There can only be one good team in each City... Chelsea in London Liverpool in Liverpool City in Manchester
What I'm saying is a league needs its power houses, if a league was to just change every season it lacks any real quality.
The best thing about La Liga over the last gawd knows how long is that 1) There has been a revolving set of teams getting 3rd and 4th which has made the league more competitive and exciting, and improved the quality of their football. 2) The teams that have qualified have done well in the CL, and particularly well in the UEFA Cup/Europa League showing a good depth in quality. For me the strength of the league (well Division really) is the style of football as much as its competitiveness. I am so fcking glad the days of Bolton and Stoke playing hoof ball and neanderthal football is over and that teams actually play the ball on the ground and play the passing game. I would also suggest that one reason why defences are poorer now is bcos teams outside the top 6 or 7 now have the balls to attack the so-called giants of football. The days of the likes of Fulham or West Brom coming to Old Trafford and parking the bus are few and far between. Yes ofcourse there are relics like Neil Warnock still knocking about but the sooner the last remaining dregs like him disappear the better. Over recent weeks we have seen QPR, Swansea, Southampton, West Brom, Stoke playing positive football, whereas in the past they would have played for the point. And we actually had people defending that bollox. "Ahhh you play to your strengths. If that means parking the bus, fouling, playing hoof ball so be it." Thank fck that myth has been blown out the water.
That's just your experience coinciding with Man Utds decline. Its a respect thing. Before they parked the bus because they knew they stood little chance of getting anything. Now they can smell blood so they're having a go, something Man Utd fans are not used to. Us Liverpool fans have been on a constant up and down with this attitude with opposition teams. Last year was a brilliant example. We started the season with teams coming to attack but finished with sides (including Chelsea) parking the bus because they feared our attack power. That respect as gone again now and we're back to seeing teams have a go at Anfield PS...I thought the style teams like Bolton and Stoke brought to the table were a good thing. Sure, its not pretty and I can't say I particularly enjoyed watching it but at least it mixed things up. Now we see every team passing the ball about for five minutes amongst the defenders before attempting to go beyond the halfway line. Great if its a few teams that are good enough to pull it off but not good when its every team trying to do the same thing!
FOR (PL being better than Spanish or German leagues): - no totally dominant team like Real, Barca, Bayern. Top dog changes every year. - more and bigger clubs fight for the other CL spots: united, liverpool, arsenal, vs atletico and borussia. The others are equivalent of the spurs. - underdog beats overdog a greater % of the time - underdog puts up a fight for 90+ minutes. Fewer lopsided romps by top teams.
The PL has always been a poor league tactically. The media are labeling it as an exciting league, which it is in some respects - goals, action, competitive. But none of these things translate to technique, tactics etc. Was reading a blog yesterday about how Serie A during the 90's and early 00's was the best league to watch real football. I remember watching teams like Milan who were so consistent and solid, and their domination both domestically and in the CL was a result of such tactical discipline combined with technical quality. I think the only English team to come close to that are Manchester United who reached a couple of CL finals in 2-3 years.
Some absolute bilge being written here. Not surprising that a kopite has decided this seasons league is crap, lol. The EPL has never professed to be the best technical exhibition on the planet, but what it has got is excitement and unpredictablility, which sets it apart from the rest.
Why would it be in our favour to decide that the EPL is crap? We're currently in the bottom half (with you) ffs so what would it say about us! And 10 years ago the top 4 teams were capable of beating ANYONE in Europe which showed in the CL results, now days Arsenal give 3 goals back to Anderlecht, City can't buy a win and don't get me started with us
Can't argue with the excitement but I'm speaking purely in terms of tactics, intelligence etc. PL has never been about that.
Bullshit. I'd say tactically we are one of the best, in that we have some of the best managers. Probably second only to Bundesliga. the PL is easily the best league purely because its the most unpredictable. La Liga is complete cack. Richer version of the SPL. All the money is poured into two clubs who completely dominate. If a third club muscles in it lasts for maybe 2-3 seasons before the club gets raped of all its players and we go back to El Classico dominance. Serie A is corrupt as ****. For me the PL and the Bundesliga are the best.
