Which Country Has Participated So Far In The Champions League? (Details In Here)

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The England squad also spent less time on the pitch in the Champions League knockout stages this season compared to Brazil, Germany, Spain, France and Argentina players.

Brazil lead the way – almost 2,000 minutes more than Spain – thanks in part to Real Madrid’s Marcelo and Casemiro and Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino reaching the final, and Roma goalkeeper Alisson making it as far as the semis.

Portugal’s tally is boosted by the input of Cristiano Ronaldo, who played every minute in Real Madrid’s 13-match run to victory in Kiev – the only player to do so.

Ronaldo’s 1,170 minutes on the pitch were more than England’s Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham) and Danny Rose (Tottenham) combined.

Of Southgate’s squad, only Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson (19th) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (21st) played more than 800 minutes – the equivalent of just over nine full games.

Champions League minutes by nation

What about the winter break argument?

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson told BBC Sport that Southgate’s squad will face problems with fatigue in Russia.

Eriksson, who led England to three major tournaments between 2002 and 2006, was an advocate of introducing a winter break to the English season during his five years in charge.

Each of the 23 players selected by Southgate plays in the Premier League, which, in contrast to the top flights of Spain, Germany, Italy and France, does not pause for a spell during the winter.

“If you play in the Premier League, you play a lot of games,” said Swede Eriksson, England’s first foreign manager. “That’s the biggest reason why England struggle to make a big impact in big tournaments.”

However, the England squad selected by Roy Hodgson for the 2014 World Cup played almost 4,000 fewer minutes than Joachim Low’s tournament-winning Germany squad.

Germany became world champions for the fourth time by beating Argentina after extra-time in the final, while England finished bottom of their group.

 

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