Big improvement required if four isn’t to become three

Back before Chelsea’s own results got really ominous for Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese issued his own ominous warning for the Premier League as regards their Champions League results. The Stamford Bridge boss had been asked about the fact the domestic competition still wasn’t going to alter fixtures to accommodate clubs playing in Europe.

“My reaction is, while we have four teams in the Champions League, we will not make a big noise of it,” Mourinho said before the Community Shield. “But, one day, when England has only three teams in the Champions League, people will wake up.”

They may have to wake up sooner rather than later. If the results of the last three seasons continue, there is the very real possibility that Italy will overtake England in the Uefa coefficients by the end of this campaign, and reduce the Premier League to just three places. Part of that is down to the difference with which the two countries treat the Europa League, but just as significant is how suddenly English performance in the elite competition has plummeted. One stat says it all: In the last four seasons, the Premier League has had fewer Champions League semi-finalists than in any of the 2006-07, 2007-08 or 2008-09 campaigns alone.