English power surge in Champions League

Premier League clubs have flexed their muscle across Europe, with five English sides finishing in the top eight of the Champions League group phase. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle and Chelsea all recorded higher win percentages in Europe than in this season’s Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal became the first team to win all eight league-phase matches under the current format. Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and City advanced directly to the last 16, while Newcastle, who face a play-off next month, showed little to fear from their group-stage performances. “The Premier League is the best league in the world, and this is another sign of it,” said Tottenham boss Thomas Frank.

Financial power underpins this success. Premier League clubs benefit from television deals that dwarf those in other leagues. Deloitte’s latest Football Money League lists nine English clubs among the top 20 earners worldwide. Five of the six English teams in this season’s Champions League are in the top 10, while Newcastle, ranked 17th, are backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Summer spending hit a record £3 billion, exceeding the combined spending of the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

This wealth has built deep squads and given English teams a major advantage in a congested calendar. Villarreal, fourth in La Liga but second from bottom in their Champions League group, lost to Tottenham and City among eight winless matches. Their coach, Marcelino, pointed to Crystal Palace signing Yeremy Pino for a fee and salary no Spanish club could match as evidence of England’s financial reach.

English clubs have also imposed themselves physically. Arsenal cruised to a 3-1 away win over last season’s finalists Inter Milan using a largely second-string side. “They had more intensity, technique and pace,” said Inter boss Cristian Chivu, noting the Premier League’s different tempo.

European success has come despite uneven domestic campaigns. Tottenham sit 14th in the Premier League yet finished fourth in the Champions League table. Liverpool beat Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Inter to secure third place in Europe, even as their domestic title defence struggled.

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon explained the contrast: “The Premier League is more physical than ever — relentless, about duels.” He has scored six times in this season’s Champions League but has not netted from open play in the league for more than a year.

However, that physical toll can surface in later rounds, when English teams face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Those clubs have limited English dominance, with only three English winners of the Champions League in the past 13 seasons.