So, this is just my opinion. Winning the Champion’s League is easier than winning the Premier League. Make no mistake about it, I’m not saying that winning the Europe’s top competition is an easy thing. I just feel like given the format of both competitions in comparison, the Premier League is a lot tougher to come up trumps in.
The current European Champions back up my case to some extent. Chelsea managed to just scrape into the top four, at the same time relatively comfortably edged out Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champion’s League. Real Madrid won four Champion’s League in the space of five seasons, but only reigned supreme once in La Liga during that time.
Quantity over quality
The Premier League has 20 teams, Champion’s League has 32. But if you look at the matches, it is 38 in the PL and 13 in the CL. While most would highlight quality of those matches over the quantity, in this case quantity comes out on top. The sheer amount of fixtures played over the course of 10 long months can be demanding. You need to be on top of your game throughout the season in order to win it. Whereas in theory, you could win the Champion’s League without even winning a single game in 90 minutes. Though it is true that one bad game or poor refereeing/luck can cause elimination from the CL.
Injuries can derail a title challenge
A team’s whole season can be ruined with long-term injuries to key player(s). Even if he’s out for 2-3 months, you could lose so much ground in the title race. In contrast, a player could be injured in the group stages but return in time for the knock-outs. Of course a player could be injured for a crucial Champion’s League tie, but he could also be injured for a crucial Premier League match.
Look what happened in 2019/20 season for Man City when Aymeric Laporte was out for half the season. They simply couldn’t keep up with Liverpool. In contrast, N’Golo Kante was out injured for Chelsea, but returned in time and starred in the final three games of the Champion’s League.
The Champion’s League has better teams, but you don’t have to play all of them
I’m not arguing that Premier League trumps Champion’s League in terms of quality. Top dogs from each league participate each year, looking to be kings of Europe. However, in order to win the competition, you don’t have to face all of them. Competition and quality in the Premier League is ever-increasing, and you have to face all of the teams at least twice.
Group stages are a just a gimme. The competition hots up only in February. Thanks to the draw system, a team can avoid all other big guns and reach the final. You don’t have that luxury in the Premier League.
Chelsea won the Champion’s League last season, but they didn’t have to face heavyweights like PSG, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool or Juventus. The Premier League has its well established Big Six, and Leicester are making a strong case to make it a Big Seven. You are bound to face each of those teams and the tricky customers twice in a season.
A team isn’t dependent on rivals to win the Champion’s League
You win your games, you win the competition. That’s the mantra in the Champion’s League, though that’s easier said than done. In the Premier League, you have to win your own games, but you have to rely on your rivals dropping points.
In the 2018/19 season, Liverpool recorded their highest ever points tally of 97, lost just one game all season, conceded the least no. of goals, yet they only finished runners up. Why? Because Man City put together a run of 14 straight wins to the finish the season. You can win as many games as you want but you are somewhat reliant on your competition dropping points to win the Premier League.
Chelsea’s 2012 triumph is the best case-in point
Back in 2012, Chelsea somehow managed to win the Champion’s League against all odds. If you watch the highlights of the semi-finals and final, you’d wonder how lucky they were. Such luck can favor you for 2-3 matches, that can win you the Champion’s League, but not the Premier League.
Chelsea finished sixth that campaign, their worst in the Abramovich era back then. They conceded 46 goals, struggled against teams and finished 25 points behind the champions. However, they still managed to win the Champion’s League. I’m not implying you can win the Champion’s League with luck, but it has happened in the past, and the chances of it happening are higher than winning the Premier League with luck.
Conclusion
It comes down to personal opinion, and I feel winning the Champion’s League is easier. Or let’s put it this way – winning the Premier League is harder than winning the Champion’s League.
Once again, I’m not saying Premier League is the better competition. Premier League is the tougher competition. You just never get an easy game in this league – your Burnleys and Southamptons can give you a run for your money any day.
However, the stakes are always higher in the Champion’s League, and it still remains the premier European competition. It is the most prestigious competition in world football that you can win – no doubt about that.