English Premier League teams and their misery in European competition

The fact that EPL teams find it hard to maintain their run in the European contests isn't alien to the footballing world. Time and again it's been proven that somehow the teams playing in arguably the most intense league fail to cope with La Liga, Serie A or Bundesliga sides when it comes to the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Champions League.

Last time an EPL side won Europe's most sought after prize was back in 2012 when Chelsea won the UCL. Prior to that, it was back in 2008 when Manchester United were crowned European champions.

However, Manchester United are the current Europa league title holders but before the Red Devils in 2017, it was in 2013 and in 2001 when Chelsea and Liverpool last won the cup respectively for England. The time gaps in-between the periods an English side last won an European silverware shows their inconsistency outside the English league.

Jose Mourinho's men beat Ajax to claim the UEL title in 2017

Although, we see and know their struggle outside the domestic league, can one deduce the reason behind it? Here in this article we take a look at the probable causes behind their poor performances on the European stage.

It's a known factor that the English calendar is a hectic one. English teams play every week in the EPL, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. In the other top leagues in Europe, matches are played during the weekends and seldom during the weekdays, but the same isn't the case when it comes to the EPL. Mid-week matches are now a regularity in England.

Due to this factor, it's understandable that EPL teams get fatigued as they seem to be spending more time on the pitch than other teams in Europe.

Chelsea emerged EPL champions in 2017

Another point to note is that in a league where there are teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur, it's obvious that the competition for top four places goes down to the final day.

For that reason, the teams earning eligibility into the UCL or the UEL aren't consistent like it is in La Liga (where Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid are regulars and almost fixed qualifiers every year), Bundesliga (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund qualify regularly), Serie A (Juventus of course), or the Ligue 1 where PSG dominates.

Manchester United bowed out to Sevilla in the 2017-18 edition of the UCL

Due to this, the EPL teams comparatively lack players with experience in the European competitions on a constant basis, which is a huge factor when it comes to playing on such a high level.

The most watched and enjoyed league in the world (arguably) should provide more on the European stage, EPL teams owe their teeming fans that much. However with the rise of players like Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Paul Pogba, Sergio Aguero etc, this feat doesn't seem unattainable and certainly in the near future we could witness EPL domination on the European stage.