England clubs' worst show in 11 years

So much for the English taking over European football. The final Champions League group stage in its current format ended with representation from the supposedly all-powerful Premier League cut in half as Manchester United and Newcastle failed to advance to the knockout stage - and were even knocked out of European competition altogether.

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Instead, there was a Spanish resurgence, a decent showing from the German contingent, and a couple of nice surprises making their way into the round of 16 in the form of Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven.

This was the last year of the 32-team, eight-pool group stage, with UEFA pivoting next season to a single 36-team league that will see clubs play eight games - up from the current six. The top eight teams will advance automatically to the round of 16 knockout bracket and Nos. 9 to 24 in the standings go into a playoff round to decide the other eight qualifiers.

There will be wry smiles around Europe as English teams received a bloody nose, just when the Premier League seemed to have unstoppable momentum on the back of wealth generated from huge broadcast deals. Only defending champion Manchester City and Arsenal got through, marking England's weakest Rd of 16 challenge in 11 years. It's quite the slump for a country that has provided six of the last 10 finalists and three of the winners.