BLEAK MIDWINTER
As Spain, Italy and Germany prepare to shut down, our top clubs face usual Christmas congestion that will damage their hopes of Champions League glory
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, S Donetsk, Porto or Real Madrid.
PSG, Barcelona or Besiktas. Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, S Donetsk, Porto or Real Madrid.
Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto or Real Madrid.
Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, S Donetsk or Porto. MICHEL PLATINI once described English players as being ‘Lions in winter and lambs in summer’.
But as a record five Premier League clubs prepare for tomorrow’s Champions League draw, you can’t blame the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho for bleating about the festive schedule.
Crackers and yuletide cheer will be in short supply as those clubs look at a fixture list which sees them play four matches in 10 days between December 23 and January 2.
Chelsea were the last English team to lift the Champions League trophy in 2012.
Europe’s big guns, in contrast, will be licking their lips at the prospect of resurgent Premier League clubs running themselves into the ground by the time the knockout stages restart on February 13.
By then, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea will have played at least five more matches than either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (below), the newly crowned winner of the Balon d’Or, will have had two weeks off to polish his trophy.
At the same time, Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard will have had another unwelcome reminder of just how tough the English season is.
There has been widespread praise for English clubs in Europe this season.
That’s hardly surprising since the fabulous five lost just three games out of 30 between them. The true test, though, will come in the knockout stages.
And it’s here that the top-flight’s finest have come unstuck since Chelsea became the last English club to win the tournament in 2012.
Since then only two clubs – Manchester City in 2015-16 and Chelsea in 2013-14 – have reached the last four of the competition.
Leicester were the Premier League’s sole survivors from the round of 16 last season as Arsenal were humiliated by Bayern Munich, losing 10-2 over two legs.
Manchester City were then humbled by Monaco despite winning the home leg 5-3. The defensive slips by Arsenal and Guardiola’s City illustrated just how far the Premier League had fallen since losing its number one UEFA ranking to Spain’s La Liga in 2013.
Despite a hugely positive group stage, there must still be fears that the relentless run of fixtures over the Christmas period will mean that any revival is short-lived.
Bayern Munich, for example, will not play a Bundesliga match for 26 days after their fixture against VfB Stuttgart on December 16.
Turkish surprise package, Besiktas, can rest-up between December 23 and January 21, while Shakhtar Donetsk – who last week inflicted a first defeat on Manchester City since April – don’t play another league match until February 17.
Even Serie A, breaking with tradition to play matches over the Christmas period this year, will enjoy a two-week break starting on January 7.
It’s little wonder the Premier League’s crazy festive schedule is greeted with an icy response.