The Premier League is flexing its muscle mass in Europe as 5 English groups completed within the prime eight of the Champions League to succeed in the knockouts.
That might turn into six within the last-16 if Newcastle win their two-legged play-off after they completed twelfth within the league section following a 1-1 draw at defending champions PSG on Wednesday.
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Arsenal completed in first place with Liverpool third, Tottenham fourth, Chelsea sixth and Manchester Metropolis ending eighth.
Historical past could possibly be made if Newcastle progress by means of the play-offs as by no means earlier than have there been six Premier League groups within the Champions League knockouts.
“That’s dominant,” mentioned Spurs boss Thomas Frank.
“I believe all of us mentioned for a couple of years the Premier League is the very best league on this planet and I believe that is one other signal of it.”
So why have Premier League sides been so dominant in opposition to Europe’s elite?
[AFP via Getty Images]
Monetary energy and physicality?
The obvious start line is the monetary energy of the Premier League, which considerably outweighs different leagues.
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Six Premier League sides sit inside the highest 10 of the Deloitte Soccer Cash League, whereas 50% of the highest 30 come from the English prime flight.
TV rights have generated monumental broadcast revenues for Premier League sides, with the earnings from that supply dwarfing these of different international locations.
Final summer season, Premier League golf equipment outlaid greater than ever earlier than within the switch window as spending surpassed £3bn.
To spotlight simply how a lot monetary energy Premier League golf equipment have over elsewhere in Europe, the overall spent in the summertime window was greater than was spent by Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A golf equipment mixed.
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Extra money means golf equipment can spend money on larger squads, with Arsenal seeing the advantages of spending massive to extend their energy in depth as they completed first within the league section of the Champions League and sit prime of the Premier League.
“The largest single cause that the English golf equipment have been dominant thus far is the monetary energy of the Premier League,” former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock informed BBC Sport.
“Additionally, it’s about how aggressive they have by combating it out and being in and round one another – they’ve pushed one another on.”
Newcastle ahead Anthony Gordon additionally says a extra open fashion of play in Europe has benefited English groups, whereas the Premier League is “extra bodily than I’ve ever identified it to be”.
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“I believe within the Champions League, groups are extra open. All of them attempt to play. It is much less transitional,” he added.
“It [the Premier League] is sort of a basketball sport generally, it is so relentless bodily. There’s not a lot management, it is a operating sport and generally it is about duels, whoever wins the duels wins the sport. Or moments.
“The Champions League is a little more of an older fashion of sport, extra soccer based mostly. Groups come and try to play correct soccer.
“Within the Premier League, you see much more lengthy throw-ins, set items – it is turn into rather a lot slower and extra set piece based mostly, I’d say.”
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Did Premier League groups have simpler fixtures?
It’s undoubtedly a formidable achievement for 5 – and probably six – Premier League groups to succeed in the knockouts.
However was the fixture pc kinder for them than different groups?
Initially of the season, each group’s Champions League fixtures and ranked all of them to work out who had the kindest draw.
Arsenal’s fixtures have been ranked the third best, with Tottenham fourth, Liverpool seventh and Chelsea eighth.
Manchester Metropolis have been deemed to have the 14th best fixtures whereas Newcastle – who performed defending champions Paris St-Germain – have been thirty second within the rankings.
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Heading in the right direction to be document breakers, however may fatigue hit?
The final – and solely – time 5 Premier League groups made it by means of to the knockouts was in 2017, when Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester Metropolis, Manchester United and Tottenham all progressed.
Nonetheless simply two of these sides – Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis – obtained past the final 16, whereas the Reds went all the best way to the ultimate after knocking Metropolis out within the quarter-finals.
With 5 Premier League sides ending within the prime eight of this season’s league section, and subsequently avoiding the prospect of dealing with each other within the last-16, there may be the prospect of a document variety of English groups making the quarter-finals.
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Having quite a few English golf equipment in latter levels of the Champions League is nothing new with 4 sides progressing to the quarters in each 2007-08 and 2008-09, in addition to 2018-19 – resulting in an all-English closing in 07-08 and 2018-19.
No different nation have ever had 4 groups within the quarter-finals – this 12 months England may have as many as six.
However the calls for of taking part in within the Premier League alongside the Champions League takes its toll, which is why many managers have been relieved to keep away from the 2 further play-off video games.
“I nonetheless suppose it will likely be very tough for considered one of them to go on and win it, simply due to how tough the Premier League is each week – whether or not you might be combating for the title or for a spot within the prime 4,” Warnock added.
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“Clearly the English golf equipment are in place going into the knockout levels, although. Among the different massive golf equipment that we thought would peak or begin to present higher type – like Paris St-Germain for instance – have probably not obtained going but.”
How are different international locations doing?
The three different international locations who had groups be part of English sides in progressing to the knockouts have been Germany (Bayern Munich), Spain (Barcelona) and Portugal (Sporting CP).
That has left some surprises having to undergo through the play-offs, with Paris St-Germain failing to get the win they wanted in opposition to Newcastle to safe a top-eight spot.
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Actual Madrid, in the meantime, have been on the incorrect finish of an exciting and dramatic match with Benfica.
Actual have been lowered to 9 males whereas a last-second purpose by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin secured a memorable 4-2 win for Jose Mourinho’s facet that earned them a play-off spot.
Different massive sides who’re dealing with the lottery of the play-offs embody Italian sides Juventus and Inter Milan, together with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and Spain’s Atletico Madrid – who have been surprised by Bodo/Glimt on Wednesday.
The Norwegians have been the shock bundle of the Champions League and their win in opposition to Atletico got here simply eight days after they beat Manchester Metropolis.
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These outcomes meant they’re into the play-offs and have turn into the primary Norwegian facet to progress from the league or group section in Champions League since Rosenborg in 1996-97.
Champions League highlights
Watch highlights of each Champions League sport from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport web site and app.
There can even be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.