UEFA's club coefficients rankings spell potential trouble for English sides
Much has been made of Premier League clubs' poor displays in continental competitions of late, bringing to light the threat of losing their fourth Champions League position to an Italian side.
UEFA released an updated ranking of club coefficients Tuesday - as it does at the completion of each round - and the gap between England and Italy continues to shrink with each passing Europa League and Champions League matchday.
Europe's football governing body forms rankings for each member nation that determine the number of clubs allocated for each of the continents two competitions, taking into account performance on a five-year basis.
(Courtesy: UEFA.com)
The coefficient is based on points gained for various continental achievements, with two points for a win and one for a draw, with performances in the Europa League and Champions League equally weighted. Clubs that reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals of either tournament are also given a point for each round, and sides that reach the Champions league group stages or round of 16.
Total points obtained are then divided by the number of clubs each member nation has to determine that year's coefficient, which is then added to that of the previous four campaigns to establish a points total. Results
A disastrous Champions League matchday 1 where three of four Premier League entries lost compounded with West Ham and Southampton's early dismissal from the Europa League has sparked concerns that England will drop to fourth below Italy, losing their fourth-place qualifying Champions League berth.
Manchester United's qualification victory contrasted with Lazio's failure to win its Champions League qualifier gave England a slight advantage, and barring a disaster, at least three of either United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal should make it out of the group stage, whereas Italy only have defending finalists Juventus and Roma in Europe's marquee competition.
Even with numbers to its advantage, England's cause is hampered by Premier League clubs' unwillingness to value the Europa League. Despite Chelsea's win in the 2001 competition, English clubs have typically fared poorly in Europe's second-tier tournament, with Liverpool's 2001 conquest the last notable effort.
Should the English clubs in both competitions experience disastrous results, the 2017-18 Champions League campaign could have a drastically different appearance for fans of Premier League football.