Recently in the Champions League, three of England’s best football clubs were all wiped out after the first stage of the knockouts. The Premier League’s glory days are over. After Arsenal and Chelsea losing to French sides Monaco and Paris-Saint Germain, does this mean the Premier League is declining or does it mean the French division is rising to become another dominant force in Europe? Whatever the answer, we can still agree that England’s top teams are not producing the magic they do in England in Europe’s biggest competition, The Champions League. But why?

Homegrown talent is something every winning side in the Champions League possesses. With the likes of Xavi and Iniesta of Barcelona, Ramos and Casillas of Real Madrid, Schweinsteiger and Lahm of Bayern Munich and even Neville and  Rooney of Manchester United. Homegrown talent is one of the key ingredients to a Champions League winning side, however this is lacking in the top Premier League sides nowadays. You can argue that John Terry is someone who came from the ranks of Chelsea football club, but you have to agree with the fact that he has become old and has lost his touch. Manchester City and Arsenal have no youngsters who are worth bragging about. Domestic players are beneficial as they play for the pride of their nation as well as their club, whereas the players who have been signed from overseas play for the fame and the fortune. If English teams do not have enough of the home-grown talent to be bragging about, they will not be able to compete with some of Europe’s best sides.

One other reason why Premier League teams are not as good as other big European sides is because of the run of games they have to play. In recent events, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp talked about how he is struggling in England because of the amount of games his side have to play. “The number of games is the biggest difference,” he protested. English teams have no winter break, whereas other leagues in Europe (such as La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A) have one. The winter break is beneficial as players need to have a rest to ensure they are ready for the games they need to play in the new year. In one of the country’s domestic cups (The FA Cup), if teams draw, instead of playing extra time, they will have to play the same fixture on a different day. In other leagues, like the La Liga or Ligue 1, they will play extra time. As they do not play another game on another day, they will get more rest than the players in England. In the Capital One Cup, teams will have to play two rounds in the semi-finals. Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp admitted, “When I came here, I didn’t know there were two rounds [legs] in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup”.

The Ballon d’Or, one of the most prestigious events viewed by people all over the world, rewards players for their remarkable ability to play the beautiful game. The main event awards one player with being the best player in the world. If you look at the past winners of the Ballon d’Or, there has never been an English player who has won the Ballon d’Or, or who has even come second or third in the listings. This could mean that there is not enough fire power in England. There are no superstars who could be seen as one of the greatest legends once they retire. This could be why English teams are not as fierce as they are in Europe as other European sides are. If you also look at the national team, you start to realise how mediocre the nation is compared to other national football teams such as Spain, Germany or Italy. The three lions are well-known for always failing in the big stages and never doing what is expected of them. The Premier League is lacking fire power and fire power is the catalyst for a dominant side in Europe.

In conclusion, I believe the Football Association need to do a lot to ensure England do well in the Champions League as well as international competitions such as the World Cup or the Euros. A winter break will need to be enforced to ensure players receive enough rest to be ready for big competitions. But above all, the academies in England should be more strict on young and upcoming players to ensure that they do well as professionals and that they have the aspiration of being known as one of the greatest players England has ever produced. This will help England to become a dominant force in Europe again.