Why can’t we compete in Europe?

ANOTHER season passes by without English success in the Champions League - and it is becoming woefully disappointing now.

Since Chelsea lifted the Champions League in 2012, no Premier League club has even come close to doing so again.

It really does need addressing because we are falling way behind Continental European sides.

You only have to watch Real Madrid and Juventus to see how much better those teams are at dealing with the demands of two-legged Champions League ties.

Leicester City were the only side flying England’s flag in the last eight. So why have we fallen so far behind? I don’t pretend to know the exact answer but there are a few things I would point to.

Firstly, defensively Premier League sides are not good enough.

TV companies pay huge money for Premier League TV rights because they expect attacking football and goals - but in European competition that does not work.

We need better defenders in the English game.

A second thing which concerns me is I believe that sometimes there almost appears to be a lack of desire.

It is as if players are paid so much in England when they really need to put their bodies on the line to get through in Europe they are not willing to go that extra mile.

Finally, the managers at the top English clubs have found their tactics wanting.

During the golden era between 2004 and 2011, when English clubs keep raching Champions League finals, we had great tacticians masterminding routes through the tournaments.

There was Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and Jose Mourinho in his Chelsea days.

You also had Rafa Benitez (pictured) during his Liverpool days.

He really was the master of two-legged European games.

The likes of Pep Guardiola, Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino are great coaches and I think they need to look to the likes of Benitez and Ferguson a decade ago for inspiration.

Premier League clubs simply are not performing on the European stage – and it us about time we addressed that problem.