When we talk about the toughest club teams on a European level, teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus come to mind. In recent years, Paris Saint-Germain has joined them. Noticing something weird? Yes. There are no English teams in that list. Even if they are on the list, they definitely aren’t in the top 5.
English teams have been struggling in Europe lately. Manchester United have struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. Chelsea was eliminated in the knock-out stages and looks like they won’t even make it to next season’s Champions League because of their poor league form. Arsenal, who will also have to fight till the end for their Champions League spot, were dumped out by Barcelona.
Manchester City is the only English side surviving in the Champions League and now they are up against a formidable Paris Saint-Germain who have already eliminated an English team (Chelsea) in the previous round. City did get a huge result in Paris as they drew 2-2, getting 2 crucial away goals.
In spite of all this, it looks as if the tables will turn and English teams will dominate Europe again. How? Let’s take a look.
Ageing Squads
Experience is key to winning games and trophies, but the more experienced you get, the slower you become. In today’s day, everyone prefers fast, free flowing football. Thankfully we get that, but will we get that in the upcoming seasons?
We might. There is a possibility. But if we analyze the current situation, a lot of key players from teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid is going past their peak. Players like Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and a few more are already or will past the 30-year mark in a couple of years.
Yes, their replacements will be ready but their absence will surely have an impact on the overall performance of the team. Bayern already has the squad depth and Barcelona have their academy products and like Real Madrid, they will be ready to sign young talents during the transfer window.
This is where the English teams have an upper hand. This phase has already passed for them and the future looks bright and we shall discuss that in the next topic.
The Youth
Like I said, the youth has stepped up at the right time, not just for one team, but for many English sides and they have played a pivotal role in their side’s success. Let me clarify, when I mention “youth”, I do not mean only academy products.
Although there are many academy products in that list. Beginning with the side who has struggled the most with injuries this season – Manchester United. Louis van Gaal brought Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial in the summer. Both promising youngsters and also handed debuts to upcoming talents from the academy like Marcus Rashford, Borthwick-Jackson, Guillermo Varela and he is regularly starting Jesse Lingard.
It’s not just Manchester United. Arsenal has players like Alex Iwobi and Hector Bellerin. Chelsea has Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kurt Zouma, Bertrand Traore and Kenedy. And there are plenty of young talents out there in England.
Long story short, the English teams have what the others want – A promising future.
Top Managers in England
Just by reading the topic I’m pretty sure you must’ve understood what I’m going to say. Yes, the arrival of the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte to the Premier League. And while we are on the subject, let’s not underestimate Louis van Gaal now. He knows how it feels to win major trophies and I’m pretty sure he can still make his team prolific if the injury count is considerably low.
If Newcastle United manage to survive relegation, then we will also have Rafael Benitez in the Premier League next season. It’s not just about the arrivals, but actually the rise of the quality of managers in the Premier League. We all know the amazing feat Claudio Ranieri is set to achieve with Leicester. Following him is a queue of top managers – Mauricio Pochettino, Arsene Wenger, Slaven Bilic, Ronald Koeman, Mark Hughes and Alan Pardew.
Apart from this list, we still have managers like Jose Mourinho and David Moyes who are still looking for a managerial post and are reportedly eyeing a Premier League club. The quality is top notch, and the reason why I mentioned so many names is because when I say Europe, I mean the Champions League as well as the Europa League.
This season has had its fair share of shocks and surprises, but more entertainment is surely promised from the next season. How? It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?
Numerous Strong Teams
Like I mentioned in the previous part, when I say Europe, I talk about both – The Champions League and The Europa League. The Premier League had just four big clubs who would be regulars in the Champions League – Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool. Until recently, when everything has changed.
The Big Four turned into the Big 6 and now it looks as if every season a new team joins that list and competes for a top 4 finish or even for the title. Leicester City is in hot pursuit of the title and Tottenham are right behind them. Arsenal is the only team from the traditional Big Four in the top 4 with Manchester City right behind them.
Behind these 4 are a blend of the remaining traditional Big Four teams and the ones who are actually challenging them for a place in Europe. So, we have 10 strong teams competing for a chance to play in Europe the next season and with such good squads and the managers who have stepped up their game, it’ll surely make things difficult for their opponents.
So keeping everything in mind, it surely seems that teams from the English Premier League are all set to put in dominant performances in both European Club competitions.
