FINALLY, ENGLISH CLUBS HAVE LEFT THE REST OF EUROPE LAGGING BEHIND
ENGLISH clubs are resurgent in Europe and looking stronger than they have for several years. There is a real chance that one of them could win the Champions League this season.
What really struck me this week was how no one seemed able to get the ball off the English teams. Even away from home, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City were dominant in possession.
Liverpool had 55 per cent of the ball in Porto, Tottenham 67 per cent at Juventus and City almost three- quarters of possession in Basle.
The fact that Liverpool, who are 18 points behind City in the league, were able to win so comfortably away from home will be worrying for the rest of Europe.
It is not just City who are capable of blowing teams away. Pep Guardiola’s side may be running away with the Premier League but, rather than floundering, their rivals are constantly striving for excellence to try to catch them.
Almost every week there is a head- to- head between teams battling to get into the top four and that has raised standards. Porto, Basle and Juventus were given a taste of the quality the Premier League possesses.
Tottenham’s performance in Turin was just as impressive. They showed immense character to battle back from two goals down at a ground where teams have found it almost impossible to score.
Spurs moved the ball incredibly quickly. They looked to punish Juventus with every pass and the Italian side were ponderous and slow in comparison.
If this match had been in pre-season, I would have said they looked a month behind in terms of sharpness. On that showing, if Juventus were a Premier League side they would struggle to get into the top six.
There is a correlation between wealth and quality. Many clubs in Europe will be fearing the spending power in the Premier League.
At £777million, Manchester City now have the most expensively assembled squad in football but even Brighton and Huddersfield appear in the world’s top 50.
What may prevent an English club from winning the Champions League this season is the Premier League taking too much out of the players when it matters most.
City could find themselves having to play FA Cup and Champions League semi- finals in quick succession, while Tottenham are also still in the Cup and fighting for a top-four spot. It may work in Liverpool’s favour that the FA Cup is no longer a distraction.
Some of the pressure has been taken off City and Liverpool with their huge first-leg victories. They are already looking forward to the quarter-final draw and can rest players for their second legs.
Manchester United and Chelsea need strong performances in the Champions League next week to lift their seasons but will have been encouraged by the emphatic displays of the other English teams.