Champions League and English football teams.

Cityfan

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There is an interesting analysis in todays Financial Times that I can't link to because it is behind a pay wall.
However it compares English clubs in Europe with the big 5 continental clubs and suggests that a big reason for English clubs lack of success is the increased competitiveness of the League.
It compares the wage bill adjusted for average league wage and suggests that this is a much better predictor of champions league performance (as measured by performance points) than wage bill alone and also compares the length of time teams are two or more goals up domestically and shows that this is much longer if your wage bill is higher than the domestic average .
Not really proof of anything but it does indicate that perhaps the premier league is genuinely more competetive than other leagues and this has an effect on European performance.

Although behind a paywall you can some FT articles free if you haven't already read more than two in a month try googling
Champions League eludes English teams after draining season
 
It's a good point. Other less competitive leagues the coaches of the big boys can rotate their players against the so called lesser teams because they are. I think Pep has learned that with us now. Although I would say there's others factors such as more sympathetic FA's who allow fixtures to be moved to benefit maximum rest time. Juventus played a lot of Friday games in between CL ties, as did Bayern.Unlike ours that seem to be quite happy for Sky/BT to dictate to them.

A lot of European teams have a winter break too. Sadly if that came here I would be surprised if the PL organised a mini tournament in China to be played during it.
 
This is an interesting point. And likely a compounding factor.

But I think that the biggest factor is this:

Over the past 5 years or so, rank, on paper, each European team, based on starting players and depth and manager, from who you think is the most talented squad to who you think is say the 10th best on paper squad.

1-3 will likely be R. Madrid/Barca/Bayern in some order each year. Maybe a PL squad takes 4th in some years - it's a matter of opinion.
===========
For me, the biggest factor in why the EPL isn't doing well in the CL over the past 5 years is that our squads/management simply aren't good enough including the 2012 Chelsea aberration. I still have no clue as to how Chelsea won that CL.
 
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There is an interesting analysis in todays Financial Times that I can't link to because it is behind a pay wall.
However it compares English clubs in Europe with the big 5 continental clubs and suggests that a big reason for English clubs lack of success is the increased competitiveness of the League.
It compares the wage bill adjusted for average league wage and suggests that this is a much better predictor of champions league performance (as measured by performance points) than wage bill alone and also compares the length of time teams are two or more goals up domestically and shows that this is much longer if your wage bill is higher than the domestic average .
Not really proof of anything but it does indicate that perhaps the premier league is genuinely more competetive than other leagues and this has an effect on European performance.

Although behind a paywall you can some FT articles free if you haven't already read more than two in a month try googling
Champions League eludes English teams after draining season
Could just be that some of our representatives have been poor (Leicester, Arsenal, Liverpool) some can't compete without the huge favours they receive from English referees (Spurs, rags) and ourselves and Chelsea while acceptable haven't really overachieved?
 
Could just be that some of our representatives have been poor (Leicester, Arsenal, Liverpool) some can't compete without the huge favours they receive from English referees (Spurs, rags) and ourselves and Chelsea while acceptable haven't really overachieved?

The only semifinal appearances in the last 5 years have been City and Chelsea. We can't hold the fort on our own all the time. So in the seasons where we under perform, it seems nobody else is able to take up the mantle and perform to a decent level in Europe.

There was a period where Chelsea were basically holding up England's co-coefficients by ourselves, whilst everybody else were bottling it. To be fair to City, in this period, they were still adjusting to CL football, and were relatively new to the European scene and kept getting difficult groups.
 
The only semifinal appearances in the last 5 years have been City and Chelsea. We can't hold the fort on our own all the time. So in the seasons where we under perform, it seems nobody else is able to take up the mantle and perform to a decent level in Europe.

There was a period where Chelsea were basically holding up England's co-coefficients by ourselves, whilst everybody else were bottling it. To be fair to City, in this period, they were still adjusting to CL football, and were relatively new to the European scene and kept getting difficult groups.

What do you mean, kept?

We're still getting them!
 
What do you mean, kept?

We're still getting them!

I meant before the rule change where City, even as league champions, would get difficult groups because your coefficient wasn't high enough.
 
I meant before the rule change where City, even as league champions, would get difficult groups because your coefficient wasn't high enough.

Yeah, I knew what you meant mate. I was just pulling your leg.

There's no doubt that when we do eventually win the League again, we'll draw either Réal Madrid or Barcelona - whichever hasn't won La Ligament the previous season - from Pot Two.
 
Could just be that some of our representatives have been poor (Leicester, Arsenal, Liverpool) some can't compete without the huge favours they receive from English referees (Spurs, rags) and ourselves and Chelsea while acceptable haven't really overachieved?

Load of bollox.
 

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