Six English clubs in Europe’s top 11, six English players in Arsenal’s squad

 

 

• Arsenal now have three opponents in each game
• It appears that if you are an Arsenal fan you are not enjoying this season

By Tony Attwood

The top 11 teams in the Champions League contain six English clubs.  Arsenal of course are top with seven wins out of seven and a staggering goal difference of +18 (which should be added to somewhat in the final game).  Then comes Liverpool in fourth, Tottenham Hots in fifth, Newcastle seventh, Chelsea eighth, and Manchester City 11th.

Considering there was a time when English clubs wouldn’t even enter the European Cup (because, it was suggested, the Europeans didn’t quite know how to play the game, and their referees were not to be trusted), this is quite a turnaround.

The remaining places are taken up by a German club, two Spanish clubs, a French club and a Portuguese club.  Which is a long way away from how it used to be.   What’s more the placing of the English clubs is decidedly odd.

Tottenham for example, as you probably know, are 15th in the Premier League but as noted, fifth in the Champions League.   On the other hand, Newcastle are eighth in the Premier League and in the same position in the Champions League.

Tottenham I guess, are as ever to be considered odd-balls: a super newish stadium which they can no longer fill on the days of league games, but fifth in the Champions League. 

I suspect it is something in the air and it is worth pondering.  What happens, for example, if in a year or two, the five English clubs get to be the top five clubs in the league round of the Champions League – making that eight-game process pretty much a re-run of what is going on in England?   Does Uefa change the rules again to give the clubs from other countries a bit more of a chance?  Or does the rest of Europe kick England out?

And this raises the point, just how dominant are the English teams going to get?   I can well remember the time when we were thought to have very little chance in Europe, apart from the occasional burst, because (it was said) the English league was far more competitive than the other leagues in Europe, where two or at most three teams always dominate.  Spanish clubs, for example, once dominated with 20 triumphs in the Champions League, and with Real Madrid winning the first five tournaments.

Since then there have been other regular winners such as AC Milan (seven times), Bayern Munich (six), Liverpool (six) and Barcelona (five).

But it is still a competition that has seen multiple winners apart from those few regular dominators, as other clubs have risen for a short while, only then to fall away.      Ajax won it three years running, for example, and Benfica and Nottingham Forest have each won it twice running.

So could this be the start of another run, with Arsenal not only winning the trophy this season, but also doing what some others have done before, and winning it several times in a row?

Spanish clubs have secured the most victories largely because their league is constantly dominated by three clubs, but after that, the total number of wins by country is a bit unexpected (or at least unexpected by me).   English clubs have picked up 15 wins, Italy 12, Germany eight and the Netherlands six.

And within those numbers, there is a difference, for six different English clubs have won the cup, which probably reflects the strength of the Premier League and before it Divison One, as it is only occasionally that the dominance of Manhcester City and Liverpool has been allowed to hold sway.

What we can say already is that the finalists are almost certain to come from England, Spain, Italy, Germany or France because that is what almost always happens.

Of course, I would like to see Arsenal not only be top of the league stage as we are at the moment, but sail on through and win the Cup.   But I would also, perhaps more than that, want to see Arsenal maintain its present momentum by ceaselessly bringing in new players to strengthen the squad, including the youngsters all the type we have seen recently.

I’m not a great nationalist and don’t particularly support the English national team, but yes, I do get a good feel knowing that the Arsenal squad includes Saka, Rice, White, Lewis Skelly, Eze, Madueke and Nwaneri, all of whom I think are English nationals. Or at least allowed to play for England.      It all feels rather good.