Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that English football's congested fixture list is to blame for the Premier League's poor showing in the Champions League this season.
Pellegrini's side exited the tournament at the last-16 stage on Wednesday evening after losing to Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.
City's exit leaves England without a representative in the quarter-finals for the second time in three seasons, but Pellegrini believes that his players are beginning to feel the effects of a long campaign.
"We arrived at this having played throughout January and February, playing so many games," he told The Telegraph.
"It is difficult to explain why English clubs have all gone out because the Premier League is a very strong league with lots of rich teams, but we arrive at this stage by getting to February not as fresh as we should be, so it could be very tiring for English teams."
Chelsea and Arsenal also exited the competition in the last-16 stage.
Steven Toplis
