Time and again at the end of every season this question comes up: is the EPL really the best league in terms of entertainment and quality of football?
The answer to this question can never be absolute or certain but definitely the general consensus is that it is ONE of the best leagues. The one question that subsequently follows this observation is—if this league has completed the transition from the relative to the superlative—i.e. from "one of the best leagues" to "The best league."
Opinions are varied and each argument comes very logically derived and nicely articulated to sound convincing. Here I take my stand on this matter.
The first criteria that judges a league is the entertainment it provides (though I have always maintained it should be the quality of football). Anyways, there can never be a shadow of a doubt that the EPL is definitely a very entertaining league. With high tempo matches. Players ranging from the technically gifted flair players to ones who dig in and do the job for their team's week in and week out.
It must also be noted that Manchester United remains the club with the largest fan base in the world. With the traditions of clubs like Liverpool, United and Arsenal and the moolah that Chelsea inject into their football it is ensured that the players playing in it are the very best in the world.
All this makes the EPL the most watched league in the world. While the Spanish league is also a very popular league I doubt that it can match up to the excitement of the Premier League. With this year the title race going down to the last match, my point is further seconded.
Now coming to the most important aspect (which, I must admit, is very dear to football critics and pundits). The quality of football.
For me this league provides the best overall package of footballing skills. We have teams which play sublime touch football. The ones who play the direct balls. The ones who counter attack at deadly pace. The point I want to make is that here you get to see a good mix of footballing ideologies.
The first point that people come up in opposition to the idea of EPL being the best is the BIG Four and the gap between them and the rest. Well to the defense of my argument let me point out that though the difference in quality is there this season we have seen the teams like West Ham, Bolton etc giving a good competition to the big four.
Then again, let me ask which league does not have this difference of quality between the top teams?
In La Liga the difference between second and third is more than evident when you see teams play. Moreover because the Spanish team's defenses are so shaky (I guess I'll be backed up on this one) that all matches are very open so we can see the lower teams being able to put (almost every time) one or two past the bigger teams.
Somehow I can't seem to buy the opinion that the Spanish league is more competent.
The case with Seria A is even worse, the gap ("a huge rift" would be a better phrase to use here) between the top teams and the rest of the league is very evident and I don't think I need to talk you into buying this Idea.
Then we come to the title challenge. Some would say that the EPL is always a three horse race, But isn't the Spanish league a two horse chase (always after Deportivo and Valencia self destruct) and Seria A used to be a toss up between Juve and AC Milan and more recently the title seems to have found a home at the San Siro with both sides of Milan fighting it out.
Two years is row we have had three semi finalists. For I guess Four years in a row an English team is in the finals. This year we have both the teams featuring in the finals from England. It cannot be a fluke year in and year out.
Also I guess the English teams are playing the "complete football" (certainly United and Chelsea). Taking the best of skills from each of the league. Flair from Spain, defensive resilience from Italy and heart, passion and counter attacking skills from England.
We all know that United and Chelsea are a very good attacking line up. United having the best attacking record in the Champions League this year. Ronaldo being the top scorer, but when time comes they can defend as good as any legendary Italian defenses.
Balancing it out has been the secret to success for the English teams.
Some may say the original English style of football has been lost, I say a new and better style has been imbibed and incorporated.
Change is always an index of growth (though the National team seems to be stuck with the old English style, hope Capello changes it for the good because at the end it is the trophies that matter and with the talented players that the English national side boast of, both the players and the National team deserve more).
At the end of this article I would like to point to the fact that we are compelled to talk about this league and participate in this never ending debate which testifies that the League has grown too good to ignore.
Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it.
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2 months ago
You make a lot of assumptions about the other leagues. Do you actually watch them?
from 2 months ago
John, the only leagues that ive commented on except EPL is the la liga and seria A.
And the stuff you call assumptions are observations actually, dont the spanish sides have a very poor defence? Take the champions Real Madrid for example how many times have you seen Casillas bail them out. For half of their season Casillas remains their man of the match.
Isnt the Seria A a toss up between Juve and Milan only, it is only after juve got relegated that Inter and roma recently have stepped up as title challengers? (inter lossed its way in the middle when Juve and AC were going strong)
Isnt Spanish football more about flair, passing dribbling etc and Italian sides more based on defending and hitting on the counter. Isnt that not the reason AC Milan were so successfull.
I surely havent been seing the other leagues since the universe formed after the big bang-they are not well marketed in asia [guess why? ;-)], but certaily for the last six to seven years.
I quite dont see actually which observation of mine irked you, if you will be more specific i could give my points of view better.
Cheers!
2 months ago
How many Brazilian or Argentinian league matches have you watched this year?
I also think the Spanish league has many more quality teams to offer.....Sevilla for example just ran into bad luck at the Champs league. Daniel Alves could be considered best in the world ..English clubs offered a truck load of money for his pass causing Sevilla to give him a raise and the captain`s role.
