With all our spending power, the Premiership really should have seen a couple more European champions. Arsene and Alex have both had stability and thick end of 20 attempts each to win the Cup. Arsenal should have lifted one by now and Sir Alex one or maybe even two more. Despite our bad luck with refs and pens, Chelsea should have probably lifted one more EC too. Only Liverpool have exceeded expectations, aided by a lot of freaky good fortune. City should have out together a couple of decent runs in the competition too. Do we lack bottle in big games?
In the last 10 C.L seasons we have had 3 winners, Italy 2, Germany 1, Spain 4. That probably seems about right. We did go through a spell or lots of semi finals and finals between the English clubs which has dried up a bit save for our good runs in 2012 and 2014. The English clubs should be doing a bit better at the moment but probably hampered by an ever increasingly competitive P.L and an even more competitive C.L. Arsenal and City seem incapable of beating a decent side over 2 legs so are unlikely to make a semi.
Arsenal seem incapable of beating ANY team over two legs, even when they get the so called "easy draw"
It's weird, for ages all we heard was that Arsenal just needed to pay off their stadium so they could start spending big on players and get back to where they were before they left Highbury. Some believed them too but here we are still with them in the exact same position just with a bigger wage bill and £150mill less in the bank.
They need a new manager and a fresh approach, is the problem. Arsene Wenger has taken them as far HE ever will imo. Its pointless them bragging about getting top 4 every year, just so they can crash out of the comp at the last 16 year after year. The problem there is that the board are too pussy to replace Wenger, sure they ain't winning stuff (bar one FA Cup in a decade),but they are turning a profit every year and the board is lining their pockets. They don't give a **** if the team collect a trophy at the end of the season, they are business men, they see the profit margins in positive figures and CHA CHING, job done every season. If they let Wenger go they might drop out of the top 4 for a season or two, or they may make the wrong choice for successor, basically they wont change the Status Quo because they are getting what they want from the arrangement, fans be damned.
What is most disturbing about Arsenal in Europe is that they are out of the tie by the first leg, never ahead in the tie, and never even looking like winning the ties they are in. When the pressure is off, they play OK in the second legs only when there is nothing to lose. Shameful. In terms of failure, the worst team in the history of Champions League?
A good portion of the fans are either 100% behind Wenger or changing between Wenger out and Wenger stay from week to week as the results change. I don't think it's "fans be damned" just that apart from an increasingly vocal minority most aren't really sure they want Wenger out. It does feel like Arsenal fans are running out of patience but this is right after a low point of the season for them, we'll see how many remain once they grab a few wins and things calm down.
They are a very very fickle bunch. Very quiet after a couple of results then its all 'wenger out' after a bad one. If they consistently got on wenger's back the board might do something, but they wont.
ffs, just us and the Toffees left now! The ****!! Barring two miraculous performances from Arsenal and City of course
I think there's a completely different type of player required for European success. Certainly there's a clash of styles from the exciting kick,bollock,scramble of the PL to the slow motion mogodon pace of Italian football. It takes exceptional talent in Italians to succeed in the CL, and right now their country is down on that. Players like Terry, Ivan, Cech Drogba are made for the CL. They don't come around too often ,and we have a few them while Liverpool, Arsenal et al have none ( Gerard excepted). It doesn't matter how good your team is, without those types you are nowhere in Europe.
Not so good in the CL, but notice that 5 of the last 16 left in the Europa League are Italian!! Fiorentina, Torino, Roma, Inter and Napoli!
The last couple of seasons in the CL for English teams have been a complete disaster, and a sure sign that the Premier League is seriously in decline. You look at the so called top players in the Premier League these days, and you have to laugh. Players that wouldn't even get a kick at either Madrid or Barca are being billed as the best the Premier League has to offer. The only side that are competitive in the CL are Chelsea, and that's not because of the quality of there squad, it's because they set up in a more tactical way. Chelsea and Mourinho will set up to stop the opposition playing, rather than trying to play themselves. Though with the exception of the goalkeeper, not one of Chelsea's players would get in Madrid or Barca's team. In fact none of Chelsea's players would get in Bayerns team. Il admit Chelsea have the best team in England but it's nowhere near as good as the best European teams. The Europa League results tonight are further proof of the PLs decline. Spurs can't even beat Fiorientina, whilst Liverpool can't even beat Besiktas. The PL is in major decline at present, there is no doubting that
Because its a lottery. One bad day and its over. Unlike a league where you can recover from a poor result once you have reached the knockout stages then its all random.
In one tournament yes, but when City and Arsenal fail year after year it becomes less random and more of a pattern. I mean, City I can understand to a degree, they are not top seeds and have been getting horrid groups and bad draws in the knockouts, no shame in losing to Barca. But Arsenal? Top seeds (Lord knows why) and only finish 2nd in their group, despite that they get the plum draw of Monaco in the knockouts and they still **** it up
