Sport

Are English teams too dominant in the Europa League and Conference League?

Last week, Aston Villa enjoyed their most glorious European night since 1982 when they won the Europa League. This week, Crystal Palace have the opportunity to create their own continental legacy as Oliver Glasner’s side prepare to face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final.

 

Arsenal’s run to the Champions League final means all three European finals will have an English representative this season. At Champions League-level, though, there is a degree of party between the European elite that includes the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

 

In the Europa League and Conference League, though, there is a discussion to be had. Have the recent format changes to both competitions tilted the odds too firmly towards the Premier League teams that participate every season? Will the Europa League and Conference League always produce an English winner from this point on?

 

It used to be the case that the previous drop-down format from the Champions League to the Europa League and from the Europa League to the Conference League mitigated the financial advantage held by many Premier League sides that qualified for each competition directly.

 

These last two seasons, however, the format has favoured the English participants. Last season, the Europa League final was contested by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in a campaign that saw both teams finish in the bottom five of the Premier League table.

 

Chelsea also strolled to Conference League success, winning 12 out of 13 games in the competition. Their 4-1 win over Real Betis in the final was reflective of how easy the Stamford Bridge outfit found it. It was a complete mismatch having a team of Chelsea’s quality in European football’s third tier competition.

 

The same could be said of Aston Villa who won all but two of their 13 Europa League fixtures they played this season with Nottingham Forest, another Premier League side, the only opponent who really tested Unai Emery and his players. Freiburg certainly didn’t as Villa convincingly beat them 3-0 in the final.

 

Palace will take on Rayo in Leipzig on Wednesday and anything barring a colossal upset will see yet another Premier League team lift a European trophy. Rayo have made an incredible run to the Conference League final, but Crystal Palace have a far bigger budget. Some estimates put Rayo’s wage bill at just one fifth of Palace’s. There’s a financial gulf between the two finalists.

 

English football’s financial advantage has contributed to the Premier League’s growth as Europe’s dominant division. Wolves received more money for finishing bottom of the Premier League than Barcelona were handed for winning the Spanish title. There’s a reason the Premier League middle-class is so strong in Europe.

 

Sunderland, for example, qualified for next season’s Europa League by beating Chelsea on Sunday. This came after the Black Cats spent close to £200m on transfers after winning promotion from the Championship last year. Other teams on a similar level elsewhere in Europe simply can’t do this.

 

It wasn’t so long ago that English teams underperformed in the Europa League (or the UEFA Cup as it was previously known). Between Liverpool winning the UEFA Cup win 2001 and Chelsea beating Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final, there wasn’t a Premier League winner of the second-tier competition for 12 years.

 

Now, there is concern that the Europa League and Conference League could be made uncompetitive by the Premier League teams that play in it every season. Aston Villa had their moment and Crystal Palace could have theirs on Wednesday. It’s a good bet that the next two winners of each competition will also come from the Premier League.