Is the Premier League that good?

[chris_theo]

This is a genuine wondering of mine, main reason being how bored I was watching Spurs last night. For the last two years (not sure if it's our own decline performance wise) I've wondered if the PL is all that it is hyped up to be. Yes the physicality of the league is evident, but goals, skills, intelligence and the way teams play......I'm struggling to see what the fuss is about. Couple of stats to add to the discussion.

La Liga - Matches 30 - Goals 66 - Average of 2.2 goals per game
PL - Matches 50 - Goals 123 - Average of 2.5 goals per game
Serie A - Matches 30 - Goals 80 - Average of 2.7 goals per game
Bundesliga - Matches 36 - Goals 108 - Average of 3 goals per game (pretty much a 1 team league though)

La Liga Top 5 players - Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Bale, Neymar
PL Top 5 players - Aguero, Toure, Silva, Rooney, Sanchez
Serie A Top 5 - Higuain, Pogba, Mandzukic, Hamsik, Vidal
Bundesliga Top 5 - Muller, Lewandowski, Robben, Reus, Ribery

Struggling to get stats on fouls, red cards, assists etc.

The topic is purely opinion based but the more matches I'm wathcing, the more I think that the Premier League is getting a bit boring.

Our top teams:

Chelsea - Haven't seen any great play from them in the last 2-3 years
City - Very poor last season, and only starting to pick up now.
Utd - Look very poor at the moment and picked up some lucky wins, bar Liverpool. Last season was also very boring from them
Arsenal - Play some lovely football but still fail to do anything in Europe, or even beat the teams above.
Spurs - Haven't enjoyed watching us play since the Redknapp days (brutal honesty)
Liverpool - Nuff said
Everton - Quite enjoy watching them even though defending can be shocking at times (last year mainly)

Now there's even talk of Serie A taking a Champions League spot from us.

 

[heinsmit]

What you're missing is the fact that it's much more competitive than any of those other leagues, in that any team could beat any other team on any given day. Bundesliga is also arguably quite competitive but the winner is predetermined, at least we have a race for the title. So that adds excitement. I still think PL is the most exciting in the world and La Liga is actually dire in that respect. Too many drubbings to be tense

 

[Montasura]

As above.

It is the most competitive, the most physical (IMO), the most entertaining. BUT, I don't think it is the "best" league in the world.

Perhaps the more important question is what constitutes the word "best". Are we talking about things like being competitive or entertaining, or are we talking about which league has the best players, most CL winners, that kind of thing.

Many will argue that La Liga is the best league in the world, but I would actively avoid watching that turgid garbage. Whereas I thoroughly enjoy watching Bundesliga matches whenever I can.

PL is the only major European league where the league winners could potentially be relegated the following year.

 

[Xeeleeyid]

As above.

It is the most competitive, the most physical (IMO), the most entertaining. BUT, I don't think it is the "best" league in the world.

Perhaps the more important question is what constitutes the word "best". Are we talking about things like being competitive or entertaining, or are we talking about which league has the best players, most CL winners, that kind of thing.

Many will argue that La Liga is the best league in the world, but I would actively avoid watching that turgid garbage. Whereas I thoroughly enjoy watching Bundesliga matches whenever I can.

PL is the only major European league where the league winners could potentially be relegated the following year.

I've yet to see anyone win the PL and come anywhere near to relegation the season after. While they didn't ultimately get relegated, Borussia Dortmund's fall in Germany is far closer to what you describe than anything the PL has produced.

In terms of competitiveness, I don't think the PL is the most competitive league in the world.

Teams that have won the BPL in the last 10 years are Man U, Chelsea, Man City (3 teams)
Bundesliga in the same period: Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund (4 teams)
Serie A in the same period: Internazionale, AC Milan, Juventus (3 teams)
La Liga in the same period: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid (3 teams)
Ligue 1 in the same period: Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, PSG (6 teams)

So French football is the most competitive of Europe's top 5 leagues by some distance, although obviously PSG's money may change that going forward. However, even taking France aside, The BPL is by no means that competitive. As to the myth of 'any team can beat any other on its day', well that can happen in any other league too.

 

[Blake Griffin]

the premier league is a joke, our teams are actually indirectly weakening themselves by bankrolling other leagues. pl sides would be better off saving their money and trying to build some consistency and identity in their teams.

 

[KILLA_SIN]

I've yet to see anyone win the PL and come anywhere near to relegation the season after. While they didn't ultimately get relegated, Borussia Dortmund's fall in Germany is far closer to what you describe than anything the PL has produced.

In terms of competitiveness, I don't think the PL is the most competitive league in the world.

