Is the Premiership losing its dominance in the Champions League or are the lesser teams just getting better?

Three years ago, the Champions League group phase seemed little more than a formality for England’s strongest clubs. With all four representatives usually progressing through with ease, it was almost taken for granted that England’s clubs would be the dominant force in the most prestigious club tournament in Europe. But this season tells a different story.

Two teams from Russia, Spain, France, Germany, as well as England, feature in the last sixteen this season. Three from Italy, and one each from Switzerland, Greece and Portugal are also present. This is a stark contrast to last season with England having all four of their teams still in with a chance. The recent peak in 2008, when three English clubs reached the semis as well as an all-English final, reflected the fact that the Premier League was miles above the rest. However, this was never going to last - football works in cycles.

The resurgence of clubs such as AC Milan, the money being injected into teams like Real Madrid and the improvements in the standard of football in smaller nations such as Portugal, Russia and Switzerland have all had a big role to play in the underperforming top four of England thus far, giving the Premiership’s representatives more competition. Russian clubs seem to be attracting far bigger names, such as Samuel Eto’o and former Chelsea employee Yuri Zhirkov, even if it does appear to be money related. Portuguese clubs have notably improved as well; three of the four semi-finalists in last year’s Europa League were Portuguese.

AC Milan have imposed themselves as a serious threat once again over recent months to challenge the big clubs. They had lost the tag of ‘serious contenders’ over the past few years but have struck back better than ever, boasting a formidable strike force including Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Pato. Beating Arsenal last night, they are the one of the eight teams in the quarter final pot. Another Italian team looking good are Napoli, the dark horses of the competition so far, managing to squeeze their way out of a group including Bayern, Villarreal and City, and they are also heading for a quarter-final place if they can hold onto their two goal lead against Chelsea. 

Barcelona and Real Madrid are probably the two main favourites to pick up the trophy in Germany on the 19th May. But you can never write off the smaller clubs, they have surprised everyone so far, such as FC Basel with victories over Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and Marseille, who defeated Inter Milan this week. Unlike previous years, you just can’t see an English team winning the competition this time around.

Admittedly, this all seems a bit quick to judge for the long term; all clubs have their odd bad season, right? However, it can’t be denied English clubs who have dominated Europe over the recent years have had a poor season in Europe this year. Just a one off? A coincidence? Or is the rest of Europe finally catching up with the Premiership’s supposed superior standard?

Flying the flag of the Championship

Providing some of the best entertainment and talking points in the Premier League this season are the stories of Norwich, Swansea and QPR, the three promoted sides from the Championship last year, all with a completely different tale to tell. Often, predictions are made at the beginning of the season that the promoted three teams will be the three to go down, but in recent seasons, this routine prediction has failed time and time again. They are no longer the weaker teams, indicating a rise of the quality of football being played in the Championship. This is also true recently of cup results, with Crystal Palace beating Manchester United, and Brighton and Hove Albion seeing off Sunderland and Newcastle. 

Queens Park Rangers have so far been the underachieving club out of the trio. Disruption from Neil Warnock’s sacking could be to blame; however, their squad is far more experienced and recognised at the higher level than Norwich and Swansea’s. Boasting players such as Adel Taraabt, Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora, you should expect them to be fine. Despite these names, however, the club’s overall performance so far has been surprisingly poor, being consistently in and around the relegation zone. Even with a change of manager in Mark Hughes, their league situation has not significantly changed with as of yet. Having only gained six points from their last ten games, and with an away record better than their home record, you can only presently hope if you’re a QPR supporter. If they manage to get the January signings going, there’s no reason why they can’t stay up, however if they don’t, they could be in trouble. 

Swansea City: a good side, a good manager, and so far, a good season. Personally, at the start of the season I thought they would struggle, having invested little compared to QPR, but I’ve been shocked with how good this team has actually been on occasions this season. Beating Arsenal and taking points of Liverpool and Chelsea is definitely something I didn’t expect, and they’ve only lost two games at home. They have a clear philosophy of keeping the ball which they implement very well; who claims that English players can’t play passing football? I’d love to see them stay up and I believe they have the team spirit to put a good run of form together towards the end of the season to secure safety.

In 11^th position in the league, Norwich City are just a cut above the rest. Back-to-back promotions from League One and then the Championship, to currently to holding their weight in the Premier League is no small feat. With Grant Holt spearheading the side to almost assured safety, they could now look towards a potential European spot. I’m certain Norwich would’ve been happy with 17th place at the beginning of the season, especially after their six-year absence from the Premier League, but they clearly have a thirst for bigger and better things. With passionate supporters, sensible owners and a solid squad, I can see them being a stable Premier League club for years to come. 

 

Once lived a man called Torres

Fernando Torres, Spanish, twenty seven. The basic information of a footballer who was once considered one of the best strikers in Europe, but who is now considered just plain old average. A few years back, at international and at club level, he had every defender shaking in their boots. Pace, power and prowess. What every striker needs to succeed at the highest level, something he did do for a period of time. But over the past eighteen months, he's left it all behind, leaving us all asking the same question, is it ever coming back?

Today marks the day where Fernando Torres has been left out the Spanish national side, once again, for the friendly against Venezuela. He was once an integral part of the side, scoring the winner in the 2008 Euro final against Germany. Now, no-one seems bothered. He just isn't doing it anymore. Not being included in Spain's second to last friendly before the Euros is a worrying sign that even his own national team manager has no faith in him.

Torres has put away just four goals in twenty nine games so far this season. For Chelsea's fifty million pound striker, the return has been seriously below par. During his last season at Liverpool and in South Africa, he had been plagued with injuries and was also still trying to rediscover his form. But all front men dip in form, and before this bad patch, Torres' goal return was second to none. Due to his early statistics in his Liverpool career and his time at Atlético Madrid, Chelsea paid over the odds for him expecting him to pick his game up. But he hasn't.

Pundits, fans and players all thought with Drogba going to the African Cup of Nations, Torres would settle into the side more. This was the last chance, if Drogba departing for a few weeks couldn't improve Torres' performances, nothing would. In return it didn't happen. Daniel Sturridge stole the lime light and was much the preferred striker due to his unseen good form.

No-one can explain why it has all gone down the drain. It’s hard to imagine that a player of Fernando Torres’s ability would permanently lose all his potency in just a few months. Yet, has his confidence finally been dealt an unrecoverable blow?