Unless Manchester City can produce the greatest result in their European history - arguably their entire history - and overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Barcelona on Wednesday night, England faces an embarrassing total wipeout from this season's Champions League. With Paris Saint-Germain dumping Chelsea out last week and Monaco resisting Arsenal's spirited fightback on Tuesday night, we face the prospect of having no Premier League representatives in the quarter-finals. The English charge on the continent halted by mid-March? It never used to be like this, you know. Arsenal's Santi Cazorla is commiserated as Monaco celebrate knocking out the English side on Tuesday . Dejected Chelsea players walk off the field at Stamford Bridge after their Champions League exit to PSG . Joe Hart roars his frustration during Manchester City's first-leg defeat to Barcelona at the Etihad . This graphic showing the English clubs that have reached the Champions League quarter-finals since 2004 . You don't have to flick too far back through the record books to find a time when England ruled in Europe's foremost club competition. The last halcyon days were the three seasons from 2006-07 until the end of 2008-09, when the Premier League supplied 11 of the 24 quarter-finalists. Going back to Liverpool's miraculous triumph in Istanbul in 2005, England has provided eight of the 20 finalists. In the 2006-07 season, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all made it to the semi-finals. They all repeated the feat 12 months later, with United beating Chelsea on penalties in the Moscow final. In 2008-09, United knocked out Arsenal in the last four, while Barcelona squeezed past Chelsea. Since then, it's been an overall trend of decline. While United were runners-up again in 2011 and Chelsea lifted the trophy in 2012, as well as reaching the semi-finals last season, the English dominance seen during that golden three-year period hasn't been replicated. Chelsea and Manchester United contested the 2008 Champions League final in a golden period for England . Man United met Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals in the 2008-09 campaign . Chelsea and Liverpool met in the 2008 Champions League semi-finals, with the London club advancing . The mantle has been passed to Spain, who will expect to see Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the last four unless paired in the next round. So while the Premier League continues to grow ever-richer, with the astonishing £5.1bn television deal signed earlier this year ensuring record returns for years to come, money doesn't necessarily guarantee success across the board in Europe. Though Chelsea reached the last four a year ago, United exited at the quarter-final stage, while City and Arsenal departed in the last 16. The season 2012-13 was even worse, with United and Arsenal crashing out in the last 16 and Chelsea and City failing to get out of their groups. There isn't one single reason to explain this slump in Premier League performance, but a growing school of thought is that the lack of a winter break is beginning to hold our teams back. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have always advocated a winter pause and the evidence to support them grows with every passing season. Wayne Rooney and Manchester United were beaten by Bayern Munich in last season's quarter-finals . Lionel Messi scores for Barcelona in their win over Manchester City this time last season . Tomas Rosicky and Arsenal were eliminated by Bayern Munich at the last-16 stage last season . City boss Manuel Pellegrini joined the chorus in an interview with Sportsmail this week, saying: 'December and January are very tough months because of the number of games. 'You reach an important part of the season and you are not in optimum shape because there is no winter break as there is in other countries. 'English football gives other leagues an advantage. There are some traditions you can't change, I realise that. Boxing Day is non-negotiable. But you can't play nine games in December and nine in January. You have to stop at some point.' He has a point. The quantity and intensity of fixtures in England means that no player can emerge from the hectic December and January period firing on all cylinders. It is a time that features vital matches in the Premier League as the title race takes shape, while the leading clubs are increasingly keen to win the FA Cup and League Cup, which might at one time have warranted weakened teams. The leading sides are scared witless of finishing the season empty-handed - even the once-maligned League Cup is now taken seriously. Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini has joined the chorus of managers favouring a winter break . Paris Saint-Germain didn't play a competitive match between December 21 and January 4 . Chelsea played five times during that period, including a 5-3 defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day . In explaining Chelsea's exit, you might consider that PSG didn't play a single competitive match between December 21 and January 4. In that same time, Chelsea played Stoke City, West Ham, Southampton, Tottenham and Watford. While Monaco broke off after winning at Metz on December 20 and didn't resume until January 4, Arsenal had to play Liverpool, QPR, West Ham, Southampton and Hull City. For both London clubs, the fixtures continued to come thick and fast in the subsequent six weeks before their European ties. There is no respite. And while Manchester City played Crystal Palace, West Brom, Burnley, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, Barcelona were out of action. After cruising into the winter break with an 8-1 rout of Huesca and a 5-0 win over Cordoba, when they resumed, Lionel Messi and Co - after a shock defeat by Real Sociedad - recorded thrashings of Elche (5-0, 4-0 and 6-0) and Deportivo La Coruna (4-0). There is no escaping the reality that Barcelona's matches are far more straightforward than those played by City. Little wonder they had the greater energy at the Etihad. Barcelona had not only a winter break but a reasonably straightforward run of games in January . While football over the Christmas period should be kept sacred, a couple of weeks off in January would not go amiss and would boost English chances of getting through the last-16 stage. The scrapping of FA Cup replays would also be a sensible move. Of course, there was no winter break in England between 2006 and 2009, but English clubs still prospered. This points perhaps to a growing pace and intensity of all domestic games and perhaps a strategic naivety in approaching two-legged ties. Owen Hargreaves, well-placed to compare styles having played for Bayern Munich and United, observed on BT Sport last week that: 'If we got past the first 20 or 30 minutes, we'd probably win the game because the English teams used to come out all guns blazing, the defence would push the team forward and we used to realise if we could keep it at 0-0 we would win. 'In the Premier League, that works, but in Europe the teams are too talented, too good in possession.' Should City exit, as expected, against Barcelona, the debate as to why English clubs no longer reach the latter stages of the Champions League en masse will intensify. There is no definitive answer or quick fix but a breather in English football's ruthless, relentless schedule is an increasingly popular option to give our teams a fighting chance in Europe.
Chelsea and Arsenal are already out of Champions League at last-16 stage . Man City are likely to follow, trailing Barcelona 2-1 after home leg . Liverpool didn't even get through the group phase this season . Premier League clubs' performance has declined in last few seasons . Golden period between 2006-2009 saw England with 11 quarter-finalists . Managers are increasingly calling for winter break to boost chances . All participants have struggled with intense and relentless fixture list .