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Post by Avinalaff on Mar 15, 2013 12:31:21 GMT
For the first time in 17 years there will be no English Premier League side involved in the Champions League quarter-finals following Arsenal's exit from the tournament on Wednesday.
Does this imply that there has been a decline in domination of English clubs on Europe's biggest stage?
This season and last, only one EPL team reached the quarters, with Chelsea miraculously going on to win the tournament last May.
If we see the larger size of the picture then five of the last ten finalists have been from England, two from Spain, two from Germany and one from Italy.
Above that, three of the last eight winners have been from England - Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.
In comparison to others, three have been from Spain (all Barcelona) and two have been from Italy (AC Milan and Inter Milan).
So if we go by these stats then for sure this can be seen as a minor blip.
Rather than reach the conclusion of saying that the EPL is in decline, it's better to look at the circumstances. The recent example and still fresh in memories of people around the world is Manchester United's exit from the competition.
The Red Devils played two very tight matches against last year's La Liga winners and if Nani hadn't been wrongly sent off in the second leg, United would surely have reached the quarter-finals.
This was followed by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressing concerns about the health of the EPL following the Gunners' 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich.
"It is a long time since that happened (no PL club in quarter-finals) that means the rest of Europe has caught up on us," said Wenger.
"We have to take that into consideration when we think about the future of the Premier League.
It is a massive disappointment for English football, for a number of years we are not used to that.
"It is a massive wake-up call for us because we had Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and us all out before the quarter-finals."
It may be a wake-up call in some aspects but there is still time before the alarm bells need ringing.
Going by the individual strength of English teams they are far superior to Spanish and Italian teams.
The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea possess enough players to conquer Europe. Of course, other teams in Europe are expected to strengthen further in the summer, but it is highly unlikely that we will see no EPL teams in the quarters next season.
City and Chelsea can be expected to spend fortunes in the summer and going by Alex Ferguson's love for the Champions League, surely United will come out blazing. Expect a backlash from English teams next season.
Source: IBN Live
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raven
Turnstiles
Posts: 12
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Post by raven on Mar 19, 2013 0:57:58 GMT
British clubs were most dominant between 1977 and 1985 in Europe, with no less than seven winners out of nine years for the European Cup and other teams such as Ipswich, Tottenham and Aberdeen winning in Europe. It really was a special time for the country, and while it hasn't quite got back to that level in the last decade, there has been real British success in competitions in recent years. If not for the Heysel ban in '85, British clubs, including ourselves, could of gone on and continued to do well, but it's a delicate issue for some to speak out on.
I like it that there will be no British representation in the European Cup this year. Last years winners, and final, were a disgrace to the integrity and tradition of the competition. Hopefully after last year's garbage, we can have a club side worthy of being winners and play with a bit of flair and actually deserve to go up and get their winners medals.
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Post by Jeffers Jugs on Mar 20, 2013 10:11:37 GMT
British clubs were most dominant between 1977 and 1985 in Europe, with no less than seven winners out of nine years for the European Cup and other teams such as Ipswich, Tottenham and Aberdeen winning in Europe. It really was a special time for the country, and while it hasn't quite got back to that level in the last decade, there has been real British success in competitions in recent years. If not for the Heysel ban in '85, British clubs, including ourselves, could of gone on and continued to do well, but it's a delicate issue for some to speak out on. I like it that there will be no British representation in the European Cup this year. Last years winners, and final, were a disgrace to the integrity and tradition of the competition. Hopefully after last year's garbage, we can have a club side worthy of being winners and play with a bit of flair and actually deserve to go up and get their winners medals. Rather last year than the cheating refs that made the Barca a few quid.
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Post by jimmy on Mar 20, 2013 10:12:34 GMT
Amen.
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