A widely held theory goes that England’s World Cup triumph in 1966 was the very worst thing that could have happened to them.
Twelve years prior, a Hungary side led by the incomparable Ferenc Puskas had turned up at Wembley and schooled their opponents, displaying a tactical fluidity that made England’s stolid 4-4-2 seem positively archaic.
Hungary had offered a tantalising glimpse into football’s future, where technical brilliance merged with tactical flexibility and combined to devastating effect.
Did the Three Lions take any heed of this? Not a bit of it, not when a decade later they ruled the world, a historic achievement that seemingly justified their stubborn refusal to adapt.
Alas, what then followed was a generation’s worth of disappointment on the international stage as the rest of Europe evolved and England did not. And subsequently a complex was born, one that usually came to the fore in the aftermath of yet another tournament defeat.
Why couldn’t England be more like the Spanish? Should they prioritise possession over passion? Were the basics – receiving the ball and passing it to a team-mate - being properly taught at junior level?
These tired post-mortems materialised again and again, until a foreign influx of players to the Premier League transformed the domestic game infinitely for the better.
Why, you may wonder, is this being brought up here, in an article about English sides and how they have fared down the years in the European Cup/Champions League?
It’s because of the dichotomy of fortunes experienced through the ages by club teams and the national side, a contradiction that is difficult to make sense of.
You see, England’s shortcomings are easy to understand. For far too long they persisted with a rudimentary brand of football that favoured endeavour in midfield over creativity, hard-working wingers over supposed ‘mavericks’, and two up front that were serviced as quickly as possible via the most direct route.
Continental ingenuity simply passed their way through and around this primitive set-up leading to a succession of group stage or quarter final exits.
At club level however, English sides deployed much the same methods. They were wedded to 4-4-2. They rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in. They were hardly averse to going route one.
And yet in this instance, all of the negatives became positives, with countless examples of thunderous fare getting the better of whatever Europe could throw at them.
In the 37 years of the European Cup – before the Champions League was imagined and everything changed for everyone – England boasted eight winners, more than any other country.
That is not to suggest for one moment that the winners in question were as A,B,C as the England national side.
Two-time champions Nottingham Forest possessed the ultimate baller in John Robertson and the cosmopolitan stylings of Martin O’Neil. Aston Villa – champions in 1982 – benefited from the intelligent passing of Gordon Cowans.
Liverpool famously adhered to ‘pass and move’, while it would take a shameless contrarian to insist that Sir Bobby Charlton was a long-ball merchant.
Yet the bulk of these sides made up the bulk of the England squads from 1970 onwards, and it’s fair to say that very few players had to alter their principles on joining up with international team-mates.
How, and why, were they so successful then when their international counterpart flailed? Perhaps one of the answers lies in management.
The Manchester United side that became the first English collective to conquer Europe in 1968 was led by Sir Matt Busby. Forest had Brian Clough, the genius that Team England foolishly deprived itself of in the Seventies, going instead with Ron Greenwood.
Liverpool’s majesty was presided over by Bob Paisley, as shrewd a mind as football has ever been blessed with.
These giants of the game ushered in a period of terrific success for English club sides, that had them dominate Europe for much of the Seventies and well into the Eighties. And they did so by playing 4-4-*expletive in the style of Mike Bassett*-2.
Then came 1992 and the sport reconceptualised itself beyond all recognition.
The Premier League was formed. The Champions League was formed. And though it took several years before one gained any standing with the other once it did, there has been no looking back.
That watershed victory came courtesy of Manchester United, upending the football odds in 1999 with one of the most dramatic comebacks yet witnessed.
Six years later Liverpool followed suit, right down to the incredible turnaround in fortunes, clawing back a three goal deficit in Istanbul.
Twelve months later, Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the final and a season after that Milan got their revenge on the Reds. The following May heralded the first ever all-English final, a drab rainy affair between United and Chelsea going to pens.
Across four years, England had five representatives in the world’s most prestigious club competition.
Furthermore, in an era that has seen uber-wealthy owners remodel the Premier League into an all-powerful behemoth, it’s a ratio that has rarely let up since.
In recent times, Liverpool have taken on Spurs in a final, two years prior to Chelsea overcoming Manchester City. English sides routinely start every campaign among the favourites in the Champions League betting.
In its 32 years of existence the tournament has been won seven times by Premier League clubs. Only La Liga can top that largely due to Real Madrid’s astonishing record on the continent.
So when we break it all down, who leads the way among the English contingent?
When combining the European Cup and Champions League we find that Liverpool come out on top and quite emphatically so, with 10 final appearances. Six have been won and five have taken place in the Champions League era.
Next up in Manchester United, with five finals, three won.
Chelsea are third in their own right, with three finals, two won, all in the 21st century but close behind are Forest due to their remarkable double success way back when.
How long before Manchester City overtake both? A lost final and a triumph in the last three seasons suggests it’s only a matter of time. Then come Villa before we get to those with a single lost final to their name. That accounts for Leeds, Arsenal and Spurs.
English Clubs In Champions League Finals:
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Liverpool - 10 finals, 6 wins
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Manchester United - 5 finals, 3 wins
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Chelsea - 3 finals, 2 wins
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Nottingham Forest - 2 finals, 2 wins
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Manchester City - 2 finals, 1 win
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Aston Villa - 1 final, 1 win
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Leeds, Arsenal and Spurs - 1 final apiece
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
