On the eve of the biggest club competition in world football, English sides will be looking at the competition as a chance to rekindle the old days of dominance across the continent which sparked the making of club legends and the birth of those “I was there” moments. English football has firmly sewn itself into the heart of the European football culture both and off the field and the with 2015/16 edition about to spring into life, could this be the season where Europe is yet again conquered by a team from the Premier League?
Champions League Preview: The English Chances
Manchester United are returning to the fray after a year’s absence, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal will look to progress past last season’s result of the Round of 16 where they were knocked out by Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco respectively.
The lack of English sides in the quarter-final last season was a rarity and English football took a hammering from the media, pundits and fans collectively as France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Italy all had representatives in the final eight. Over the past decade English sides have featured in seven finals, one being an all-English final, with three winners: Liverpool in 2005, Manchester United in 2008 and most recently, Chelsea in 2012.
The suggestion that English football is lacking when it comes to being pitted against continental opposition will be put the test from the off with Manchester City drawn against last season’s runners-up, Juventus, in the first round of fixtures. Manchester United travel to Holland to take on Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven; Arsenal enter the hostile atmosphere of Croatia as they take on Dinamo Zagreb. Chelsea have been dealt an easier start to their campaign, but with their league form faltering, an easier tie could be the necessary antidote for Mourinho’s men when they take on Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Stamford Bridge.
Each English club has a rival for top spot in their group and what should be an easier draw in the round of 16 but as previous seasons have demonstrated, there are no easy ties when it comes to knock-out football. For Chelsea it is the club where Jose Mourinho became the self-proclaimed “Special One’: 2004 Champions, FC Porto. Arsenal are up against German powerhouses and 2013 winners, Bayern Munich. The blue half of Manchester are up against Italian champions Juventus with the red half battling against Bundesliga runners-up, Wolfsburg for top spot of their group.
The clean sweep of four English teams topping their groups seems unlikely; Bayern Munich and Juventus may be too strong for that to happen. But all four sides progressing into the knock-out round is a distinct possibility but for a couple of potential surprise packages. Olympiacos will be nipping at the heels of Arsene Wenger’s Gunners and Manchester City will feel the heat of back-to-back Europa League winners, Sevilla, breathing down their necks. Manchester United will have to be wary of both PSV and CSKA Moscow who could spring a couple of unexpected results if their home form sees them notch a couple of wins here or there. Chelsea seem to have a relatively comfortable group. However, with losses to Crystal Palace and Everton domestically, FC Porto and their fellow group opponents, Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, may fancy forcing the Blues into the Europa League.
The potential scenarios that could evolve throughout the group stages are endless — the memorable nights, goals and incidents that can define a season of competition can all come before the knock-out stages begin. The English clubs that are involved will no doubt have on eye on the late May final at the home of AC and Inter Milan: the legendary San Siro.
For an English club to stand at the summit of the European football mountain a mixture of class, ability, form and luck is needed. The road to glory is paved with difficult away days in hostile environments and an ability to score crucial away goals and the killer instinct to end the hopes and dreams of opponents will have to be on display in nearly every match. The prospect of a run in Europe is one every fan dreams of and lies ahead for these four sides.
