England and Spain wane
THE absence of any English or Spanish semi-finalists for the first time since the Champions League became open to more than just the league winners has raised concerns that the traditional dominance of the two leagues may be cracking.
The last time no Premier League team made it past the quarter-finals was in 2013, while it was 2007 when there was last no Spanish interest in the latter stages.
And leading Spanish journalist Guillem Balague admitted: “The bigger picture here is that Spanish football has been found out – we are behind.
“The problem is that the quality of the players in La Liga is diminishing because we no longer have the financial clout and can no longer buy the best players.”