There will be no english premier league team in this year's Champions League semi-finals after Leicester City, the only EPL team in this year's quarter-finals, was knocked out by Atletico Madrid.
After three great seasons between 2006 & 2009; when there were three EPL teams in Champions League semi-finals, 2007-2008 final being all English between Manchester United & Chelsea FC, it is becoming a worrying pattern for EPL teams. In the last eight seasons (including this season) there were only four EPL teams in the Champions League semi-final stage.
Considering England national team results over the last decade together with EPL teams performances in European competitions, what can be the reason for this "Failure"?
EPL is the highest Football (soccer) league by revenue in the world
EPL is the Football (soccer) league with the highest revenue in the world. EPL teams have a very good fan base in England as well as all over the world. EPL teams have one of the best infrastructure and academies in the world. So, if money should bring success, then English football should have it all. But in this case, could it be the money that is the obstacle? Due to such huge revenues, English teams pay twice the transfer fees compared to Spanish or German leagues.
Another factor might be the very congested fixture list of English Premier League teams. Again, money is the factor. Biggest revenue of EPL teams is TV revenues. So, more games played more TV revenues. But, on the other hand, more tired players towards the end of the season and less success in European competitions.
Could this just be a case where money is the reason for failure?
It does not matter what the answer to this question is. Even if the answer is "yes," the solution is not "bringing down EPL revenues." It is more complicated than that. That's where the role of FA comes in. The main question they should get an answer to is "Do they judge success by the trophies won on the international stage?" or "Do they judge success by the net profit made at the end of a season?".
It is up to FA to get the right answer for this question. If it is a success on the international stage that matters more, perhaps they could come up with a mechanism where they have more strict control over how EPL clubs spend their money. They could also come up with solutions that will fix the congested fixture lists, like EPL teams entering local cup competitions at later stages. If it is net profit that matters most, they are doing a good job already.