The mere fact that you say it's unpredictable counters the notion that it's a tactical league. The PL is far from tactical - why, because we're more concerned with fast football and attacking. That's not tactical. The only manager in the league who is a tactical genius is Mourinho - the discipline in his teams are immense, and his tactical grounding is why he is consistently achieving success. You look at attacking teams like City, Liverpool (last season), Dortmund etc - they do win trophies (except LFC ) but it's never for a sustained period. Barca under Pep will remembered for their amazing attacking ability but it was also down to the defensive discipline, pressing, tactical nous. Now it's Bayern Munich.
Last year our attack was brilliant. This meant we didn't have to worry about playing our direct rivals too much, we went about beating the lower ranked sides. IE; beat all ten bottom half sides home and away and you've got 60pts with eighteen other games to build on it with. this year, we're not beating the lower rank sides.
PL is the bigger, better, stronger league, period. The rise of Atletico and Borussia was purely down to their talented managers. And regrettably for these leagues, these two clubs still cannot claim big dog status, despite many recent successes, and despite a very sizable home fan base. To rub salt in the wound, without fail, these two clubs have been constrained to sell their top player every year, which in itself is pathetic. Talent-wise, La Liga has benefited from homegrown talent, whose stock has risen immensely in the last decade. Whereas Bundesliga goes to fish in markets we hold our nose at, such as Croatia, Hungary, Czech Rep, Poland, Serbia, Greece, Switzerland and Poland. Tactically, however, English teams have failed to impose their pace, physicality, grit, and energy as a superior style, something which is quite unnerving. We do get shy in Europe, and tend to play opponents in their own terms. City is the best at doing the Jekyll and Hyde. Continental referees don't help either.
I don't know Gerrez, I remember enough Liverpool fans under the Rafa era talking about teams parking the bus, sitting deep, how many chances you were creating but unable to finish. I think it applies to all teams. It's not just United. You must have heard this about the old Arsenal sides "Oh if Bolton try to play football with Arsenal, they'll get ripped apart so they do what they need to, to get a result." That in itself showed the tactics or lack of tactics. I have to disagree about the Bolton/Stoke comments. It's anti-football for any purist. If I play 5 a side or 7 a side or Futsal, the skill and satisfaction comes from passing and working the ball, while individuals also try to demonstrate/develop personal technical ability. I'd walk away from a game where everyone sat deep and hoofed it over the top all the time. I know what you're saying about mixing it up, but the problem was when it started paying off for the likes of Allardyce, every team outside the top 7 would do it. And often very badly. Right now, I'd tune into a game between QPR vs Sunderland. About 6 years ago I wouldn't have bothered bcos the technical nature of both teams wouldn't have been there. Even if both needed the win, the football would often have been one dimensional.
Brilliant post. We have been sold the idea of the PL being the best league by the slick PR of Skysports. Tactically it's always been poor. Technically our players are poor. Or at the very least inferior to those on the continent. There's a difference in mindset which can best be summed up by this example. Here you'll hear commentators saying things like "Just clear it" to defenders and fans will applaud a right back kicking it into row Z. On the continent, defenders are taught to be footballers and pass the ball out. And one thing is for sure, if the defenders boots it out into row Z, the fans don't applaud. I watch a lot of La Liga and have to say I enjoy watching teams outside the top 3. Clubs like Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Villareal, Sevilla, Racing Santander, Getafe, Osasuna over the last 10 years or so. And I'm not just talking in the league, but in the UEFA Cup/Europa League. I think ppl who say those outside the top 2/3 in Spain are poor simply don't watch them enough, OR more likely can't relate to the culture of football because they've been brought up on a quicker game rather than a more tactical, technical one.
