For the first time in four years there will be no English clubs in a major European cup final, a collective failure that inevitably leads to thoughts of decline and mismanagement, and provokes debate about the reasons why.
There may be nothing to worry about. After all, due to the nature of knockout football, the best teams don’t always win. That’s its lasting beauty.
Few would argue with the view that Manchester City were the superior side over two legs of their quarter-final against Real Madrid, only to lose in the draw of a penalty shootout. Taking off our nationalist glasses, it is important for the overall health, intrigue and entertainment of European football if English clubs are not omnipresent in the latter stages of all three continental cups.
There will be plenty of football fans and administrators who are happy that the Premier League participants have failed so badly. German and Italian clubs collected more coefficient points and will therefore receive an extra Champions League place next season.
Perhaps the problem is simple: the Premier League has become a victim of its own success; that competition has become so rich and so strong that its competitiveness has become its downfall.
If the overall strength of the league means there are no easy matches regardless of league position, the demands from August to May are enormous.
The Premier League is not only the richest league in the world, it is also the envy of it. It is the most watched domestic football competition due to the intensity of the matches and the drama it entails.
And thanks to lucrative television deals, both domestic and international, the Premier League has the greatest concentration of talent in the world. With few exceptions, every team has one or two world-class players and all are filled with senior internationals.
When this is combined with a competition schedule that is tougher than any other, fatigue has clearly been an issue for our competitors this season. It takes so much from teams to win domestic games, especially by the time we reach the business end of the season, that they are exhausted for midweek European games.
The luck of the draw is unkind to English clubs
The luck of the draw was also unkind. If Man City had avoided Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, you’d imagine they’d be playing them in the final at Wembley to begin with.
Newcastle United played their first Champions League games in twenty years and were paired with eventual semi-finalists Paris Saint-Germain and finalists Borussia Dortmund in the group stage.
West Ham, the reigning champions of the European Conference League, drew against undefeated Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. David Moyes’ side were only narrowly defeated by the German champions, despite currently sitting ninth in the Premier League.
When Liverpool were defeated by Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final, they found themselves locked in a battle of three heavyweight teams for the title with Arsenal and City. Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola’s side also left Europe knowing a misstep in the Premier League would likely cost them the ultimate crown. Aston Villa are battling for a place in the top four for the first time in 28 years.
This is important when you compare it to the other major European competitions, where the champions were all decided weeks ago.
It has given their European Cup contenders the chance to put everything into those games. In England, so much has happened in every Premier League game that the pressure is relentless and relentless.
PSG, who have spent hundreds of millions of euros and still cannot win the Champions League, won Ligue 1 three games ago when they were 12 points clear at the top.
Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga five games ago, when they were 16 points ahead of Bayern Munich, who did not have to worry about qualifying for the Champions League and thus secured second place. In turn, Dortmund, who are in fifth place, have nothing to fear domestically either, as Germany gets an extra berth and they are watertight in fifth place.
In Italy, Inter Milan also won the title with five games remaining when they were 17 points clear, while Atalanta are currently fifth and all but assured of some sort of European competition next season, even if they drop to sixth behind Roma.
In Spain, Real Madrid also won the title, with a lead of 13 points over Girona and 14 over Barcelona. The top four positions have also almost been decided.
In England, the world remains captivated as Arsenal and City go head-to-head, with both sides capable of winning the title, the destination of which will almost certainly be decided on the final day of the season.
Below that, Villa still have to hold off Spurs in fifth place, with Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea also hot on their heels, all three vying for European qualification, a race that won’t be concluded until next weekend.
It creates a lot of drama and excitement. That’s why the Premier League is the best, strongest and most popular to watch. But that status may come at a price, at least this season. In reality, we don’t know whether to worry or just be annoyed that the English clubs have fallen short in Europe this time.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
