Top clubs are being held back by Premier League rules and things must change to avoid further embarrassment in Europe. All but two English sides have already been knocked out of the Champions League this season, with Liverpool and Arsenal the sole survivors. And with the struggling Reds going up against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, it won’t get any easier.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will be recovering from their upcoming match against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals. PSG were supposed to be playing Lens on the weekend, but that game has been postponed after they submitted a request to Ligue 1 bosses.

England having two domestic cup competitions, plus the Premier League, to contend with means it would be impossible to give Liverpool a free weekend in the same way.

As a result, the Reds find themselves on the back foot against PSG before a ball has even been kicked. So what can be done to prevent similar situations from arising in the future?

The obvious answer would be to reduce the domestic fixture list, but that won’t happen while there is so much money to be made.

Scrapping the Carabao Cup could be a way around it, although such a move would be unlikely. While it wouldn’t help Liverpool in this particular scenario, it would give teams fewer fixtures per season, helping ease fatigue and prevent injuries.

The tournament has nowhere near the prestige of the FA Cup, so aligning with other European leagues by having only one domestic cup competition may not be such a terrible idea.

Another option would be for the Premier League to increase squad sizes, allowing clubs to improve their strength in depth to help with rotation when important fixtures pile up.

Financial constraints could also be relaxed to help teams prise the world’s best players away from clubs like PSG and Real Madrid. In theory, this would help make English sides stronger in the Champions League.

It’s not clear what action Premier League bosses would be willing to take in order to give their clubs a helping hand. But unless something changes over the next few years, there could be more humiliation for the country’s best teams in Europe.