Teams that have won the BPL in the last 10 years are Man U, Chelsea, Man City (3 teams)
Bundesliga in the same period: Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund (4 teams)
Serie A in the same period: Internazionale, AC Milan, Juventus (3 teams)
La Liga in the same period: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid (3 teams)
Ligue 1 in the same period: Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Marseille, Montpellier, PSG (6 teams)

So French football is the most competitive of Europe's top 5 leagues by some distance, although obviously PSG's money may change that going forward. However, even taking France aside, The BPL is by no means that competitive. As to the myth of 'any team can beat any other on its day', well that can happen in any other league too.

If you stretch out that analysis to the beginning of the EPL we are arguably the least competitive. Foreign ownership of Chelsea and City has made the league more competitive, It would be hard to see who would have won the league other than UTD if Chelease and City had not won some titles.


From 1990
EPL
Man Utd 13
Arsenal 3
Leeds 1
Chelsea 4
City 2
Blackburn 1

Serie A
Sampdoria 1
Ac 7
Juventus 9
Lazio 1
Roma 1
Inter 5

Bundesliga
Kaiserslautern 1
Bayern 13
Stuttgart 2
WederBremen 1
Wolfsburg 1
Dortmund 5

Spain
Barca 13
RM 7
Atletico 2
Depor 1
Valencia 2

France
Marseille 3
PSG 4
Nantes 2
Auxerre 1
Lens 1
Bordeaux 2
Lille 1
Montepellier 1
Monaco 2
Lyon7

 

[tobi]

I don't think there is a league that can be definitively called the best in the world.

The EPL is favours power and pace.
LA Liga is technical.
Serie A is tactical.

I'm not sure what word I'd use to describe the Bundesliga but the French league is kind of similar to the EPL.

Most EPL teams lack nous and tactical discipline/flexibility in Europe.

 

[Amo]

Football in the EPL is pretty ugly compared to Germany and Spain.

 

[CowInAComa]

The competitiveness of the premier league this season dwarfs all others top to bottom. Every team can pretty much beat any other and does.

Whether that means its the best is subjective.

 

[tototoner]

Bundesliga for me.

Value for money and atmosphere for the fans.

It's just a shame 1 team has been so dominant the last few seasons

 

[ItsBoris]

The very best players in the world play in the Spanish league.

The Premier League has the best distribution of quality though imo. I don't think the bundesliga or serie a have the same quality at the top or throughout the league as the premier league has. But I also don't understand why teams like Man City do so poorly in Europe. They are definitely one of the top 5 teams in Europe but consistently underperform. Theoretically, City, Chelsea, and United should all make the quarterfinals at least, but I doubt that will happen.

 

[Xeeleeyid]

The very best players in the world play in the Spanish league.

The Premier League has the best distribution of quality though imo. I don't think the bundesliga or serie a have the same quality at the top or throughout the league as the premier league has. But I also don't understand why teams like Man City do so poorly in Europe. They are definitely one of the top 5 teams in Europe but consistently underperform. Theoretically, City, Chelsea, and United should all make the quarterfinals at least, but I doubt that will happen.

Not really. In theory, Man City/Chelsea are inferior to the top clubs if you think about their top players.

For example, Yaya Toure and Cesc Fabregas are the lynch pins of their respective midfields but both were surplus to requirements at Barcelona.

Navas, Aguero, Silva all played at clubs at the next tier down to Barca/Real, but during periods when those clubs weren't really challenging the big two.

Every player can make a step up of course but saying in theory or that on paper City and Chelsea should be challenging these clubs is not really bourne out when you analyse things properly.

Most great teams that win the Champions League are built on a strong core of local talent or youth team talent.

Man U with Giggs, Scoles, Beckham, Nevilles.
Liverpool with Carragher, Gerrard, Owen, Fowler.
Chelsea with Terry, Lampard, Cole.
Barcelona with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Pique.
Real with Casillas, Ramos.

You then supplement that with real top top world class talent with drive like Drogba, Neymar, Ronaldo, Bale.

I just don't see any teams in England right now where they just have that invincibility about them, like when you went to Old Trafford playing the Fergie Man U with Giggs and co thinking a 1-0 or 2-0 defeat would be an ok result.

The English top 4 teams just look bland and unexciting to me, lots of expensive players, but little passion, togetherness, drive and a lack of just that something that makes things special.

 

[Gassin's finest]

For pure football entertainment, the Premier League in it's entirety, is way better imo.

A very generalised summarised view:

• Italian football is slow, technical, and full of crooks.
• Spanish football is replete with gamesmanship
• German football is actually quite fun, but is over organised, and their stadiums still have fences and the supporters are generally far too from the pitch... which I don't like.

English football is more open, more end to end, and the fan engagement is just more enjoyable.

Them's me onions.