Sport

What would a mass early exit from the Champions League say about the quality of the Premier League?

Liverpool weren’t humbled in the way some of their Premier League rivals were, but Arne Slot’s side still lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in a game that raised some questions about the direction of the Anfield outfit under the Dutch coach. Galatasaray will fancy their chances of getting the job done in the second leg.

 

Arsenal also have work ahead of them to make the Champions League quarter-finals after drawing 1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany while Newcastle United weren’t able to hold on to a first leg victory over Barcelona, giving them a tough task of winning at the Camp Nou to make the final eight.

 

After the league phase, there was a narrative that the Premier League was ready to dominate the top level of European football after five teams finished in the top eight. Newcastle also qualified for the knockout rounds and demolished Qarabag to make the round of 16.

 

Now, a mass exit of Premier League teams from the Champions League is very much on the cards. It’s not impossible that the quarter-finals of the competition could be without a single English side. Arsenal seemingly stand the best chance of making it through, but Leverkusen will be tough opponents on Tuesday evening.

 

What would such abject failure by so many teams from the self-proclaimed ‘Best League In The World’ say about the standard of the Premier League right now? What statement would be made by the sight of so many English teams being dumped out of the Champions League at such a relatively early stage?

 

There has been a lot of discourse about the changing tactical landscape in the Premier League this season. Arsenal are top of the table, on course for their first title since the Arsene Wenger era, having maximised set piece opportunities under Mikel Arteta. Indeed, no team has scored more goals from corner kicks and freekicks this season.

 

Premier League teams are going more direct more often. Even Pep Guardiola is asking his Manchester City side to play from back to front more quickly in an attempt to get Erling Haaland into open space. Tactics are cyclical and the Premier League has wound the clock back to the 1990s this season.

 

This trend, however, hasn’t been replicated in Europe. Referees are less tolerant of the sort of goalkeeper-crowding tactics that have become commonplace in the Premier League, as Newcastle discovered in their match against Barcelona when the officials continually blew up whenever the Magpies attempted to get a set piece into the area. It frustrated the St James’ Park faithful over and over again.

 

In the past, English teams were slow to keep up with the evolution of the European game. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, for example, were made to look ordinary by Guardiola’s great Barcelona side. This time, though, English teams have evolved in a way that the rest of Europe appears unwilling to follow.

 

For all that the Premier League is hailed as the pinnacle of the club game, Manchester City are the only English team to have lifted the Champions League trophy in the last four years. The way things are looking, they could be the only English team to have experienced Champions League glory in five years and the Premier League might have to consider if its tactical direction works in Europe.