Europe reflects state of the English game.
European results reflect the state of the Premier League at the moment. It’s good but not great. It’s good enough to dominate the second-tier European competition, the Europa League with an all-English final expected in Bilbao on May 21. It’s also good enough to have a potential winner of the Europa Conference League in Wroclaw on May 28. But the Premier League has been eclipsed in the Champions League, unless Arsenal can overturn the odds at Paris St-Germain next week.
It's been a frustrating second half to the season for the Premier League clubs in the Champions League. Arsenal may spring a surprise of course. Declan Rice will be up for it at Parc des Princes. But PS-G were the better side at Emirates. Their league-phase defeat to Arsenal came when English teams were fresh, when earlier in the season (October 1). Luis Enrique, who is only now being properly appreciated as an elite coach, has really tightened them up since then.
Is it the gruelling nature of the Premier League? Liverpool dominated the league-phase but then ran into a more clinical PS-G. Villa finished amongst the eight elite seeds and progressed straight to the round of 16. But also succumbed to Parisians taking a guillotine to the English. The French have a less arduous league challenge and also benefit from a winter break. PS-G had only two cup ties during Ligue 1’s pause between Dec 18 and Jan 12. Arsenal had four Premier League games and three cup ties in that period.
And yet there are seasons when Premier League teams dominate the Champions League. Fatigue? Six of the last 12 finalists have been English: Liverpool and Spurs (2019), Chelsea and Manchester City (2021), Liverpool (2022) and City (2023). Three of the last six finals have been won by English clubs. It can’t simply be the more congested calendar in England. So is it style of play?