The Classic Reason for the "Weakness" of Premier League Ambassadors

English teams are in a comedic situation. They entered the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League with the highest number of representatives in history, yet none managed to achieve a positive result from their first matches. This remarkable record seems to serve only as a premise to perfect their grand joke.

Four English representatives lost in the first match of the round of 16, namely Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Newcastle United played to a draw. Arsenal was heavily favored against Bayer Leverkusen, while Newcastle was held to a draw by Barcelona at home.

There are no results to be proud of from the English representatives. Likewise, their performance was far below standard. Almost only Newcastle, the sole team, left a positive impression. The others were plagued by a sense of anticlimax, particularly City, Chelsea, and Tottenham, who fell behind by an aggregate of three goals.

When negative trends occur simultaneously, the main scapegoat is always the same. They come from one league, thus the problem also originates from there.

English media unanimously pointed to the busy schedule and the high level of competition in the league as factors that pose obstacles. Players from English teams are suspected to be experiencing both physical and mental fatigue.

That classic reason is quite reasonable. Before the round of 16, five out of six English representatives had to compete first in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Only Tottenham was able to have a full rest last weekend. The others had to play matches with less than 72 hours in between.

The issue of the tight schedule is what made City Manager Pep Guardiola somewhat disappointed with the Football Association (FA). City's schedule was pushed back from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM local time. "Thank you because our recovery time will be reduced before heading to Madrid," Guardiola remarked sarcastically.

However, the reality is not that bad. Many of the major teams have made massive squad rotations in the FA Cup. City, for instance, replaced ten players at once in the match last weekend. With this break, the key players can take a breather from the span of about 3-4 days between each match.

When it comes to fatigue, it usually refers to how often a player plays. Interesting data emerged from the Real Madrid vs. City match. The player, other than the goalkeeper, who has played the most minutes in all competitions this season is Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, who scored a hat trick against City.

If fatigue is indeed a factor, it remains not the most significant one. The main issue for the majority of English ambassadors is the result of strategic errors by the coaches. This problem is clearly evident in the two teams from London, namely Tottenham and Chelsea.

The coaches of both teams, Igor Tudor (Tottenham) and Liam Rosenior (Chelsea), are both interim and have limited experience in the Champions League. They replaced their starting goalkeepers in this crucial match. Tottenham placed their trust in 22-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, while Chelsea relied on backup goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

The intentions of both coaches are very clear. Kinsky and Petrovic are better at ball distribution. They can be utilized for strategies to build attacks from the back. The problem is, they are playing in away matches that are full of pressure. Kinsky visits the home ground of Atletico Madrid, while Petrovic travels to the home of the defending champion, Paris Saint-Germain.

The result was disastrous. Kinsky and Petrovic became the "biggest sinners" of their respective teams' defeats. They made blunders while building attacks from the back. "Before the match, that (substitution) was the right decision. However, after what you saw, it became the wrong decision," Tudor stated.

Guardiola, a manager with three Champions League trophies, is not without his mistakes. He made an unnecessary decision by altering City's best composition. City continued to use the 4-1-3-2 formation but employed two wingers simultaneously in midfield positions. Nico O'Reilly, who had been comfortable in the midfield, was moved back to the wing-back position.

The manager targeted the weakness of Madrid's wing-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, by placing Jeremy Doku. However, Madrid was able to cover the gap on the wing with assistance from Valverde. Without additional midfielders, City actually lost intensity in their pressure in the midfield, especially when facing counter-attack transitions.

The referee's decisiveness also plays a role. Set pieces have recently become the best weapon in the English League. However, this weapon does not seem to apply in the European arena. Liverpool and Arsenal, who are experts in executing corner kicks, were unable to take advantage of set pieces as they were heavily scrutinized by the referee.

Physical contact, which is typically not counted as a violation in England, is viewed differently by European referees. Liverpool's corner kicks repeatedly yielded nothing due to the referee's whistle. Ironically, they ended up conceding a goal from a corner kick. Galatasaray and Leverkusen were able to find openings without creating much physical contact.

An equally important factor is the status of being the away team. Five out of six English representatives played away in the first match. The home advantage is crucial in the Champions League. Newcastle has proven this by performing dominantly against Barca at St. James Park.

Not without reason, Newcastle became the English team with the best performance last week. Sandro Tonali and his teammates played passionately in front of tens of thousands of their supporters. Barcelona, not wanting to take risks, also played more cautiously. Newcastle was simply unfortunate to concede a penalty goal at the end of the match.

The English representatives indeed seem to have lost control. However, it is unfair to assess the knockout stage duel of the Champions League based on just one match. The match has only reached its halfway point, as if it were at halftime. With the majority of them set to play at home in the second leg, everything could turn around in an instant. (AP/REUTERS)