It's that time of the year again. The Champions League has reached its knockout stages and many are left wondering to the pedigree of the English teams remaining in the European competetion.
After Liverpool's exit in the group stages, the task of carrying forward the English contingent rests on Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Of the three teams remaining -- it would seem Arsenal have the most favorable draw with their tie against Monaco to come up next week.
Chelsea have played their away leg against an organized PSG side and have come up with a crucial away goal in the 1-1 draw but still everything to play for at Stamford Bridge in 3 weeks' time.
The biggest game of the the round of 16 surely is Manchester City vs Barcelona. City can consider themselves reasonably unlucky as they have been drawn into this same fixture for the second consecutive year in a row. Last season their quest in Europe was halted by Barcelona at the same stage in the competition.
On paper, it would seem Chelsea would seem the strongest of the English teams to progress into the business end of the Champions League. Pundits across Europe have tipped Jose Mourinho's team to be worthy semi-finalists and one can hardly argu given Chelsea's current form. Chelsea are the most consistent team out in comparison to Arsenal and City when it comes to Champions League performances in the recent years. They have featured in five semi-final appearances over the past 8 years. The form of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa may prove vital if the Blues were to have any chance to compete against the best.
Manchester City have to beat Barcelona and a win against them will help them to show the rest of Europe what they are really capable of. With a fully fit squad and a firing Sergio Aguero there's no reason as to why this City team can't stretch Barcelona the distance. Barca however are in mesmerising form themselves winning 11 games on the bounce and it would take a special performance to halt the Blaugrana in their stride.
Arsenal are dark horses in this race. A relatively easy tie against Monaco should not worry Arsene Wenger's men especially considering the rich vein of form they are in. Once in the quarter finals, it is an open draw and the likes of Juventus or Porto may well be within the reach of the Gunners. However, if they really do aspire of winning the Champions League, they need to beat the best - something they are capable of on their day but would need to show a remarkable amount of consistency which they haven't quite shown in past few years.
Long gone are the days when English football had a strong dominance over Europe's elite competition. Back in 2009, there were three English teams comprising of the 4 semi-final spots -- a feat which doesn't seem to be replicated in the near future.
In simple theory it would suggest that Spain and Germany especially have caught up with the quality of English football or else there has been steady decrease in the quality of English teams. An all-German final followed by an all-Spanish final in the last two seasons goes to show the new dominance of their respective leagues in the business stage of the tournament.
Certainly with the rise of Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich - the English teams have found it tough to find their mark in Europe with Chelsea's moment of winning the trophy in 2012 being the only crowning achievement in the recent past.
Maybe it's time the English clubs take a hard look and realize as to why they're getting outclassed time and again by their European counterparts.
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