England coming up short again?

Another sombre night for English teams in the Champions League, even Manchester City flattered to deceive.

A display of quality by Barcelona perhaps but Arsenal had surrendered the tie with the 2-0 home reverse by the Catalans. It was a much improved performance at the Camp Nou but still ended up losing 3-1 (5-1 on aggregate).

I read a stat earlier that stated that England have had 4 Champions League quarter finalists from 2012-2016 which is astonishing. It's a worrying trend considering the 4 years before there were 16 appearances from England's elite.

I believe it's down to two simple things, attitude and quality.

Arsenal turned to Alex Iwobi last night in crisis to not only stop Neymar but because quite frankly Theo Walcott isn't good enough.

There were bright sparks last night with Iwobi and Danny Welbeck putting in a shift as well as goalscorer Mohammed Elneny. The worrying thing would have been Barca rarely had to step out of first gear and when they did goals appeared, it's that easy.

After watching the end of that game I turned over to see Bayern Munich v Juventus which was definitely the tie of the round. 2-2 going into extra time the thing that sets the elite from the rest is not only attitude but the players who start and the others who replace.

Bayern were lucky to still be in the tie thanks to Thomas Muller's late header rescuing the game late on. Juventus had plenty of chances to win the game and against another side would have won comfortably but Bayern roared back.

Substitutions change games and when you can bring on Thiago and Kingsley Coman(ironically on loan from Juve) you know you've got more than enough ammunition.

Considering the Barclays Premier League is the richest league the money is clearly being poorly spent in comparison to Germany, Italy and Spain.

Arsenal were missing the likes of Ramsey, Wilshire, Cazorla, Cech and Oxlade-Chamberlain. Even if those were fit there's still nowhere near enough quality to go toe to toe with the best teams in Europe.

Another problem in this country is the reluctance to trust youth especially in bigger games because they clearly aren't good enough.

Barcalona can turn to Sergi Roberto, Juventus have Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba, Bayern played with Joshua Kimmich, Coman, David Alaba and so on.

These players are clearly developing better abroad than here where progress seems to stall or they get built up and then suffer because of it. John Stones case in point.

Let's pick no bones about it Manchester City were dire the night before against Dynamo Kiev and you could say they didn't need to score but with respect to Kiev, they could have sent a message to their rivals with a commanding performance but it didn't come.

Once again it comes down to lack of quality, David Silva and Sergio Aguero weren't great and Yaya Toure fluttered in and out as he so often does. The defence now void of Vincent Kompany will pray they draw one of the so called weaker sides in the competition.

At the end of the day it's not good enough, they've got the finances and resources alike. Europe is the yard stick for how successful you are as a club. 4 quarter finals in 4 years isn't good enough and England should be thankful they held onto that European spot because it should have been taken away.

Los Blancos - A deteriorating force

Real Madrid really are an enigma, such a rich history but a chequered future. It's been a few years of turmoil since that Champions League triumph in Lisbon in 2014.

That season was defined as a collective force working together for a common goal. With Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, you had a manager who was adored by his players and staff alike.

They had the perfect mixture, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo were in tandem and Karim Benzema proved the perfect foil for them both to flourish.

Ronaldo himself finished with 51 goals in all competitions that season but yet that's normal for the Portuguese superstar but even Bale notched up 22 goals. He got the best out a special trio.

Real Madrid's Champions League triumph in Lisbon - 2014

I still believe to this day that had Barcelona not won the treble the following season Ancelotti would still be in charge today but the pressures in football means it's out with the old and in with the new.

Some perspective - Most Real Madrid managers last on average just under a year and a half which is astounding if you want to build for stability but that's not the ethos Los Blancos have been famed for and it will never change especially under the unstable Florentino Perez.

It's almost ludicrous that a manager who won La Decima, the 10th coveted Champions League title and had the second highest win percentage at the Bernabeu would be forced out because he couldn't keep up with a Barcelona side who continue to dominate to this day.

In 12 years as the club president Perez has overseen 9 managers come in through the arrivals gate and leave accordingly through the departures shortly after. An ego maniac maybe but patience is not a trait the Spaniard is fond of.

The minute Ancelotti was given his marching orders several players expressed their concern and love for the Italian via social media including Ronaldo, Bale, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modrid, Toni Kroos and so on. It meant nothing.

In comes the prodigal son Rafa Benitez. Well we all know what happened next... Newcastle.

The Daily Mail - Compare Benitez's winning percentage to Ancelotti

The warning signs were apparent by this table and yet not heeded. Benitez left with a winning percentage of 61% which in comparison to the last 5 managers to manage the La Liga giants is the lowest by a clear 10% to maverick Juande Ramos.

Interestingly Manuel Pellegrini finished with 82% which is astounding although you could argue again that this was during the time that Barca were struggling to exert themselves in league and Europe.

He also failed to get the best out of Ronaldo who has struggled this year even after Benitez was dismissed but the tactical shape stifled their attacking players which resulted in Isco, Rodriguez and Ronaldo himself all underperforming.

I think the drubbing against Barcelona at home was the final straw, it was painful to watch and in all honesty not only could it have been 7/8, they never looked like scoring and the flair has been exasperated out of Los Blancos.

January 3rd came a 2-2 draw away at Gary Neville's Valencia and a day after the axe was wielded and a few days later Madrid icon Zinedine Zidane was thrust into the top job and it hasn't exactly gone to plan since.

The injury that has cost Gareth Bale all season hasn't helped and when he's played they've looked more balanced as a side and more often or not have won but still performances haven't picked up and it looks on the pitch like the players still feel uncomfortable with Ancelotti's loss and everything that has followed.

The loss of form of Isco and James Rodriguez hasn't helped things but overall they've been struggling for some time and if Ancelotti hasn't already agreed to join Bayern Munich then I would have been planning a return for the favourite Italian.

The signings of Danilo, Casemiro, Lucas Vasquez and Mateo Kovacic have had limited impact and if we're being generous look more like squad players at best. None have impressed and that wasn't more evident last night.

A trip to Gran Canaria to face Las Palmas which most Madridista's were expecting to be comfortable was anything but. A late winner by Casemiro proved decisive but only after they spent the second half practically walking round the pitch.

Real were outplayed in essence and became another uncomfortable night just like it's been against Real Betis, Granada, Bilbao, Malaga and let's not forget another home defeat against local rivals Atletico. 

The most worrying aspect of this season is that it's been a mess again from top to bottom and the future hardly looks promising with a transfer ban looming. They're missing Angel Di Maria who wasn't given the credit he deserved but the departure of Xabi Alonso was astonishing and his presence is sorely missed in the middle.

The academy isn't producing and the current squad isn't good enough. It sounds like the same old story but Real risk losing even more ground on their rivals if there isn't a real statement of intent made in the summer.