When the Premier League accounted for three of the four Champions League semi-finalists in each of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons, English club football could rightly claim to be the strongest in Europe. Fifteen years into the Premier League era, the money introduced into the English game by lucrative television deals was consistently bearing fruit on the continental stage, while traditional giants Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and later AC Milan appeared to be in decline. Rafael Benitez had turned Liverpool into a Champions League force without ever winning the Premier League, Chelsea remained fiercely competitive despite the departure of iconic manager Jose Mourinho, Manchester United...
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