Champions League football: Does it damage Premier League title contenders?

Premier League has gone through a lot of upheavals in the last couple of seasons. Before the last season never had a team finished out of top four and then went on to claim the league title next season.

If Chelsea manage to continue their juggernaut this season, then we might witness this phenomenon for the second-consecutive season. Current champions Leicester City finished in the 14th spot in the 2014-15 season and then went on to create history in the following season.

Similarly, Chelsea finished in the tenth spot last season, and, at the moment, they look favorites to lift the trophy come May. Their closest rivals, Liverpool, also finished in the lowly eighth position last season.

This brings to the question we are trying to address here – Is European football proving to be detrimental for the domestic ambitions of Premier League clubs?

The Foxes achieved the most remarkable achievement in modern football last season. However, one can’t ignore the fact that manager Claudio Ranieri was hugely aided by the lack of European football. He was able to name an almost similar starting eleven throughout the campaign.

The Foxes played 43 games in all competitions in their title-winning season. In comparison, Arsenal played 54 games, Tottenham played 53 games, and Man City played 59 games.
Quite obviously, all these clubs were impacted by injuries to some of their major players at some point in the season.

Something similar is happening this season. Chelsea, who finished tenth last season, appear to be running away with the league. According to bookmakers, Liverpool are next favorites to win the title this season, and it’s no surprise that they also don’t have to worry about European football this season.
So, what are the reasons behind this new trend in Premier League? Is it just an anomaly or the Premier League has actually changed in the last couple of years?

At first glance, it appears to be a mix of both. Leicester City winning the league title last season was clearly an anomaly. However, we can expect the similar trend to continue in the future because of the emergence of new superpowers in the league.

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The Big Four doesn’t exist in Premier League anymore, and it has been replaced by the Big Six in the last couple of years. Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham following his appointment, and Jurgen Klopp seems to be having the same impact at Liverpool this season.

Even Man Utd have looked like a team worthy of challenging for the title in the last couple of months.
Two teams out of Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd are certain to finish out of top four this season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them go on to win the league title next season.

Back in November, Arsene Wenger admitted that both Chelsea and Liverpool have an advantage in the league race this season. He said: “It’s a bit easier to prepare for the games because you don’t have the intensity of the Champions League games.
“But if you asked them both they would like to be in there so you can’t complain about it. “It’s a physical advantage for sure, especially after the European weeks. But we have to live with that, and it’s not an excuse. It’s very tight after 11 games.”

Next: Manchester City v Tottenham combined starting XI

Obviously, all of the top clubs would want to play in Champions League football next season. However, missing out on top four could prove to be blessing in disguise for one of them next season.

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