England has no teams in the semi-finals of the Champions League or Europa League for the first time since 2014-15 and the Premier League is blaming FA Cup replays.
Manchester City and Arsenal both exited the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, while Liverpool and West Ham crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday.
This lack of semi-finalists in Europe’s top two competitions has led the Football Association to scrap FA Cup replays from 2024-25.
‘It’s abundantly clear that FA Cup replays have hindered English club’s chances in Europe this season’, a Premier League spokesperson told Paddy Power News.
‘Everyone could see how Arsenal’s performances over both legs against Bayern were affected by Accrington Stanley’s replay with Doncaster Rovers last November’.
‘If Slough Town hadn’t taken Grimsby to a replay, Bernardo Silva scores that penalty against Real Madrid. No question’.
‘Scrapping replays will remove dates from the domestic footballing calendar enabling our fatigued players to participate in lucrative friendlies arranged by their clubs in the likes of Australia three days after the Premier League season ends’.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 17: Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reacts on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid CF at Etihad Stadium on April 17, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
They also rubbished claims that English club’s shortcomings in Europe this season could be attributed to an overinflated sense of the Premier League’s own quality when compared to other leagues across the continent.
‘I’d like to see Ancelotti and his players do it on a cold rainy night at Sheffield United’, laughed the spokesperson.
‘Those Farmers wouldn’t know what hit them once Chris Wilder got his hands on them’.
In related news, Manchester United have announced they’ll be embarking on a three month-long pre-season tour of North Korea after successful negotiations between the Glazer family and the nation’s leader Kim Jong Un.
It follows news of Manchester City’s pre-season tour of the moon courtesy of Elon Musk’s Space X shuttle.
‘Football’s coming home’, read an announcement on United’s official website.
*Paddy Power’s football coverage is pure fantasy – don’t believe it for a second.
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