The season draws closer to the finish line and the English champions are still some way off the much coveted Champions League spot. The torrid season of The Red Devils has got more miserable as they face the prospect of crashing out from the champions league at the hands of the Greek champions, Olympiakos.
As much as the change of guard at Old Trafford has blown the title race wide open and the qualification to the Champions League next season, it has also raised doubts about the standard of English clubs in comparison to the other European giants from other leagues.
Manchester United are the only club from England to have contested in a champions league final thrice (2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11), having won it once (2007/08) in the last six seasons.
Chelsea are the only other English club to have reached the final at least once (2007/08) and have conquered Europe once (2011/12) during the same time period. Other English giants have just not been able to navigate their way through the group stages or knockout fixtures, let alone consider winning the trophy. This is further validated by the struggles of the other English clubs in the current Champions League.
The observations from the previous seasons reveal that Manchester United were the only true contender from English clubs to challenge the might of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich etc. The dwindling standards at Old Trafford in the past three seasons have coincided with the reduced representation of English clubs in the finals of the Europe’s elite.
The misery of the English champions is now being viewed as the beginning of a new era in the Premiership. Nevertheless, what it also means is the slow demise of English clubs from the European elite.
When the most dominant and feared English club i.e. Manchester United (based on the stats of the last decade) in the champions league starts to fall from grace, it also highlights the degrading standards of the self-proclaimed best league on the planet.
The reputation of English football is on the line. Let us hope Manchester United makes a trademark comeback as a force to be reckoned with or that the other big English clubs rise to the occasion.
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