English Premier League’s disgrace at UEFA Champions League

The English Premier League is on the verge of being eliminated from the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League.

Chelsea, which had been in the lead of the English Premier League, tied Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 at the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match in London on Thursday. Having scored a 3-3 draw in the first and second matches, Chelsea lost in the away goal rules and failed to go onto the quarterfinals.

Arsenal and Manchester City are on the brink of precipitous cliff at their Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match as well. At the first match, Arsenal was defeated by AS Monaco (France) 1-3, while Manchester City lost by 1 to 2 by FC Barcelona (Spain). At the round of 16 of UEFA Europa League, Everton is the only remaining team among Premier League teams.

It was the first time in two years that none of the English Premier League team made to the Champions League quarterfinals after the 2012-13 season. During the consecutive seasons of 2007-08 and 2008-09, the English Premier League boasted the strongest fighting power as four clubs made to the quarterfinals.

“Unlike German or Spain leagues, self-competition is very fierce in the English Premier League. For that reason, it is not easy for the English Premier League to allocate fighting strength,” analyzed SBS football commentator Park Mun-seong. “Even though the English Premier League has scouted many talented players from overseas, the general capacity of the league has not increased as native players fall short of the capability of players from Spain and Germany," said KBS commentator Han Jun-hui.

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