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English Premier League teams entering deep into Champions League seasons gradually

By Akhilesh Kulkarni

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 22: General view of the UEFA Champions league logo during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Paris Saint-Germain and Celtic FC at Parc des Princes on November 22, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 22: General view of the UEFA Champions league logo during the UEFA Champions League group B match between Paris Saint-Germain and Celtic FC at Parc des Princes on November 22, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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The English Premier League is undergoing an important transformation, and football fans have started seeing more English teams going deep into the Champions League tournament now.

It was not so long ago when Europe was dominated by Spanish teams of Barcelona & Real Madrid, the German giant Bayern Munich, and Juventus, Inter and AC Milan on the Italian menu. The English teams were considered incompetent to barely play at the same level as the other giants. The teams from the United Kingdom like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, etc, failed to reach even the semi-finals of the tournament in most of the seasons.

The stats speak for themselves in the Champions League history. Last time when the trophy was held by the English team was by Chelsea under Roberto Di Matteo in 2011/2012 season. Since then, no English team has been competent enough to secure the elite European trophy. It has been the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

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The record has not been substantial even in the 21st century for these teams from England. Besides Chelsea, only Manchester United (under Sir Alex Ferguson) and Liverpool (under Rafael Benitez) had managed to receive the cup once in the last two decades.

The winds seem to have turned since the last two seasons. Liverpool reached the finals of Champions League last season making it a monstrous hop for the English teams in the football world. The Champions League of 2018/2019 saw all the English teams entering the quarterfinals for the first time since a long time. PSG’s upset against Manchester United in France was one such result which was not speculated by many and put itself in the Champions League history books.

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What can happen from this point on?

Though the Red Devils and Spurs are predicted not to progress any further, looking at their opponents. Guardiola’s men and the Reds are likely contenders for the title. It’s not very usual to talk about two English teams being the formidable contenders but the quality both Pep and Klopp have brought to England makes it more than possible.

We need to watch out if these teams can handle the more daunting challenges of Barcelona and Juventus going deep into the UCL tournament. Whatever may the result be, these teams have already exceeded fans’ expectations. We indeed hope that one of the English teams does have their hands on the trophy this season.

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