2023/24 Review: EPL Teams in UEFA Competitions
With the final of the Champions League – the last European game of the season – taking place tonight, we have decided to take a look at EPL teams in UEFA competitions and how they have performed in 2023/24.
This will be our last in-depth review of the season and you can read all the other ones by clicking here.
UEFA Champions League
4 Premier League teams took part in the UCL this season: Manchester United in Group A, Arsenal in Group B, Newcastle United in Group F and Manchester City in Group G.
Let’s see how they did.
Manchester United
The Red Devils played 6 UCL games in 2023/24, finishing last in a group with Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray Istanbul.
They only gathered 4 points, from a 1-0 home win against Copenhagen and a 3-3 draw in Istanbul.
Galatasaray 3-3 Manchester United | Match Recap
It was an overall abject showing by United, who we believe should have done better in a relatively accessible group.
Rating: 2/10
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta guided his team to the quarter-finals of the UCL this season.
They topped Group B, registering 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in their games against PSV Eindhoven, Lens and Sevilla. In the round of 16, the Gunners knocked out Porto on penalties and were then eliminated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals after a 2-2 draw at the Emirates and a narrow 1-0 loss in Bavaria.
HIGHLIGHTS | Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (2-2) | Saka, Gnabry, Kane, Trossard | Champions League
If we take into account that they have a somewhat young squad and that the club had not played UCL football since the 2016/17 season, it was a decent European performance by Arsenal.
Rating: 6/10
Newcastle United
The Magpies were drawn into the ‘group of death’ upon their return to the Champions League for the first time in 21 years. Borussia Dortmund, PSG and AC Milan were their adversaries in Group F.
While finishing last with 5 points does not scream ‘great performance’, Newcastle can hold their head up high for managing 2 draws and a shock 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle United 4 PSG 1 | Champions League Highlights
Since expectations were not exactly huge for them even before the group stage draw, we believe they gave an acceptable account of themselves in a very difficult situation.
Rating: 5/10
Manchester City
The Cityzens’ defence of their Champions League trophy did not go to plan this season, as they exited the competition at the quarter-final stage.
After comfortably topping Group G by registering 6 wins in 6 games against RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Crvena Zvezda, they dispatched Copenhagen in the round of 16 by a 6-2 aggregate.
The kick in the teeth for Guardiola’s team came in the quarters, as they faced Real Madrid in a remake of last season’s semi-final. After a pulsating 3-3 draw in the Spanish capital and a 1-1 stalemate after 120 minutes at the Etihad, Real knocked out City on penalties.
HIGHLIGHTS! CITY & REAL ALL-SQUARE AFTER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THRILLER | Real Madrid 3-3 Man City
It was a bitter end to the UCL campaign for City, as they finished their 10 games in the competition with 8 wins and 2 draws.
Rating: 6/10
UEFA Europa League
The Premier League was represented by 3 teams in the UEL this season, with West Ham United in Group A, Brighton and Hove Albion in Group B and Liverpool in Group E.
So did the UEL bring the Premier League more joy than the Champions League? Let’s see.
West Ham United
The Hammers had won the Europa Conference League last season, so they automatically qualified for this term’s Europa League. David Moyes’ team topped Group A, winning 5 matches and losing 1 against Freiburg, Olympiacos and TSC Backa Topola.
From there they went on to the round of 16, where they played 2 more games against Freiburg, with the German side having navigated the playoff/round of 32.
Their exit from the competition came at the hands of eventual finalists Bayer Leverkusen, after a 0-2 loss in Germany and a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-0 West Ham | UEFA Europa League Highlights
It could have been better, but it could have also been worse for the Hammers in Europe this season. Still, it does feel like a disappointment after the high of winning the UECL the season before – their first trophy in over 40 years.
Rating: 5/10
Brighton and Hove Albion
In their first ever European season, the Seagulls did not let the occasion get the better of them. Brighton finished 1st in Group B, ahead of household names Olympique Marseille and Ajax Amsterdam, as well as AEK Athens.
UEL Highlights: Brighton 1 Marseille 0
Their exit came in the round of 16 at the hands of Italian side AS Roma, after a heavy 0-4 loss in the Italian capital and a 1-0 home win.
Their overall showing was commendable for a club with zero continental football experience.
Rating: 6.5/10
Liverpool
The Reds, like West Ham and Brighton, also topped their Group E in the UEL. They did just about enough to gather 12 points, which was only 1 more than 2nd placed Toulouse. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and LASK Linz finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.
The round of 16 brought a tie against Czech side Sparta Prague, which Liverpool won by an aggregate score of 11-2.
Ruthless Reds Progress in Europa League | Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague | Highlights
They were knocked out of the competition by eventual winners Atalanta, after a chastening 0-3 loss at Anfield and a 1-0 win in Italy.
It was simply not good enough from the Reds given their status as favourites to win the Europa League before a ball was even kicked.
Rating: 5/10
UEFA Europa Conference League
Aston Villa
A single EPL team took part in the UECL this season: Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
After topping Group E ahead of Legia Warsaw, AZ Alkmaar and Zrinjski, they eliminated Ajax Amsterdam in the round of 16 after 4-0 on aggregate.
HIGHLIGHTS | Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax
The quarter-finals were a tighter affair, with Villa needing a penalty shootout to knock out French side Lille and be the only English team to reach the semi-finals of a UEFA competition in 2023/24.
Despite being seen as favourites to see off the threat of Olympiacos in the semis, Emery’s team lost both games against the eventual winners of the competition (2-4 at home and 0-2 away).
While disappointingly knocked out by an underdog team, Villa proved the progress made under the Spanish manager and had the best European season of any English team in 2023/24.
Rating: 8/10