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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 27,628
Liverpool Legend
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Liverpool Legend
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 27,628 |
the premier league is a money making product that is very exciting to watch , but on the whole is low on quality , even when the english teams were doing well in the CL it was real madrid , barcelona , ac and inter milan etc etc who were favorites every season , i would say the last time the english top flight was truly number one in the world was the 70's and 80's . Agreed
IF YOU WANT TO BE HEARD SPEAK SOFTLY - BOB PAISLEY
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 739
Under 18 Player
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Under 18 Player
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 739 |
Getting back on track with the actual point of this thread...
Of course it's the best league in the world. In Spain, you have 2 teams realistically going to the top spot, Italy has 3, France 2-3 and Germany 2. The PL has Utd, City and Chelsea all competing heavily for the title, but also Arsenal, Spurs and Us all in with an outside shot of at least pushing the teams above us a bit further. Out of the top 6, you could argue at least 4 of them expect to win the title every year. I wonder if Athletico Madrid expect to win anything? Can the same be said for Bayer Leverkusen? Marseille? Montpellier? Napoli? Lazio? I very much doubt it.
The other European leagues are generally made up of 1-3 very good teams, 10-15 average-good teams and a few yoyo teams. The PL, imo, contains 3 very good teams, 4 good teams, 8 average-good teams and 5 yoyo-ish teams. I doubt very much whether any team outside of the top 4 in their league would do any better than a lower half PL team.
The competition is better in the PL than any other league, which will increase the quality of football played, and thats what makes it the best.
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8,791
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8,791 |
On the same note, in Spain we have Barca and Real competing for top spot, but Valencia, Sevilla, Atletico with an outside chance..just as exciting...and technically much better.
Sign Reus
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564 |
It may be technically better, but it's not as exciting. Spanish matches that don't have the big two playing are usually very boring. Valencia, Sevilla, and Bilbao used to be fun to watch, but not so much anymore. Atletico was fun to watch last year, but usually they are never close enough to the big two. The EPL has 4 teams that have actually won the tittle since the turn of the century. La Liga has 3. England also has teams like Liverpool who have challenged for the title the century, although not winning it, like the 2009 season. Also, while United have been on top since our slide in the 90s, the club challenging them keeps changing. It's been Arsenal, Chelsea, us, and now City.
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 739
Under 18 Player
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Under 18 Player
Joined: Jun 2012
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On the same note, in Spain we have Barca and Real competing for top spot, but Valencia, Sevilla, Atletico with an outside chance..just as exciting...and technically much better. It would take a monumental screw up from both Barca AND Real in the same season for anyone else to win. I can't see it happening, not for the next few years or so anyway. None of those teams you mentioned will win La Liga any time soon, I guess you could put them in the same boat as us in that sense. Athletico have swapped Falcao for Villa, so they won't finish as high as last year, Sevilla have lost Navas and Alberto and Valencia have been in financial trouble for a long time now and generally are unable to keep their stars. That leaves just Barca and Real to fight for the title, can't see it happening any other way! La Liga is just not competitive enough to be classed as the best league.
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,163
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,163 |
the premier league is a money making product that is very exciting to watch , but on the whole is low on quality , even when the english teams were doing well in the CL it was real madrid , barcelona , ac and inter milan etc etc who were favorites every season , i would say the last time the english top flight was truly number one in the world was the 70's and 80's . Simply not true. But even if it was, it's irrelevant. The outcome is what matters, not the prediction. Do you think AC Milan went home happy in 2005 because they had been 'favourites' for the match? An achievement and a sign of quality id winning a tournament - not being named favourite!
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564 |
Here's another thought to put things in perspective. If you were to take the best 11 from La Liga from last year, perhaps with he exception of Falcao, every player would be from Barca or Real.
If you were to take the best 11 from the Prem, you would get players from teams throughout the top 4 and even some outside the top 4 like Bale and Suarez. It isn't just United or City that have quality.
Last edited by redordead13; 16/07/13 08:27 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,163
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,163 |
the premier league is a money making product that is very exciting to watch , but on the whole is low on quality , even when the english teams were doing well in the CL it was real madrid , barcelona , ac and inter milan etc etc who were favorites every season , i would say the last time the english top flight was truly number one in the world was the 70's and 80's . Between 1970 and 1985, England had 9 finalists in the European cup. In the last 15 years, England has 9 finalists in the Champions league. Some might say that the current period is therefore equal to the 70s & 80s. Not me.........European competition was nothing like as competitive as it is now. In the 70s, the finalists included teams like Malmo, St Etienne, Brugge, Moenchengladbach, Panithaniakos. Whilst they may have reached the final on merit the quality was still a lot poorer in comparison to today. Without any shadow of a doubt, today's top flight in England is by far the strongest it has ever been.
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Aug 2011
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Agreed, the gap between the prem and everyone else just isn't as big anymore.
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,824
Under 23 Player
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Under 23 Player
Joined: Jul 2012
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In order or UEFA country coefficients (supplemented by my own opinions), I have seen the competitions of late, as such:
La Liga:
2 Main CL contenders - Barcelona, Real Madrid
4 European contenders - Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia
3 European competitors - Malaga, Osasuna, Villareal
Premier League:
3 Main CL contenders - Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea
2 European contenders - Arsenal, Tottenham
4 European competitors - Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle
Bundesliga
2 Main CL contenders - Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund
3 European contenders - Leverkusen, Schalke
4 European competitors - Hannover 96, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen
Serie A
1 Main CL contender - Juventus
3 European contenders - AC Milan, Inter, Napoli
4 European competitors - Fiorentina, Lazio, Roma, Udinese
Primeira Liga
1 Main CL contender - FC Porto
1 European contender - Benfica
2 European competitors - Braga, Sporting.
Primeira Liga
0 Main CL contender
3 European contender - Lyon, PSG, Marseille
2 European competitors - Lille, Bordeaux
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