Currently the world number one is Kaka with Messi second and neither plays in EPL.
EPL gets Cristiano who likes using his second name for some reason.
And last but not least there is the FIFA world club thing which English teams never seem to win currently held by Milan.
from 2 months ago
S, well I quite dont get to see the Brazilian and argentine leagues (though i would like to see them they are the breeding ground of future stars but by the time they morph ino ones they are poached by the bigger leauges of europe).
Since star players have a huge bearing on the marketing of a league and its popularity i didnt care to include the south american leagues in my comparison.
As far as Sevilla and Champions league and luck is considered I strongly feel had the draw been right we would have had an all english semifinals too!...the point is yes they are good (the other spanish sides) and they have good players but so does the premier league.
Now as far as players are concerned each league has them (they have to-luca toni with bayern in bundesliga,messi and others etc in other leagues) but then the EPL has them too and i feel they are spread evenly (santa cruz of blackburn, berbatov, TEvez used to play for west ham, and the list can grow). As far as world number ones are concerned well I know all ronaldo has to do to get the Ballon D'or (if he does not get this year) is play with a spanish or italian team because i DOnt know out of what insanity They dont seem to Give it to players in epl..( gerard is very good had he been in milan he would have got it by now, Henry never got it with arsenal)
And the icing on the cake is your comment on FIFA world club well we all know thats a gimmick on the part of FIFA to spread football around the world. One week in tokyo, do you think thats what decides it? how can you be so naive? If milan held it and it got knocked by arsenal common sense suggests that Arsenal should be the best team in the world? is this the way its supposed to work?
from 2 months ago
Santa Cruz is a nobody. Guys who play on the beach for fun here are at that level.
Tevez used to be good when he and Macherano used to play in Brazil but I actuall think playing in EPL has deiminished their play. But that`s whole other argument and a lot of opinion so i don`t want to go there.
All I want to say about the World Club championship is that if you compare it to the World Cup where the idea was born in South America.....in the beginning England said that the tourney lacked quality and they would not participate. Only when teams like Italy started to take part and win did England jump on board. Fact is England and the English always seem to not want anything foreign....fear of bursting the superiority bubble.
History is just repeating itself with the World Club Cup ...The English like to pretend that its no good...this off season that...far...one week..bla bla........truth is that you are FEARFUL of getting run over and the whole ~we are the best~ bubble thing goes to the wind.
Kaka was quoted as saying last year that it was his dream to win the world club cup.
...and he`s the OFFICIAL best in the world.
Why did FIFA and Villareal ban Riqelme from taking part in this so called unimportant tourney...FEAR.
Don`t worry I think Man U has a good side this year and you may win......then your entire tone will change........~ we are the best in the world ETC.
So typical.
What should I expect from a country that invented football and cricket only to become the wipping boys of the world in both. Must be devastating for your EGO`s so you cling to whatever fantasies of greatness you can.
from 2 months ago
S, i must commend you on your reluctance to face the obvious truth (that world club chmps are shite)
and then giving reasons taking citing past instances.
I think Man united have already won this thing once after there trable with the beckham and yorke team..and we didnt jump on the "we are the best bandwagon", even SAF himself told that winning it does not reflect that one is worlds best. I think all fans with an open mind and without prejudices against EPL will accept it.
Moreover, we are going out of the topic. All I wanted to tell you is that the logic that milan are world champs etc has to do nothing with EPL being best ( arsenal kicked them out this year..). And moreover The debate is about EPL not about English FA and the english national football.
And i must admit That officially Kaka remains best player for only few more months, Until the next ballon d'or are annnounced. It will be Toni or Ronaldo [christiano uses his second name because it is his second name..just like Luiz Gomez Ronaldo's last name was ronaldo]
from 2 months ago
Now u got me.....i ask you.....who on god`s earth is Luiz Gomez Ronaldo??
Also the fact that England took 20years to finally recognize and participate in the World Cup (accepted by all as the main stage of football, largest sporting event in the world etc. etc.) is relavant.
It shows that the English are always slow to accept foreign influence on the game. It`s just a matter of time the world club title will be the greatest club title. As soon as it starts to take place in different places especially of course Europe.
And Milan are champions of the world. They played in a tourney with clubs from everywhere and came out on top.
Manchester`s and England`s sole title was a one off game and is not recognized by FIFA.
These are the facts. Like it or not is your problem.
Continue loving your big fish club in your little pond.
from 2 months ago
yeah, for the first part i got it wrong it is Luiz Nazário Ronaldo. Anyways thats not the point.
As you said, . "It`s just a matter of time the world club title will be the greatest club title.", now is not the time and for the time being its shite. when it assumes such importance as you wish it to have, believe me we'll be winning it. Moreover qualifying for it means wining the champions league and so rest assured it will not be your MILAN.
