The cost of glory: How European participation affects domestic performance

Serie A

Atalanta's EL run suffered a roadblock in the form of Dortmund

Serie A saw 3 new teams in Europe this season - Atalanta, Lazio and Milan.

Atalanta took Serie A by storm last season, when they fought hard to a fourth place finish in the league, beating out Lazio by two points in the end. This season saw them fall to 7th on the table, thereby missing out on qualification to Europe.

A 12 point difference in points tally was the reason for their poor finish this season (72 points in 2016/17 as against 60 points in 2017/18).

In the Europa League, Atalanta finished their group as table-toppers, edging out Lyon and Everton in the process. Unfortunately for the Italians, they lost out to Borussia Dortmund in the RO32 with a 3-4 scoreline.

Lazio's 2 point gain was the biggest among the new teams this season

Lazio finished fifth last season in Serie A, and in a shocking final matchday twist this season, once again finished fifth - this time losing out to Inter Milan on goal difference. However, they gained 2 points between the two seasons (72 points in 2017/18 as opposed to 70 points in 2016/17).

Like Atalanta, Lazio finished their group as table-toppers and qualified for the RO32 where they faced where they faced Romania's Steaua. A 5-2 scoreline saw them proceed to the RO16, where they beat Dynamov Kiev with a 4-2 aggregate.

In the quarters, however, they faced RB Salzburg. Two high-octane encounters later, the Italians crashed out with a 5-6 scoreline.

Gattuso's Milan failed to get past Arsenal in the EL and will be hoping for revenge the next season

In a sort-of return to the glory days, AC Milan finished sixth in Serie A last season and earned a place in the EL after qualification. This season once again saw them finish in the sixth place, with a gain of 1 point (64 points in 2017/18 as against 63 points in 2016/17).

Like the other two Italian clubs, Milan finished as table-toppers and sailed into the RO32 where they comfortably beat Ludogorets with a 4-0 scoreline. In the next round, however, they suffered a heavy defeat against Arsenal - losing the tie 1-5 on aggregate.

Conclusion:

Among the 11 teams, only two teams (Lazio and Milan) ended the season with a net gain of points in the domestic circuit. Liverpool were the ones who successfully managed to juggle both of the competitions, while FC Koln were the worst performers when handed over the new burden.