English giants Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham will pursue their Europa League quest as the competition resumes on Thursday. English teams have enjoyed very little success in the event and it is imperative that one of the four clubs bring the title back to England.
The UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup is the second most prestigious competition in European football. The competition has not been a success story for English clubs and the last time any club from England was triumphant in the competition, was back in 2000-2001 when Liverpool defeated Spanish outfit Deportivo Alavés 5-4 in extra time to clinch the title.
Some of the low tiered clubs in England however, have shown remarkable spirit to outperform top European clubs. An example is of Fulham, when in 2010 The Cottagers enjoyed a successful campaign under Roy Hodgson, they drafted forward to the Europa League final defying all odds, eventually losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the final. Another English team who have impressed in the competition are Stoke City, the Potters showed much resilience in advancing to the Round of 32. Unfortunate for them they were tied against a very strong Valencia side and eventually bowed out of the tournament.
Manchester outfits City and United, had the unfortunate experience of having to participate in the competition last season. Especially for a club of the stature of Manchester United, participating in the Europa League was rather an embarrassment as reiterated by club captain Patrice Evra.
The three time European Champions, were knocked out of the competition by eventual Finalist Athletic Bilbao, who put up a remarkable display dominating the Red Devils in both the legs. On the other hand Manchester City crashed out of the tournament too, losing on away goals to Sporting Lisbon, wrapping up a disappointing display by the English teams in the competition
Manchester City continued their unsuccessful run in European competitions, by finishing at the bottom in their group in the group stages. This implied that the English Champions cannot compete in either of the two European competitions this season.
One team which did make their mark in Europe was West London side Chelsea, who ended last season clinching the UEFA Champions League title for the first time in their history. The European Champions however made a poor start to their title defence and crashed out of the competition in the group stages only. The Blues have now been forced to play in a competition which does not go well with their reputation. Chelsea have a lot of players, who are used to playing Champions League football season after season and this will surely be a shock too difficult for them to handle. It is also likely, that manager Rafa Benitez will give the League more priority than the Europa League. However if Chelsea do make an effort to win the competition, they are easily the biggest hurdle in Atletico Madrid’s way to retain their title and can easily go ahead to clinch their second consecutive European title.
As for the other English teams, Newcastle will be very unlikely contenders given their below par performances this season. However chances of them finishing in the top 6 in England are very slim and winning the Europa League might be the only way for them to qualify for the competition next season. This incentive might push them towards working even harder to win the title. As for Liverpool, they are an inconsistent side but do have enough quality in their team to give stiff competition to other clubs.
Tottenham have had a terrific season so far and will definitely be one of the favourites to win the competition. They are currently 4th in the league, with the second and third spot well within their sights. With their current form they are most likely to be playing in the Champions League next season and it will be an icing on the cake if they win the Europa League, before they can play in the most prestigious European Football event.
The English Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, the teams are built on strong foundations and the players are of the highest quality. There is no reason why English clubs should not excel in this competition. What might be holding them back is the fact that many of these clubs do not regard the Europa League as a prestigious event they would want to win. It is important for clubs to get rid of such ideas and take the competition seriously. It has been 12 long years since an English club won this competition and it is vital that the curse is finally broken.
Some of the low tiered clubs in England however, have shown remarkable spirit to outperform top European clubs. An example is of Fulham, when in 2010 The Cottagers enjoyed a successful campaign under Roy Hodgson, they drafted forward to the Europa League final defying all odds, eventually losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the final. Another English team who have impressed in the competition are Stoke City, the Potters showed much resilience in advancing to the Round of 32. Unfortunate for them they were tied against a very strong Valencia side and eventually bowed out of the tournament.
Manchester outfits City and United, had the unfortunate experience of having to participate in the competition last season. Especially for a club of the stature of Manchester United, participating in the Europa League was rather an embarrassment as reiterated by club captain Patrice Evra.
The three time European Champions, were knocked out of the competition by eventual Finalist Athletic Bilbao, who put up a remarkable display dominating the Red Devils in both the legs. On the other hand Manchester City crashed out of the tournament too, losing on away goals to Sporting Lisbon, wrapping up a disappointing display by the English teams in the competition
Manchester City continued their unsuccessful run in European competitions, by finishing at the bottom in their group in the group stages. This implied that the English Champions cannot compete in either of the two European competitions this season.
One team which did make their mark in Europe was West London side Chelsea, who ended last season clinching the UEFA Champions League title for the first time in their history. The European Champions however made a poor start to their title defence and crashed out of the competition in the group stages only. The Blues have now been forced to play in a competition which does not go well with their reputation. Chelsea have a lot of players, who are used to playing Champions League football season after season and this will surely be a shock too difficult for them to handle. It is also likely, that manager Rafa Benitez will give the League more priority than the Europa League. However if Chelsea do make an effort to win the competition, they are easily the biggest hurdle in Atletico Madrid’s way to retain their title and can easily go ahead to clinch their second consecutive European title.
As for the other English teams, Newcastle will be very unlikely contenders given their below par performances this season. However chances of them finishing in the top 6 in England are very slim and winning the Europa League might be the only way for them to qualify for the competition next season. This incentive might push them towards working even harder to win the title. As for Liverpool, they are an inconsistent side but do have enough quality in their team to give stiff competition to other clubs.
Tottenham have had a terrific season so far and will definitely be one of the favourites to win the competition. They are currently 4th in the league, with the second and third spot well within their sights. With their current form they are most likely to be playing in the Champions League next season and it will be an icing on the cake if they win the Europa League, before they can play in the most prestigious European Football event.
The English Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, the teams are built on strong foundations and the players are of the highest quality. There is no reason why English clubs should not excel in this competition. What might be holding them back is the fact that many of these clubs do not regard the Europa League as a prestigious event they would want to win. It is important for clubs to get rid of such ideas and take the competition seriously. It has been 12 long years since an English club won this competition and it is vital that the curse is finally broken.