Two points : "little pond" , friend, if EPL is a little pond rest assured the other leagues are not bigger and even in deeper waters.
"big fish club", dude none come bigger than United, Fan Base, Popularity, League titles in one of the best league if not THE best league, Richest club. (your favourite magazine TIME announced it i guess).
I don't know which planet you are existing? Anyways all i know that chapions league is the most prestigious club competition in the world right now.
For two years in row we have had three english semifinalists. This year only teams from EPl eliminated teams from EPL. For last four years i guess we have had an English teams in finals.
The two teams playing in UCL finals are fighting for the premier league which is going for its Showdown on the last day. I guess these are reasons enough for me to say currently EPL i is the best league in the world.
Thats the end of debate for me.
AS you say " These are facts. Like it or not is your problem". Ive never seen anyone living the phrase "Ignorance is BLiss" more perfectly that i See you.
Cheers, May Milan someday bring back your WOrld club championship back so that it can put a smile
back in your face. (that would take some time though next year you mite not even play in UCL. The best team in the world not playing in UCL!!!!!!! ha..........irony)
from 2 months ago
Well..... having a lot of money thanks to US investment, management and marketing could qualify a club as great if that`s what you look for in football.
But there are many different ways of measuring a league. There are only four clubs worth mentioning in your league. Just in Rio (which is a city not a country) there are four big clubs. There are almost 1000 pro clubs in Brazil. Six of them have been world champions. Not to mention a great deal of the great players in Europe past and present are Brazilian.
Also I`m not a Milan fan. I`m a Flamengo fan. In the days when Ian Rush was the Cristiano best this and that and Liverpool were the best on the planet ...Champions League this and that.......it all came to a fizzle in Tokyo............Flamengo 3(Three) Liverpool 0(NIL).
The World club is recognized and followed worldwide. One day it will matter to England.....but my friend England is not the world...you need to change your mindset....you won`t fall off the horizon if you go on a boat ride.
Europe is tiny.....Britain is microscopic.
The World Club Cup is held in Asia where most people on the planet live. My city has more people than Portugal.
You need to put it in your mind that you are small...and what you like does not represent the world ...not even close.
So enjoy your tiny pond.
from 2 months ago
AND I REPEAT.....who on god`s earth is Luiz Nazario Ronaldo...is he related to Beckham Michael?
Jesus!!! Are you referring to Ronaldo N.L. Lima? Ronaldo the phenomenon! One of the greatest ever. Two world cups ,one second place. Highest scorer EVER at the greatest stage of the sport or world sport for that matter. That Ronaldo??
And you screw his name up??? Twice!!
You were saying IGNORANCE is bliss. I totally agree.
2 months ago
West Ham and Bolton good competition to the "big four"???????????????
from 2 months ago
chris, its not for no reason that west ham and bolton are considered "bogey" teams for the likes of manchester united and chelsea. my point is that they are no more just walkovers and have the ability to beat the big four on their day.
2 months ago
Oh, I fully understand that teams in Spain aren't as defensive, given the technical way they play. And in Italy a more compact, organized style of play is given priority. But you imply that the Premier League teams have all the good qualities of the other leagues combined, which makes them better. I don't think the mid-table teams in the Premiership are better than their counterparts in Spain and Italy.
No one is going to argue against the quality of the top four teams of England. But these leagues are made up of 20 teams. You try to argue that the gap between the top teams of Spain and Italy are very large. I make the same argument with England.
Of course, the only way of knowing which league has the better mid-table teams is by having them compete against each other. Only the UEFA Cup allows this. And if you were able to watch that, you would know that teams like West Ham, Bolton, and Tottenham have exactly done much there. And yes, those English teams do take the UEFA Cup seriously, since often times it's the only competition they have a realistic chance of winning. But they still can't win it.
In the end, you should wait a couple of years before claiming that the Premier League is the best. They have to win, or at least make the final, of both European competitions for a few consecutive seasons before I'll concede that their the best. As of now, I can't say that the quality of those three leagues is any different, only that there is a different style of play. That's why the UEFA coefficients are taken for a period of 5 years.
from 2 months ago
John, thanks for sharing your views in detail.
The point I was trying to make was that unlike other leagues in which all most all other teams follow a similar style of play in England their are varied kinds of footballing strategies that are applied. I didnt mean to imply that the teams who use say "an italian sit back and counter startegy" are actually as good as their counterparts in italy.
Moreover you are right we have to wait for results in Uefa cup too to come up to a solution but Im convincd that next year onwards likes of everton, Tottenham, Villa and city would really perform better.
Cheers!
from 2 months ago
Everton, Bolton and Tottenham all reached the last 16 of the UEFA Cup this season – 3 teams from the EPL, only the Bundesliga had more representatives in the last 16.
from 2 months ago
Thanx Matt for that commented i guess you seconded my view, and i am sure that next season onwards the EPL teams will be better prepared to win it.
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