Sunday 23 April 2017 11:47, UK
The shortcomings of English clubs in the Champions League proves Real Madrid or Barcelona would easily win the Premier League, according to the Sunday Supplement panel.
Leicester's quarter-final exit to Atletico Madrid means just two English sides have reached the semi-final stage in Europe since Chelsea lifted the trophy in 2012.
And there have been just four English quarter-finalists in that same period, while Spain boasts 15 and Germany nine.
The Times' chief football correspondent, Oliver Kay, told Sunday Supplement that English clubs are falling short in every respect, insisting that Europe's elite would cruise to Premier League glory.
"It has been going on for five or six years now - since Chelsea won in 2012. It has been really poor across the board, but for the odd exception," Kay said.
"Two semi-finalists, and four quarter-finalists over a five-year period. That is just not good enough.
"Tactically English clubs are not good enough. Physically they looked off the ball. And technically, are our players as good as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich? Probably not.
"They're falling short in every respect. People highlight the fixture congestion or competitiveness of the Premier League, but if you put Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich in our league then I think they would walk it. They would have done for the last five years.
"There's a lot of delusion about the quality of our teams. The league is very good but our teams aren't good enough."
The demise of English clubs in Europe has been well documented, and that's in part to the success enjoyed by Chelsea and Manchester United in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
In fact, it was Liverpool's 2005 victory which triggered a five-year run of Premier League sides reaching the final, with United overcoming Chelsea in 2008 before the London club won it themselves four years later.
And according to the Express' Matt Dunn, the money being spent in the Premier League means it won't be long before English clubs dominate in Europe once more.
"These things are cyclic. It will get better because English clubs spend the money on it. Premier League teams will buy the players to do so," Dunn said.
"We have a lot of teams in transition. So there is not a particularly strong English team but that will change.
"As Mourinho did with Chelsea the first time, someone will come along - perhaps Pep Guardiola at Man City - and make them into a genuine European force again, and they'll pull other English teams with them.
"We're just off the boil at the minute, but we'll come back. Our top six is healthy."
