Coppell scoffs at dominating talk March 14 2008
England's 'big four' clubs still have some way to go before they can claim to be dominating Europe, former Manchester United winger Steve Coppell has warned.
With Arsenal, Liverpool, United and Chelsea all reaching the quarter-finals of this year's Champions League, the Premier League's profile is higher than ever.
But Reading manager Coppell is convinced that only when English teams are able to win and then retain the prestigious trophy would they be on a par with the great Liverpool sides of the 1970s or Brian Clough's achievements with Nottingham Forest at the end of that decade.
He said: "Having so many clubs still in the competition is a sign of the huge success of the Premier League.
"This is where it is at in terms of world football at the moment. It is attractive for everybody to watch and is successful on the European stage so far.
"But I don't think anyone can talk about a period of domination until we go back to the days when teams were winning it back-to-back."
The progress of the 'big four' in the Champions League contrasts with the fortunes of English clubs in the UEFA Cup, with Everton and Tottenham eliminated on penalties and Bolton losing on aggregate after playing a weakened team so players could be rested for the fight against Premier League relegation.
Coppell was convinced the gap would continue to widen.
He said: "The whole league is designed for the bigger to get even bigger still. That will just continue."
Like Bolton, Reading are still part of the relegation equation and must play Liverpool tomorrow and Arsenal next month.
Coppell was convinced the Champions League fixtures, which have paired Liverpool and Arsenal together in the quarter-finals, would have a significant effect on the battle to beat the drop.
He said: "The bigger teams will have to rotate and all of them have real key individuals that make them exceptional - two or three players who, when they are removed, the team is not as effective.
"So there could be occasions during the remaining weeks of the season when, in deference to a huge European tie, one of the big teams will give their key players a rest. Then it is a chink of daylight for the rest of us."