Between 2005 and 2012 the Premier League produced no fewer than eight finalists in the Champions League and three winners in Liverpool (2005), Manchester United ( 2008) and Chelsea (2012). In 2007,2008 and 2009 three out of the four semi-finalists were from the Premier League. But since Chelsea's win in 2012 the semi-finals have only been graced by two English teams, Chelsea in 2014 and Manchester City in 2016.

Champions League 2017-18

This season has seen the best of the English top flight remarkably well in the competition. In fact, at this early stage, every team from the Premier League sits at the top of their respective group and the two Manchester rivals each have a 100% record.

Notable performances include Spurs taking a point from current cup holders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and Manchester City defeating Serie A leaders Napoli 2-1 at The Etihad. Chelsea, for their part, played out a six-goal draw against Roma but have also taken points from Atletico Madrid who have been finalists in two of the previous four seasons.

What has changed?

Perhaps the most significant change for all five group topping teams is that none of them has a new manager in the post. Conte, Mourinho and Guardiola are all into their second seasons at the clubs and the benefits are already starting to show. Manchester City are proving to be an unstoppable force in the Premiership and both Conte and Mourinho had successful seasons last year.

Spurs have been forged into a dynamic and attacking force by Pochettino and the fact that he has successfully retained his stars like Harry Kane and Dele Alli speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are now starting to look like a team that believes it can actually win again.

The world's richest league

The television rights deals on offer in the Premiership are enormous and the top clubs can be seen to be taking advantage of the money that is available to bolster their squads. Spending in the Premier League far outstrips that in any of Europe's other major leagues. Manchester City had £150 million of new players out in their clash this week and United spent £75 million on Romelu Lukaku alone.

Chelsea spent £58 million for Alvaro Morata who played in their game against Roma.

The gap is closing

After Spanish dominance over the past few years, many ex-pros believe the time is right for English clubs. Ex-Man United defender Phil Neville said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live that English clubs are " narrowing the gap" on Europe's elite. He went on to say, " It's not too early to say the tide is changing. The performances alone say that."

Certainly, the signs are there for all to see. Premier League teams top their groups and all are so far unbeaten. Phil Neville believes that the current crop is good enough to get two or three clubs into the quarters or semi-finals. And who would bet against an English Premier League team winning the Champions League in the next two or three seasons?