Whats Wrong with British Football?

Today, Napoli beat Chelsea in the Champions League 3-1 in Naples, and one has to wonder: What is going on with English football in European competitions, most notably the Champions League. Both Manchester clubs were knocked out in the group stage, and the teams that did make it through (Chelsea and Arsenal) are down big from their first leg match-ups. Arsenal got destroyed by AC Milan at the San Siro, losing 4-0, while of course Chelsea losing today.

So what's the deal? Usually British clubs do extremely well in this competition. I have a few ideas:

1.) The Premier League is too competitive. With no less than 7 teams fighting it out for the top four spots in the league, the league has become extremely entertaining for the observer, but really taxing, for the clubs involved in the scuffle. One might argue that in previous seasons of the EPL, Manchester United might be able to glide through 2 or 3 games where they knew they were clear favorites and had no hope of losing. The club's second team was better than many clubs' starting 11, so they could focus on the big boys from across Europe. 

That is no longer the case. With Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and even surprise Newcastle clawing for those top four spots, none of those top clubs can let off for one match. Drop points against lower level opposition (ie the Wolves or Wigans of the league) and that just might be the end of your champions league hopes. But it's not just the threat of losing points, the average mid-table finishers in the EPL are head and shoulders above their cohorts in other foreign leagues. Who would you take in a match: Everton or Parma? 

So with such a difficult league, by the time the English Champions League clubs get to mid week and their Champions League opponent, they are mentally still worried about the last weekend and of course the weekend to come. Many other leagues, such as the Bundesliga (in Germany) or La Liga (in Spain) have clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid who don't have to worry each and every week. They can focus on Champions League football because they know their weekend opponents have little shot at dethroning the kings.

Being the Premier League is starting to have some disadvantages. 

2.)  Having a target on your face is NEVER easy: As stated in point 1, England has been quite successful in the Champions League for a long time, and extremely successful in the last 10 years or so. Many foreign teams use this to their advantage. Coaches can get their players fired up by saying things like, "NOBODY thinks you can win against the big boys. Prove them wrong." And they are. teams like Basel (from Switzerland) were able to play David vs Goliath and prey on just those emotions to claim Premiership scalps. 

With such a worldwide following like Manchester United or Chelsea, smaller clubs can potentially get better motivated for a European match than a club worried about their big match on the weekend. 

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To me those are the major two reasons why this year English teams have been playing quite poorly. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is only the beginning of this trend. If the Premier League continues to grow and become more popular, English clubs may continue to have this issues.

But, then again, they could win the Champions League next year, you never really know. But hey, that's football.