It looked like this season English clubs would finally make a statement in Europe, but the Champions League round of 16 has seen up to three Premier League outfits crash out of the competition.
Once again it was their Spanish counterparts who have made it impossible for Premier League clubs, despite their all-conquering nature in the money stakes, to compete in Europe. Sevilla and Barcelona are the latest to pile misery on English teams with victories over Manchester United and Chelsea this week.
The fifth time in just 10 years that they have been sent home by a Spanish side, Manchester United were shocked by Sevilla at Old Trafford. For Chelsea, it was the third time since the 2008-09 season that they had been bested by a Spanish team and the second time they fell victim to Barcelona.
The Blues are, however, one of only two English sides to beat a Spanish team in the Champions League knock-out stages thanks to their dramatic semi-final win over Barcelona on the road to lifting the trophy in 2012. Last season, Leicester knocked Sevilla out in a rare victory for an English side.
Since 2008, La Liga clubs have won almost every knock-out tie against English opposition in either the Champions League or Europa League. To be precise, 20 out of 24 European knock-out ties against English opposition in the last decade have gone to Spanish sides.
With revenues among English clubs sky-rocketting in the last decade, the Premier League has become by far the richest in the world. But even heavy spending on the world's best players has not been enough to put an end to La Liga's dominance. Manchester City and Liverpool await the draw for the last eight, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla all potential opponents.