England’s demise in Europe is greatly exaggerated

THERE will be no EnglIsh clubs involved in the three European finals this year and already pundits are talking of underperformance and in doing so, they are also exposing an underlying sense of entitlement. Rio Ferdinand, interviewing Jude Bellingham, had the audacity to ask the Real Madrid star if he was slightly disappointed that Borussia Dortmund were at the end of their run to the final. A rather clumsy question to ask, but one that also confirmed the media really hankers for finals between the elite clubs rather than unexpected finalists providing the sort of romantic stories that once proliferated the game.

There is nothing particularly telling about England’s displays in Europe in 2023-24. Failure has, in the main, been marginal, but there have been some monumental slip-ups, some from the most unexpected of places. 

When you consider that 40% of the Premier League were playing in Europe this season, it is hard to believe the most lucrative league in the world has fallen short one year after two of the three trophies were won by English clubs. And yet, over the past three seasons, the Premier has been responsible for more than 20% of the 72 quarter-finalists across the three UEFA competitions. This season, the number of quarter-finalists was five from England, representing more than 50% of the entrants from the Premier. 

There was no Chelsea or Tottenham from the so-called “big six” but there were less familiar names such as Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion. Aston Villa and West Ham, waving the claret and blue flags on the continent, both enjoyed lengthy runs, but Manchester United, in keeping with their lack-lustre campaign, fell short in the Champions League. Five clubs reaching the quarter-final stages indicates a certain strength-in-depth from the Premier. 

Aston Villa went closes to reaching a final and they will surely look back on their semi-final in the Conference League against Olympiacos as a monumental cock-up. They were beaten 4-2 at Villa Park, a place where they have lost three times in the Premier against a team they should be looking to dispose of. Villa will kick themselves for years over this as they know they were perfectly capable of winning the Conference League. Instead, they lost 6-2 on aggregate.

Manchester United were woeful at times and won just once in a Champions League group that included Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray. In some ways, the manner in which they dealt with this group has provided the theme of their miserable year. They couldn’t even finish high enough to become one of the Champions League cast-offs in the Europa League. Now they are in danger of having no European football at all in 2024-25.

Liverpool will also be wondering how they managed to lose control of a tie they were supposed to win in the Europa League. Losing 3-0 at home to Atalanta was not what the Jürgen Klopp farewell tour was supposed to be about, especially as they were cast in the role as favourites for the competition. At least they will be back in the Champions League next season. 

It is not often that Premier clubs are surprisingly beaten by a lesser side. Looking at the teams who have ended Champions League hopes over the past decade, Real Madrid have become quite prolific at beating English clubs – Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all been beaten by Real in the past decade or so. 

Since the Premier League was formed, English clubs have won 14 European trophies and in the past five years, the total stands at five. Real Madrid have become, to a certain degree, the default winner of the Champions League – if no one else emerges, they seem to be the obvious choice. It is a tough competition to win and the latter stages, by definition, are incredibly hard going because it includes the very best teams who all have the same ambitions. While there is a strong Real Madrid still in the mix, it is always going to be a huge challenge for the English clubs to actually win the trophy. And yet, the last decade has seen Spain and England sending 15 of the 20 finalists to the ball. The Premier has, in the five most recent finals, provided six of the 10 teams.

Winning in Europe has been part of Real Madrid’s culture for decades, the closest English football has to a Real is Liverpool. Both these clubs seem to have something special ingrained in them that creates European drama – witness the semi-final between Real and Bayern this season. It just cannot be sheer coincidence, can it? English clubs will be back, they have the wealth, the players, the coaches and the will to succeed in Europe. Next season, with UEFA’s new format, the likes of City, Liverpool and Arsenal should all be contenders for silverware. A barren 2023-24 is not a signal of a decline.