5 reasons why Premier League sides struggle in the Champions League knockout stages

Premier League EPL clubs struggle Champions League
Arsenal have fallen at the Round of 16 hurdle in the last seven seasons

3) No squad has had a strong core over the last five seasons

Man Utd core
Manchester United had a strong core until 2013

When Premier League sides achieved a level of consistency by reaching the Champions League knockout stages, one common theme among most sides was that the core of the team was the same. In the mid to late 2000s, most English teams had the same spine to lead them through to the semis and finals.

Take for instance Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Between 2007/08 and 2010/11, the Red Devils reached three finals, winning the 2008 final and finishing runners-up to Barcelona in the latter two. All those sides featured a spine of Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney – most of whom were in their prime.

Of late, not many English teams have managed to keep a core of players intact for more than five years. With the constant chopping and changing of managers and players, teams have looked for a quick-fix solution rather than forge a dynasty.

In contrast, European giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have dominated the competition in the past few years since they have maintained a strong core of world class players, enhancing the squad with a sprinkle of necessary transfers to create the perfect team capable of competing.

The arrival of new managers in the league will also see English sides take a season or two to acclimatise before they are worthy of challenging in the Champions League. But there’s just one other problem when it comes to building that title-winning squad...

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications