Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are all flying in the Champions League... so is this the year English clubs finally succeed?

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Our television pundits and presenters widely eulogise that the Premier League is the greatest league in world football, but in recent seasons that has not translated against Europe's elite. It is even an argument why English sides have struggled so.

Yet, it has been more than a decade since four English sides won their opening two games of a Champions League campaign and there is reason to be hopeful.

Putting Liverpool to one side as they struggle to get to grips with a return to the Champions League, the two Manchester clubs are not breaking sweat as they stroll through their respective groups. 

Manchester United's players celebrate on their way to victory against CSKA Moscow

Romelu Lukaku stands in the six-yard box after putting the ball past keeper Igor Akinfeev

United's two wins from two means they are top of Group A... with Benfica home and away next

Tottenham recorded that memorable 3-1 Wembley win against Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea beat La Liga's Atletico Madrid away from home with a strike in the fourth minute of stoppage time on Wednesday night. 

The scorelines of the other three's games were more impressive this week, but Antonio Conte's victory was more significant: an English club had never beaten Atletico away since their first meeting with Leicester City in 1961. Is this the Premier League's revival in Europe?

Between 2005 and 2011, English clubs dominated in Europe. Liverpool beat AC Milan in Istanbul, Arsenal reached the final in 2006 and Manchester United in 2009 and 2011, only stopped by Barcelona. United won an all-English final against Chelsea in 2008. In 2007 and 2009, English clubs made up three-quarters of the semi-finalists.

Cesar Azpilicueta grabs Alvaro Morata's face after Chelsea's last-gasp winner against Atletico

Antonio Conte's side have been in impressive form in the Champions League so far this term

A mauling of Qarabag in the opening gameweek sees Chelsea flying high at the top of Group C

But when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to lift the trophy in 2012, rather than sparking the start of a rich era of success, it was the peak before the fall. Since then English clubs have barely made the semi-finals.

During that purple patch in the early noughties the English sides were regularly recording upwards of 17 out of 24 points from a combined points tally after two games each. That has dropped significantly since 2012. In 2006 only Liverpool's draw against PSV Eindhoven prevented another 100 per cent haul after two matches.

This season's beginnings has promise, but it could easily end up like all the recent adventures. Gareth Bale has experienced the difference between football on these shores and in Spain, where he has flourished in the competition with Real Madrid.

Raheem Sterling lifts the ball over the keeper and into the net against Shakhtar on Tuesday

City's players congratulate Kevin De Bruyne after his goal gave the English side the lead

Two near-perfect displays see Manchester City top of Group F after two European matches

'Every game in the Premier League you have to be at 100 per cent for 90 minutes or you will lose,' he said in an interview with Sportsmail. 'In Spain, you can be up at half-time against the bottom club and take your foot off the gas. You can rest players and take people off. If you try for 45 minutes you won't win a match in the Premier League.

'Obviously the winter break is massive. In England you'll play four or five games and we don't play any. You don't get many rest days and it really does burn you out for a long time after that.'

Truth will out during the knockout stages next year, while this hope-inducing start will certainly not continue for all four of those teams.

Harry Kane is mobbed by his team-mates after netting in Spurs' victory over APOEL Nicosia

There was yet another matchball travelling home with the England striker on Tuesday night

Real Madrid are only top by virtue of alphabetical order after their first two group matches

United's next two European games home and away are against Benfica, who are doing fine domestically but awfully in the Champions League, and with Basle and CSKA Moscow remaining, United could well top their group with maximum points. City play Napoli twice, Feyenoord, Shakhtar Donetsk and could match them.

But Spurs will probably come unstuck in their next fixture: Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Or after that when Real Madrid visit Wembley. Or Borussia Dortmund away, next still.

Chelsea also meet Roma, who have already held Atletico Madrid to a draw at home. If not in either of those next two matches, a final group game against Atletico at Stamford Bridge in December could see them drop points.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could only watch his side draw against Spartak Moscow this week

Liverpool are the only English team without two wins, after failing to beat Sevilla and Spartak