Just a few weeks ago, the Premier League was considered by experts to be the leading force in European football. For the first time in history, all six English teams that qualified for the Champions League advanced to the round of 16.
One by one, they are eliminated from the game.
However, after the round of 16 matches, that dominance crumbled, with only Arsenal and Liverpool remaining in the quarter-finals. Notably, all four other teams exited the competition in a rather undignified manner.
Man City were eliminated by Real Madrid for the third consecutive time in the Champions League.
Man City faced Real Madrid, a team currently experiencing extremely inconsistent form in domestic competitions. Despite this, the 15-time European champions showed their mettle by defeating Pep Guardiola's side, who were second in the Premier League, with a 5-1 aggregate score. Notably, in the first leg, a 3-0 victory at home at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid were facing a serious squad crisis with seven key players unavailable.
Chelsea were unable to pull off a miracle like they did in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final against reigning Champions League champions PSG. After two legs, "The Blues" suffered a crushing 2-8 defeat.
Meanwhile, unsurprisingly, Tottenham, facing the threat of relegation, succumbed to Atletico Madrid, a team that had lost only one of their last eight matches. Despite winning 3-2 in the second leg, "Spurs" were unable to rectify their mistakes from the first leg and were eliminated from the European competition with a 5-7 defeat.
Conversely, Newcastle, the only Premier League representative to have to play in the play-offs to qualify for the round of 16, had a more favorable situation. At home, Eddie Howe's team held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw. Furthermore, in the return leg in Spain, the Magpies equalized twice before completely collapsing in the second half.
Losing dominance
According to statistics, the four English clubs eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 conceded a total of 28 goals. Following this round, English football also lost its dominance to La Liga. The Spanish league had three representatives in the round of 16: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. All three teams went on to reach the quarter-finals of the European competition.
Atletico Madrid's victory helps La Liga maintain its squad strength after the round of 16.
From a professional standpoint, the failure of the four Premier League representatives may stem from the level of their opponents. The draw pitted English teams against experienced "giants" with the composure and maturity of European competition. For example, a powerful Manchester City in the Premier League still cannot match the most traditional force in the Champions League, Real Madrid. This is also the third consecutive time "The Citizens" have been eliminated by this opponent in Europe's top club competition.
Arsenal has become the hope of English football despite never having won a continental title.
On the other hand, the two English teams that advanced, Arsenal and Liverpool, both faced relatively "easier" opponents in Bayer Leverkusen and Galatasaray respectively. However, in the first leg, the "Gunners" were surprisingly held to a draw by the Bundesliga representative, while Arne Slot's team suffered a narrow defeat in Türkiye.
Not exactly a shock.
Another problem lies in the packed fixture schedule in England. Teams from the UK are constantly stretched thin across multiple fronts, from the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup to the Champions League. Meanwhile, the leagues in France, Germany, and Spain have a winter break lasting 10-17 days, allowing players time to rest and recover.
Furthermore, the Premier League is trending towards a more direct style of play, emphasizing physicality, long balls, and set pieces. After 210 matches in this season's Premier League, 166 out of a total of 587 goals were scored from corners, free kicks, or throw-ins, accounting for 28.3%.
This makes the tournament more "demanding," and many teams become less flexible when facing opponents who control the ball well and are technically skilled.
The failures of Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham have dashed hopes of breaking the record of having four teams from the same country reach the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2018-2019 season. Of course, this isn't necessarily a huge shock, as the Premier League was completely absent from the top eight teams in Europe in the 2014-2015 season.
The 8 strongest teams in the Champions League 2025-2026 season.
This result once again proves that the Premier League, no matter how rich and attractive it is, is not the "absolute center" of European football.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/ngoai-hang-anh-vo-mong-tai-champions-league-196260319115202094.htm
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