Despite dominating the latter stages of the Champions League in recent years, this season only two English clubs will be flying the flag in the last eight of Europe’s most prestigious competition.
Chelsea were soundly beaten over two legs as Inter ground out a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday with the sort of gritty, defensive display that Chelsea themselves used to effect under Mourinho. With Liverpool limping out of the competition before Christmas, only Manchester United and Arsenal fans await this morning’s quarter final draw with bated breath.
Bottom of the Europa League
Furthermore it is not just the Champions League which has seen the quality of English clubs undermined. Whether you believe in the importance of the Europa League or not, it offers a useful assessment of the strength of the Premier League compared to its European counterparts. English clubs’ malaise in the competition in recent years tells its own story.
This season Everton failed to reach the last 16, while Aston Villa couldn’t even make the group stage. Fulham and Liverpool (courtesy of their early Champions League exit) both looked impressive last night as they overcame first leg deficits to progress through to the quarter finals and may yet triumph in Hamburg in May, but overall English representation in the competition has been poor.
Balance of power
For the last five years in a row at least one English team has contested the Champions League final, leading many to believe that the balance of power in Europe had swung in the Premier League’s favour. While these appearances have been exclusive to the so-called Big Four, the chasing pack has been edging ever closer to elite quartet and the Premier League was thought to be stronger as a whole.
Yet still English clubs find themselves unable to attract the very top players. Already we see Franck Ribery, long-term target of both Chelsea and Manchester United and poised to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, instead looking likely to move to Real Madrid instead. Fans often labour under the misapprehension that we have the world’s best players in this country. Our league is completely bereft of regular Brazilian internationals, and it’s a similar story in Italy where only Alberto Aquilani features for the World Cup winners. Spain has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for several Premier League managers, yet Reina, Fabregas and Torres are the only England-based members of the European Championship-winning side.
Tax breaks
This minority of stars on the world stage will not be helped by the UK’s new 50p tax rate that was introduced with last year’s budget. Coming into effect for the first time next month, the influence it could have on the English game should not be underestimated. From April the taxman will take 50% of wages over £150,000 per annum. Needless to say this has caused a ripple of unrest in dressing rooms up and down the country, although it won’t be the players themselves who will suffer the most. Clubs will have to pay players over the odds in an attempt to compensate for the higher tax rate; otherwise the more mercenary of the high-earners will look to apply their trade elsewhere.
On arrival in the UK last year Andrey Arshavin famously spoke of his ‘unpleasant surprise’ following his discovery of the new tax laws. Had he been aware of their full impact he may not have joined Arsenal. Players pursued by English clubs could instead choose to play in other leagues across Europe, severely limiting the influx of overseas talent which has made the Premier League what it is today.