Premier League Clubs In Champions League

Last season’s Champions League season showed the strength of the Premier League, with previous champions Liverpool only managed to stop Real Madrid. Ironically, the Spanish club’s next opponents were Chelsea from London, who became the reigning winners of the trophy.

On the other side of the standings came another English club, Manchester City. Having beaten Borussia Dortmund and PSG, Pep Guardiola’s team reached the all-English final against Chelsea. In a tactical clash with German specialist Thomas Tuchel, the former Barcelona and Bayern coach was defeated but won the Premier League.

Let’s look at why the English clubs’ success is no temporary fluke, and this summer’s transfer window can only solidify the effect and widen the gap between the leagues in Europe.

How summer transfers turned the tides

Financial difficulties and long-term planning have forced most of the Champions League contenders to make significant cuts. For some, that meant giving up big-name players: Juventus parted with Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona with Lionel Messi to free up their payrolls. Only Manchester United and PSG have been able to pay the money requested by the stars. Those transfers were the biggest news of the summer, and many football fans made bets on them. To find the best odds and most trusted betting operators various players used bookmaker-ratings, their ranks and news.

Barcelona decided not to pay for players and opted for the free-agent market for reinforcements. It was from there that Sergio Aguero from Manchester City and Memphis Depay from Lyon transferred to the Spanish club. Real Madrid disagreed on Mbappe’s transfer and was left without any significant acquisitions in the summer. Atletico, though they lost Saúl Ñíguez to Chelsea, managed to bring back Antoine Griezmann.

The Premier League clubs, for their part, have spent large sums this summer. Previous Champions League finalist Manchester City, although unable to acquire Harry Kane, made Jack Grealish the most expensive Englishman by buying him for €117.50m from Aston Villa. Manchester United spent a similar amount but bought three players: Real Madrid defender Raphaël Varane, Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea made point reinforcements: after Borussia refused to sell Erling Haaland, the Londoners spent €115.00m on Romelu Lukaku and also picked up Saúl Ñíguez from Atletico on loan for €5m. Liverpool was the most modest of the English clubs this summer. Jürgen’s side only acquired defender Ibrahima Konaté for €40.00m.

Are Premier League clubs and PSG still favourites to succeed in the UCL?

In short: Yes, PSG and the EPL remain the leading contenders to win, but that is not the most exciting thing. It is more important to understand how it happened and whether there is a chance for these teams to fail.

For example, Manchester United, who spent a lot of money in the summer transfer window and has no weaknesses on paper, has already got a reality check, having started in the Champions League group with a defeat against Young Boys. On the other hand, after scoring one goal against Milan in the first half, Liverpool relaxed and conceded two goals, forcing them to step up and snatch victory. The final score was 3-2 in favour of Liverpool.

The previous Champions League finalists also had some problems finishing their matches: Zenit put up a decent fight against Chelsea, while Manchester City had the most entertaining match of the first round against RB Leipzig.

PSG, despite strong reinforcements, still cannot find a use for Messi: the superstar still suffers without any goals or assists at the French club.

For all the doubters, this is what football is all about. Numbers, money, and statistics are not always the most critical indicators of strength and guarantee of victory.