With the rest of European football in flux, English clubs have no excuse not to seize Champions League stranglehold
JASON BURT
CHIEF FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT
16 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 12:58PM
It is time for the Premier League clubs to dominate the Champions League, which begins again in earnest on Tuesday evening once the version of Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ dies down and the first Adidas Finale 19 ball is kicked. After all, the adaptation to create the Champions League theme was undertaken by an English composer, Tony Britten.
It is time for the English clubs to repeat last season’s achievement of having two teams in the final. It is time for them to attempt to replicate the late 2000s when, between 2006-09, there were at least three English semi-finalists each season and between 2004-12 when the Premier League had a Champions League finalist in seven out of the eight campaigns, producing winners in 2005 (Liverpool) and 2008 (Manchester United).
If the 1990s belonged to Serie A, then the 2000s was the Premier League’s era, while La Liga trumped them both with an extraordinary strangehold over the past decade: with Real Madrid winning it four times, BarceEven more tellingly the shortlist for the Fifa coach of the year reads: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur). It is these three men who lead the way. Chelsea are also, of course, in the Champions League and begin their campaign under new coach Frank Lampard at home to Valencia. It might be harder for them even to get out of a group that also contains last season’s semi-finalist Ajax and Lille, well-coached under Christophe Galtier, although they were the English outrider in winning it against the odds in 2012.
The spike, which needs to be a trend, in Premier League performance can be traced to the arrival of first Klopp and then, even more influentially, Guardiola to this country. Klopp has led the way in Europe and would anyone really bet against the Champions League winners making it to a third successive final, back in Istanbul, on May 30?
The perceived wisdom is that Liverpool’s main priority is to finally win the Premier League – although it does not really work like that – but undoubtedly the focus has to shift to whether Guardiola can provide City with the major prize that they lack and in doing so prove that he himself can coach a team to winning the trophy with the big ears without having Lionel Messi (the last time Guardiola won it was 2011 with Barcelona, having also triumphed in 2009).
Losing in the last eight last season, albeit in such dramatic circumstances to Tottenham, followed on from losing to Liverpool at the same stage and, before that, a last-16 defeat to Monaco. In three seasons under Guardiola, City have only actually won Champions League knock-out ties against Basel and Schalke. At Bayern Munich his record was semi-final, semi-final, semi-final. Without winning it.
“I know we will be judged at the end on whether we win the Champions League. I know unless we do that it will not be enough. This comes with me. I know that,” Guardiola said in City’s trophy parade last May and this campaign is also sharpened by the possibility of a Uefa ban, which would take them out of the competition next season, for Financial Fair Play transgressions (even if the expectation is that they will not face that sanction).lona three times and Atletico Madrid reaching two finals - a total of nine finalists and seven winners.
Matching that should be the Premier League aim because, finally, the stars have aligned or, to be more blunt, they have got their acts together and stopped wasting the billions of pounds that have poured into the league over the years by hiring the best coaches and recruiting far more intelligently when it comes to buying – and developing – players.
For the first time in 10 years there are more Premier League players on the shortlist for the Fifa Fifpro Men’s World 11 than any other world league – with 21 of the 55 nominees playing in England – as voted for by more than 23,000 professional footballers from around the world.
Even more tellingly the shortlist for the Fifa coach of the year reads: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur). It is these three men who lead the way. Chelsea are also, of course, in the Champions League and begin their campaign under new coach Frank Lampard at home to Valencia. It might be harder for them even to get out of a group that also contains last season’s semi-finalist Ajax and Lille, well-coached under Christophe Galtier, although they were the English outrider in winning it against the odds in 2012.
The spike, which needs to be a trend, in Premier League performance can be traced to the arrival of first Klopp and then, even more influentially, Guardiola to this country. Klopp has led the way in Europe and would anyone really bet against the Champions League winners making it to a third successive final, back in Istanbul, on May 30?
The perceived wisdom is that Liverpool’s main priority is to finally win the Premier League – although it does not really work like that – but undoubtedly the focus has to shift to whether Guardiola can provide City with the major prize that they lack and in doing so prove that he himself can coach a team to winning the trophy with the big ears without having Lionel Messi (the last time Guardiola won it was 2011 with Barcelona, having also triumphed in 2009).
Losing in the last eight last season, albeit in such dramatic circumstances to Tottenham, followed on from losing to Liverpool at the same stage and, before that, a last-16 defeat to Monaco. In three seasons under Guardiola, City have only actually won Champions League knock-out ties against Basel and Schalke. At Bayern Munich his record was semi-final, semi-final, semi-final. Without winning it.
“I know we will be judged at the end on whether we win the Champions League. I know unless we do that it will not be enough. This comes with me. I know that,” Guardiola said in City’s trophy parade last May and this campaign is also sharpened by the possibility of a Uefa ban, which would take them out of the competition next season, for Financial Fair Play transgressions (even if the expectation is that they will not face that sanction).
It is not now or never for City under Guardiola but it feels like they have to lead the way after Liverpool and Spurs’ exploits and given the strength of squad and coach they have. No-one can guarantee Champions League success and there is a school of thought that Guardiola’s precise football lends itself more to a league format, and 38 games, rather than the short, sharp two-legged knock-out tie.
Europe will balk at suggestions of English dominance but there is a fear that the Premier League has finally got its act together and at a time when the big super clubs across the continent are in a state of flux. It is difficult to predict how Real Madrid, with Zinedine Zidane struggling, or Barcelona will fare while Atletico Madrid are re-building post-Antoine Griezmann.
In France, Paris Saint-Germain are still pondering on how to manage Neymar and integrate Mauro Icardi. In Germany, Bayern Munich have overhauled their squad and have their work cut out in fending off an impressive Borussia Dortmund – who could be Champions League contenders – while, in Italy, Juventus have ushered in change under Maurizio Sarri and Inter Milan are relaunching themselves with Antonio Conte. There is a state of flux and uncertainty everywhere apart from England, it seems, which means one simple thing: there is no excuse for the Premier League not to seize the Champions League.
Arsenal still look a muddle under Unai Emery
What kind of coach is Unai Emery? What, in fact, is his philosophy, his belief, his identity? The Spaniard is known as hard-working, organised, diligent and pragmatic. But what does he want his team to look like? What is his big idea at Arsenal that underpins his work? A criticism of Emery when he was at Paris Saint-Germain was that he subjected the players to hours of analysis, pouring over every detail of the opposition with the likes of Thiago Silva left wondering whether they really did have to adapt to cope with the striker of Caen or Nancy? It was felt he was reactive not proactive.
It looks similar at Arsenal. No-one doubts Emery’s work ethic but it is hard to bracket him, right now, with Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp or Mauricio Pochettino or even a novice like Frank Lampard who are all coaches who give a clear idea of the way they want their teams to play and how they will approach games. It might not work but there is an identifiable idea. There is no Emery-ball as there was with Maurizio Sarri even if Chelsea fans did not take to their coach last season and while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not be particularly impressing at Manchester United he has a template of what he is attempting to do. Watching Arsenal against Watford on Sunday it is hard to come to the same conclusion with Emery.
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Champions League draw in full
Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
Group B: Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Olympiakos, Red Star Belgrade
Group C: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta
Group D: Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moscow
Group E: Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk
Group F: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Slavia Prague
Group G: Zenit, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig
Group H: Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, Lille
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