never been it's strong point.
k77sujith
Guest
Hi Ben...La Liga is indeed a lot more absorbing with teams such as Atletico Madrid and Malaga doing very well this season. Its wonderful to see new teams at this stage of the champs league this season.
k77sujith
Guest
In no way I am denigrating the other major leagues. I do agree that they are very interesting as well and results are there for all to see; teams from Spain and Germany for instance, have done much better than English teams in the last couple of years in the champs league.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I cannot believe anyone would suggest the Bundesliga isn't competitive. From my observations over the past 20-30 years, the Bundesliga is THE most competitive of all the major football leagues in Europe. In the past 10 years, there have been: a) 5 different Champions in Germany: BVB, Bayern München, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, Bremen b) 8 different teams filling the top 3 spots in the Bundesliga: BVB, Bayern München, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, Bremen, Leverkusen, Schalke, Hamburg
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Whilst I admire your enthusiasm for the EPL I think you are underestimating both the quality and excitement of the other leagues. No-one is saying that the EPL will not have clubs at the pointy end next season, but to suggest that the Bundesliga is predictable and less competitive really just means you don't watch it. We get as much La Liga on the tv here in Cambodia as we do EPL, trust me, they can play football. Ajax has more Champions League titles than Manchester United; things change. Personally I am loving this year's Champions League.
k77sujith
Guest
You're right FTR but English teams in the past have progressed without these two tactiians as well. Benitez seems a different manager at Chelsea unable to bring the squad together. Wonder if refereeing in the EPL has a part to play in the clubs' absence.