Why The English Clubs Like Manchester United, Arsenal, And Others Struggle In Europe?

It was not so long ago, in 2009 when English league was at its peak. England had 3 representatives in the Champions League semi-finals namely, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United and eventually the Devils ended up in lifting the trophy. We all are aware of the fact that English League produces some of the best players out there and not only the big names but, the teams like Leicester, West Ham, Southampton, Tottenham are producing some good number of talented stars.

But, 2008-09 season had something different in it, They had Ronaldo, Terry, Fabregas (Arsenal), Lampard, Torres, Gerrard, Drogba and other world class players in the nominations and 4 of them ended in Team of the Year. But, the current scenario is very much clear as hardly 2-3 players from the premier league manage to get into the nominations list.

Coming to the point, we have witnessed a great performance from Manchester City and Liverpool this season in Europe where both the teams have managed to qualify for the Semi-Finals of Champions League and Europa League respectively. But, what before that? It was the 2011-12 season where Chelsea were crowned as the Winner of the Champions League and just the following season they lifted the Europa League title.

After that, none of the premier league sides were able to make it past the round of 16. There were times when the clubs around the globe feared Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. But, what could be the reason for this dramatic fall?

 

1. The Attraction of Big Guns of Spain and Germany-

 

We saw how Ronaldo performed in his last Champions League game for Manchester United against Chelsea, gave his side a lead through a towering header but, just after his triumph he departed to Real Madrid and just after that, many stars like Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, and Luis Suarez left the premier league to join the La Liga clubs.

Neymar rejected the offers from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United but he opted to play for Barcelona; Money wasn’t the biggest barrier in the transfer, the jubilance of Barcelona was. Even Lewandowski was offered huge money from the clubs of England after he thrashed Real Madrid in 2013 but, he chose Bayern Munich instead. No English team has achieved what Barcelona have in their last 10 years- Won treble twice, Champions League titles and what not.

Even in the current pages, we see Mahrez, Vardy, Kane and many players who will have some great offers from the clubs of Spain or Germany in coming transfer window. And recently, Aguero announced that he will be leaving as his contract expires with the club.

That is one of the many reasons that why English league fail so often in the Champions League.

2. The Tough Nature Of Premier League-

 

We all know what quality the players face in their every game of the league. Why is English League considered as the toughest in the world? It’s the sheer quality that players face in their every fixture.

Premier League is full of surprises and every game needs 100% of player’s physical and mental fitness. Taking examples of the Leagues of Spain, Germany or France- only 2-3 teams compete for the title, rest lies far behind them. La Liga- 15 points of a gap between the 3^rd and the 4^th (currently). Bundesliga- a gap of 20 points between 2^nd and the 3^rd. French League- PSG already y won the league.

Well, looking at premier league’s table, Leicester have the edge in the title race but,  4 clubs are fighting for the 4^th spot and 3 are battling for the second spot.

When Liverpool won the Champions League in 2004/05, they finished fifth in the Premier League; when Chelsea won the competition in 2011/12, they finished sixth.

The challenge in the premier league is tough and you never know which team amazes you at times. Even the teams like Southampton, Watford and Stoke City can give you a run for the money.

Overall, it takes a lot more effort for a player to be consistent in every game they play. And also, not to forget injuries, being an aggressive league, players get injured more often and the club has to suffer a lot for that.

Also, they have to face 4 competitions in one season namely- FA Cup, Capital One Cup, Premier League itself and Champions League. Congested fixtures is another reason why English clubs struggle to dominate European tournaments.

3. Tactics-

In recent times, we have seen how easily Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City were beaten by Olympiakos, PSV and Dinamo Zagreb respectively. Do they have more talent on the pitch? It’s not always about money; it is about the intelligence on the pitch. We saw how poorly United and the rest EPL clubs performed in the group stages. Every game demands different style, looking at Wenger’s and Van Gaal’s style- they do the same in their every game whether it be the domestic league or the Champions League. They lack in reading the situations, reacting in the real time and changing their style while it is not in the case of Spanish and other big clubs in Europe. Manchester United had a great success in the Champions league during 1999-2010 and that is mostly due to Ronaldo and the tactical intelligence of Sir AlexFerguson. But it is not the same now.