We are already in the new year and the football season has gotten more intense, as our favourite clubs have returned to action across the top domestic divisions in Europe. The Champions League and the Europa League will also return for the knockout phase in February.
Both tournaments produced a lot of surprises last season as we witnessed several magical moments, many eye-catching performances, and a lot of odd-defying outcomes. However, it was the exploits of English clubs which ended up stealing the show.
Premier League sides dominated Europe in a manner that hasn’t been seen before. Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur to claim the UCL, and Chelsea edged out Arsenal to emerge triumphant in the Europa League. The Premier League returned to the summit of European football in style, and it doesn’t look like that’s over yet.
Premier League clubs seem dominant once again
English clubs continue marching on in Europe this season, as all the four sides representing the division in the Champions League this term made it into the knockout phase of the tournament. Manchester City and Liverpool both topped their groups, while Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur came out second.
In the Europa League, Arsenal came out on top of Group F, and Manchester United did the same in Group L. Steadily, PL outfits are building momentum heading into the knockout phase, as they’ve been the best set of teams in both continental tournaments so far.
At this point, one could be forced to ask whether the Premier League is on course to dominate European football once again. The end of the season is still a while away, but we can already see these teams mean business.
Liverpool are in great form at the moment, as The Reds are yet to taste defeat at the domestic level this season, and they are also one of the top performers in the Champions League group phase. Without doubts, Jurgen Klopp’s men remain the team to beat in the tournament.
Manchester City are also another force to reckon with. The UCL is the only trophy eluding the Cityzens during the Pep Guardiola era, and following a slow start at the domestic stage, they will surely fancy their chances of going all the way to conclude the campaign on a high by capturing the title.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard has got Chelsea dreaming again, and Tottenham cannot be written off either. No one expected them to reach the final last season, and with Jose Mourinho now in charge, they also have a chance to go all the way in the competition.
Arsenal and Manchester United are heavyweights in the Europa League. They’ve impressed in the competition so far and surely give the Premier League a decent chance of replicating a dominant run in Europe’s second-tier tournament.
Furthermore, the intense competition in the English top-flight has raised the levels of its clubs in European competitions and they are set to continue benefitting from that this season.
Very importantly, many of the top clubs from other nations, including the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich are not at their best right now, so the opportunity gets even bigger for the Premier League. It could be their year once again.
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