Has the Premier League lost its competitiveness in the Champions League?

18/04/2024

The second leg matches of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals have concluded, with Manchester City and Arsenal both being eliminated by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.

This marks the first time in nearly four years that Premier League teams collectively failed to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Champions League semi-finalists

In this season's Champions League campaign, the Premier League had four teams participating, but both Newcastle United and Manchester United failed to advance beyond the group stage. 

While Newcastle struggled in the so-called "group of death," Manchester United's underperformance against Galatasaray and Copenhagen was particularly disappointing.

Newcastle United failed to advance from the group stage

Fortunately, Manchester City and Arsenal showed strong performances, topping their respective groups and advancing through the knockout stages by defeating Copenhagen and Porto.

Manchester City and Arsenal were among the favorites to win the Champions League, with their odds ranking high. However, they both faced setbacks in the quarter-finals.

Defending champions fall in the quarter-finals

Manchester City, despite having the home advantage, lost to Real Madrid in a penalty shootout. 

Meanwhile, despite Arsenal's recent improvements, they couldn't avoid elimination, becoming the fifth team in Bayern Munich's history to be knocked out.

As a result, there are no Premier League teams in the Champions League semi-finals this season, marking a significant disappointment for the league, which prides itself as the best in the world.

Will there be a German showdown in the final?

While the competitiveness of the Premier League may have contributed to the poor performance in the Champions League, it also reflects the lack of European experience and pedigree compared to traditional powerhouses like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

With Premier League teams' underwhelming performance in the Champions League, the league is trailing behind the Bundesliga in this season's European competition rankings by 0.642 points.

Considering that West Ham United and Liverpool may also face elimination in the Europa League, it's unlikely for the Premier League to surpass the Bundesliga in the remaining matches of the season. 

Liverpool also faced elimination from the Europa League

This also means that the Premier League's dream of having five teams in the Champions League next season is practically shattered.