EPL teams have "struggled" - if not failed - in Europe this season. However, is success in Europe the sole criterion to make such a judgement? Chelsea could/should have beaten PSG, but "forgot" to play! Yes, the World's best players are in Spain - Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, etc - but is the overall average quality of player in La Liga better than in England? What is definite, in my opinion, is that refereeing standards appear to have fallen in the EPL.
It is fairly (at best) obvious that there are four teams elsewhere that you could say are better than what we have to offer. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are all more than capable of winning the Premier League if such an episode could ever exist. But as leagues go then the Premier League is probably still the strongest from 1st place to through to 20th. What is not up for debate is who has the strongest league pyramid, that is England hands down. Nowhere else in the world even gets close and that is according to the foreign coaches who are astounded that here there are professional teams down to the fourth tier. A few weeks ago a new Premier League manager spoke of his surprise at how an English team ranked 90th showed more skill and organisation than what he saw in Spain's second tier and he didn't base his conclusion on one off FA Cup games but when he and his scouts checked out some of the young talent coming through in League Two.
You will get dips in the representation of Premier League teams reaching the final stages of The European competitions, and sometimes this is not helped by the heavy fixture list of the British game, but I fully expect this to come right, and I think next season you will see that. Moyes has not thought this through, and if you take a handful of top players from the Spanish game, what have you got? Project makes some valid points above, but I think that if Real madrid or Barcelona were in the Prem, they wouldn't look so good after 10 games in, they would definitely struggle with the physicality and pace in my view, but they are big clubs used to the big Euro competitions, which they have a settled approach to, which does help their cause....
The premiership is widely known as the best league in the world and not just for the football. Wages are a big factor for foreign players also as obviously if you are good enough will earn a million quid a month with a really big club but even the also ran clubs like us pay better than most of the equivalent over seas clubs. Not only is this country a soft touch for immigrants but our football clubs are also.......and its the working class who lose out and its our home grown talent that most are not discovered and given a fair chance......my opinion
The use of the word "best" is very subjective. On any particular match day,some of the games may warrant that epithet,but many would fall into the average/poor/awful,category. Just ask yourself this question - How many matches have you seen this season that have been memorable,and worth the price of admission,and then ask how many haven't? Paying large wages to players does not,of itself,make it the "best". Most expensive,for sure. There's too much of "The Emperor's Clothes" about the P.L. for my taste,and I really do enjoy hearing commentators and spectators bemoan the quality,or lack of,that is constantly on offer.
Widely known as the most exciting - not the best! As Lib says - 'best' is too subjective (for that matter so is exciting) - if the PL was the best then it would follow that our top teams would at least (if not actually winning) be challenging for European honours - but we aint!! This season has been one of strange results - with so called 'lower' teams taking 'bigger' scalps on a regular basis. 'Emperor's clothes' is a decent comparison Lib - too often commentators have lavished praise on mediocre performances. That said, have enjoyed the season thus far, and think it will live up to its 'most exciting' tag as the season draws to a close - the relegation battle will, once again, be far more interesting than the contest for the title! We also have our own targets and would hope that we can carry the positive performances, and results, to the last game of the season - Brenda's record points tally should be exceeded and I would be disappointed if we don't get past the 50 mark!
Well they would,wouldn't they? There is no escaping the fact that the so called Premier League isn't so premier,and hasn't been for some years. My opinion,of course,and other opinions/points of view are available,and acceptable,to me anyway. Most pundits,former and current players that I have heard/read discussing the current Man.Utd.team,for example, are adamant that it's the poorest they have been in living memory. I agree with them,and have been saying so all season. Since they are currently lying in 4th spot,just two points behind 2nd,kind of makes my point. As further proof,a not so great Swans' are in 8th. In addition,the fight to avoid the drop is awash with contenders. Perhaps it's time to drop the pretentious "Premier" tag and revert back to what it really is - "The First Division"- and re-title the other three Divisions accordingly.
The premier league is not just Man Utd, they have regressed since fergy left them, but other teams have progressed for example the Saints, they have shown what's possible with a forward thinking manager and players who will go the extra mile. You appear to think that just because Utd have fallen behind that the whole league has fallen. The Spanish league is like what the Scottish league was, two teams and the rest, with the exception of Atletico last season in the last 15 years or so there has only been two winners of the league, and it's highly likely one of those two will win it this term.
I never said/inferred that "the premier league is not just Man.Utd.",and your Saints observation is a relevant one. However,Utd.,who set the level for so many years,and are more a barometer than the Saints,are now universally seen as an inferior team,yet they are highly placed. That says something,to me ,and many others. Everton,who usually set a high standard,are also well off the pace. I'm not sure who the "other teams who have progressed" are. Many seem to have regressed. "The whole league has fallen",and that's not just my opinion. People/ex players/managers feel the same. I made no mention of the Spanish League.
I've tried my best over the last 30 minutes to write a response to this article. I've had to just conclude that at the end of the day, there is no way to tell if the league is stronger or weaker. The only yardstick we have is European performances from the top teams, but that doesn't take into account the strength of the rest of the league. Barcelona may beat Man City, but would Bilbao beat Swansea in a competitive environment? Would Eibar beat West Brom? Would Granada beat QPR? Questions we'll never know. Comparing a league to itself from a few years ago is a pointless observation. There are too many differentiating factors. Squads and managers have changed; top players have come and gone; serious injuries have occurred and lengthy bans have been served; colder and wetter winters can be warmer and drier in some years favouring players from warmer climates; favourable fixture runs can avoid big teams for a length of time and allow confidence to grow, likewise unfavourable fixture runs can see you playing a big team every 3 games which piles pressure onto the other games killing confidence; World Cups and European competitions may see top players saving themselves for the Summer; some teams exit cup competitions early allowing them more rest than in other seasons; some teams suffer shock losses in the cups which hits confidence and spreads into league form; etc., etc. Too much is different every season to compare the league against itself and say that the league is better or worse than before. You could do it by playing Ryder Cup style matches against other leagues to see, from 1st to 20th, how the teams in the same respective positions compare against each other. Even then, you're only comparing how good the whole league is against another one. You can't tell if one league is getting better, or if the other one is just getting worse. This whole debate is pointless. So I'm out. We're 8th. We're hopefully going to finish there. We're hopefully going to break our points record. That's all that matters to me. It shows that, as a club, we're continuing to get stronger. I couldn't give a toss about the league as a whole, I only care where we finish, and hopefully, we're going to be the 8th best in the land this year.
Thoughtful,well reasoned post,but I still consider that this season's P.L. is substandard,but I know you won't "give a toss",as is your entitlement.
The "bestness" of the Premier League can be computed from the following equation: K= (A*B)/C + N, where: K= coefficient of bestness A= total goals scored by all teams B= total number of blatant dives in the penalty area C= number of incorrect predictions by Lawro N= the number you first thought of The K value for this season is currently 0.8593 which is the highest it has been since the 2001/2002 season.
