Hi guys
The first round of Champions League is over and English football fans must feel like they are stuck in Groundhog Day. A new season, new hope and lots of money spent, but EPL sides underperform yet again in Europe.
English teams better wake up or else they could lose the fourth Champions League spot to Serie A.
The German Bundesliga has already overtaken the EPL in the UEFA ranking, while Serie A could surpass the money-inflated English league at the end of this season.
In the first Champions League round, English sides only picked up a combined three points and were beaten by sides from Serie A and even Ligue 1, despite having double as many teams (see below).
La Liga: 5 teams, 10 points (3W, 1D, 1L)
Bundesliga: 4 teams, 9 points (3W, 1L)
Serie A: 2 teams, 4 points (1W, 1D)
Ligue 1: 2 teams 4 points (1W, 1D)
EPL: 4 teams, 3 points (1 W, 3L)
If things continue at this rate, and given the poor performance of English teams last season when no Premier League side reached the Champions League or Europa League quarter-finals, the EPL will find themselves further down the table.
EPL is currently still ahead of Serie A in the UEFA ranking, but at the end of this season the results from the 2010/11 season will be scrapped and replaced by points collected in 2015/16.
In the current ranking, the EPL still has over four points more than Serie A (65,284 to 61.105), but if the trend continues, the Italian league could overtake the English at the end of this season.
This would mean one less starting spot in the Champions League from the 2017/18 season.
So Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United better wake up and help Chelsea (who have the most consistent Premier League performers in Europe of late) to get better results. In addition, English sides should start taking the Europa League seriously, or else…
What's your take on the shocking state of English football in Europe?
Chat to me here in Supporters Club,
David
