English football suffered immensely this week after four of five Premier League clubs bowed out of European competitions.
Arsenal and Manchester City lost in their second-leg ties with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, respectively, in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool and West Ham United lost, too, after the aggregate. The Reds failed to mount a comeback from a 0-3 deficit against Atalanta, while the Hammers only managed a 1-1 tie against German champions Bayer Leverkusen after the first leg's 0-2 defeat.
There is no more English club in the top two European jousts. Aston Villa is the only one left in an international competition, having advanced to the semifinals of the Europa Conference League to face Greece's Olympiacos.
While these losses are suffered mostly by the involved clubs and their fans, the domestic leagues they participate in are also significantly impacted.
Local top-flight leagues lose the chance to qualify for more European spots if their teams bow out of UCL and UEL early.
UEFA allows domestic leagues to secure two extra spots in the Champions League for the top two teams based on their coefficient total.
A win gives a country two coefficient points, and a draw gives one point. A defeat brings nothing.
Italy, with a coefficient of 19.428 after the quarterfinals, is assured of one of the two spots after three of their clubs secured three semifinal spots in two European Leagues.
The other two countries vying for the extra spot are Germany (17.928) and England (17.375).
England used to be above Germany, but its clubs' performances this week saw them slide down the rankings.
France could leapfrog the Premier League as they still have two teams left in the three competitions.
PSG is in the semis after beating Barcelona in the quarterfinals, while Marseille is also in the Final Four of the Europa League, where they will face Liverpool slayers Atalanta.
How can the Premier League secure the other spot?
Right now, Germany's Bundesliga has a firm hold on the extra spot, as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich remain alive for the UEFA Champions League, while Bayer Leverkusen remains in contention for the Europa League.
UEFA gives bonus points for domestic leagues' coefficient if at least one of their clubs makes it to the final stages. It would be huge for them if all three teams did the last dance.
If both teams bow out, then that's where England has a chance.
It must be noted, though, that Germany only needs 0.488 coefficient points to seal the extra spot. That is two wins or a win and two draws.
However, it will be a treacherous path. Aston Villa needs to win it all in the Europa Conference League.
Then, France's Marseille and PSG must also be defeated in their respective competitions.
Currently, Tottenham Hotspur, fifth in the Premier League table, is cheering the hardest for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa is fourth in the standings with a 3-point lead over the Spurs.
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