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With the Champions League coming to an end this year, we see another spell of Spanish dominance in the major European competition. Real Madrid has managed to win the competition for the third time in a row, and for the fourth time in five years. Crazy stats, right?
We also can't forget the fact that over the past five years, only Spanish teams have won the Champions League. We are living in a football world dominated by Spanish teams, but a few questions we can ask ourselves is who will put an end to Real Madrid's triumph, and when?
#4 Liverpool
Firstly, we have Liverpool themselves. They did manage to get to the final and probably faced their toughest challenge this season on Saturday evening but it didn't quite go their way. With foolish mistakes from their goalkeeper, Loris Karius, Klopp's side went down 3-1 in Kiev.
Liverpool already has a great squad, their attack is one of the most complete in Europe and they have quality all over the pitch. This doesn't mean that there are a few things here and there that have to be corrected in order to make Liverpool a complete and world-class team. This summer they need to prioritize the signing of a keeper because this is a position they have lacked quality in for years now. They also need to sign a great center-back who can partner up with Van Dijk. Lastly, they need more depth in the squad overall, perhaps a few youngsters could help out.
If in the next few years, they keep their manager and make some changes in the squad, they could be a real force to reckon with. Some people are already projecting them to win the Premier League next year, and I think it's a possibility as well.
#3 Bayern Munich
Secondly, Bayern Munich. They too came so close to beating Real Madrid and earning a ticket to Kiev, but they didn't make their chances count and an unforgettable mistake from Ulreich cost the Bavarians their spot in the final.
There isn't anything Bayern is lacking in terms of quality, but more so in terms of motivation and passion. In the DFB Pokal final and Champions League semi-fnals, I didn't see many players that performed like they were expected to. It seems like the end of this season was a major disappointment for most Bayern fans and players. Also, Bayern should buy some young wingers to fill in the spots of Robben and Ribery, who are heading into their last years; even if Bayern's transfer policy isn't the best and they tend to sell more than they buy, they should be capable of bringing in some more quality to the already world-class team.
Maybe under new coach Niko Kovac, they will perform better and will actually progress further than previous years.
#2 Manchester City
Thirdly, an emerging contender is Manchester City. Manchester City had an amazing 2017/18 season, breaking records all over the place. Pep Guardiola's side did underperform in the Champions League, however, crashing out in the quarterfinals to the hands of Liverpool.
I seriously can't find any reasons to blame City for their disappointing European run, because their Premier League campaign was one of a kind. They have all the assets to win major titles, and the only thing I could suggest is to carry this current form and act more professional in big games. That's literally it. If they come back stronger next year, they could potentially pick apart any team in Europe.
#1 Paris Saint-Germain
Last but not least is Paris Saint-Germain. They were amongst the favorites to win the European title after signing Neymar for a record sum of 222 million euros. They did lose to the winners, Real Madrid, in the round of 16 and that finished a disappointing run after they had managed to beat some big names, like Bayern Munich (3-0).
It's strange how PSG tend to underperform in Europe because this definitely isn't the first time this has happened. Maybe the players put too much pressure on themselves or they just can't work together as a team, which has been an issue throughout the season, when we saw a couple arguments between Cavani and Neymar. I feel as though PSG just don't learn from their mistakes; but with new coach Thomas Tuchel taking over in the summer, PSG fans will expect their club to mount a serious challenge on the continent.
