Barcelona - Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes the failure of any English side to make the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a second time in three years is related to the Premier League's relentless winter schedule.
Pellegrini's men were dumped out at the last 16 stage by Barcelona for a second consecutive season on Wednesday as Ivan Rakitic's solitary goal in the second leg sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Arsenal and Chelsea had earlier been eliminated by French sides Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, whist Liverpool failed to even make it out of the group stages.