Soccer: Is Spanish clubs' golden era in Europe coming to an end?
By Richard Martin
BARCELONA (Reuters) - five years after being humbled 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, while Liga leaders Barcelona were unable on Tuesday to beat an Olympiakos side that are floundering domestically.
Barcelona are still unbeaten and are on track to win their Champions League group while Madrid only need a point to qualify for the last-16 although are likely to finish second to Tottenham, meaning they will be unseeded in the next round.
Sevilla's fate is in their own hands after a vital victory over Spartak Moscow, which came two weeks after a shock 5-1 thrashing in the Russian capital which had left coach Eduardo Berizzo with little move to manoeuvre.
"It's not got serious yet, but all of a sudden Spanish teams no longer rule in Europe", said an editorial in newspaper AS.
"The situation is not a cause for concern at the moment but it is strange to see Spanish teams having this blip after dominating so much in Europe," Miguel Angel Roman, a commentator for broadcaster BeIn Sports, told Reuters.
"I think this is a one-off and we don't yet have the symptoms to declare this a general problem with Spanish football."
Last season Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend the competition since it was changed to the Champions League in 1992, swatting Juventus aside to win the final 4-1, but were outplayed by Tottenham days after losing to La Liga debutants Girona.
FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM
"Real Madrid are paying for their preparations at the start of the season," explained Roman.
"They focused on the Super Cup games against Barcelona and Manchester United which they won very convincingly but that has caught up with them.
"With Atletico we are seeing symptoms of burnout after years under Diego Simeone. They also have a fundamental problem as they couldn't strengthen their squad due to their transfer ban."
While Spanish sides might be underperforming in the Champions League, English sides are experiencing a renaissance after years of underwhelming displays.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all top their respective groups after earning wins this week, with the latter two sealing their spot in the last-16, while Chelsea are also in a strong position to qualify despite losing 3-0 to AS Roma on Tuesday.
"Several factors have all combined to put English teams at the level they should have been years ago," added Roman.
"We are talking about five teams with extraordinary finiancial potential and an ability to sign the best players around and these teams all have great, innovative coaches.
"But in spite of the delicate situation this week for Spanish sides, I would still count Barca and Madrid as favourites to win the tournament come the end of the season."
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Christian Radnedge)