A fifth Champions League spot could belong to the Premier League from next season onwards, as the competition expands from 32 to 36 teams. But, the extra spot depends on the performances of all clubs from the country in Europe this season.
And so far, things haven’t been promising for England with only Manchester City boasting a 100% record. As a result, the Premier League teams might be restricted to four spots if they are unable to turn things around drastically in the final two match days remaining.
Past history counts for nothing in this new coefficient introduced by UEFA, and English teams have not been up to the mark so far to earn a new qualification spot. Ranking points are awarded for every game played across all three competitions, divided by the number of participating clubs, with the top two nations being rewarded with extra spots.
Fifth Premier League Champions League spot could be ruled out due to poor performances
Manchester United in particular have been extremely disappointing in the Champions League. The Red Devils are rock bottom of their group after being defeated by all three other teams in their group, but winning only against Copenhagen.
Moreover, Newcastle United are also last with only four points but have a great chance to turn things around, only three points behind the top spot. In contrast, Arsenal are top of their group with nine points from four games.
Liverpool’s loss to Toulouse in the Europa League will cause problems, but Brighton and West Ham’s first and second placed standings offsets their loss by some margin.
England are already at a disadvantage due to the huge number of clubs already participating. As a result, the spot could go to a country like Turkey or Belgium, who rank higher as per the formula.
