As everyone should already know... Barcelona took down Manchester United 3-1 for the Champions League Final. No doubt is the Barcley's Premier League the most funnest to watch as it has various teams that can compete to win the league but... is it the most skillful? ManU was the best of the supposed best league and Barcelona showed that they beat them in every aspect (shots, possesion, passing etc.). While in their own league they have had trouble sometimes with beating some teams.. Even having Real Madrid beat them in the Copa del Rey. So my thought is.. Is the EPL actually as elite compared to the other leauges as everyone says it is?
Barca is the class of the world at the moment - but the EPL is deeper in talent than any other league.
That would be a fun project, draft a 20 team league of all the worlds players and see where they are currently playing. I know 442 use to do a yearly Top 200 world players, of course it is printed in England...
Of course there are never any answers just some fun debates. But for me I watch EPL, Serie A, MLS and J league.
If you ever get the chance watch Gambare (J league highlights on Fox Soccer) you will see some really interesting ideas of where to play and where to deliver a ball.
UEFA Champions League gives us the chance to have the best play the best and see what comes of it.
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While in their own league they have had trouble sometimes with beating some teams..
Who doesn't over a 38 game season? They still dominated their league more than any other winner.
Barca-96 points, +74 GD
BVB (34 games)-75 points, +45 GD
Milan-82 points, +41 GD
Man U-80 points, +41 GD
Real had 21 more points (7 wins) than the 3rd place team. The next biggest gap from 2nd to 3rd in the four best leagues was 6 points (2 wins).
La Liga isn't competitive. Just because the best team is in that league doesn't make the league the best.
Happy Daddy, the EPL is not deeper in talent. You, most likely, just know nothing other. TSO, La Liga isn't competitive? That comment makes anything else you say pointless.
Come on folks, don't let the Anglo soccer influence that has infiltrated this country and the EPL marketing dollars on ESPN and FSC brainwash you.
Talent? Look at the FIFA Technical Board's selection of starting and second XI from the last World Cup. I missed the players from the EPL in the first 22. I guess eventually, if the list was long enough, one would've popped up.
I watch and read about all of the European leagues. I don't think there's any question that the EPL has the deepest talent. I also think it is, year in and year out, the most competitively balanced from top to bottom.
This article is an interesting take on it:
http://issuu.com/ilrsmc/docs/sports__inc._v3i1?mode=a_p
Neat article. But alot of statistics that mean very little relative to the nuances of the sport, styles of play, formations and individual technical capabilities. I missed the authors' coaching and playing credentials amidst all the number crunching.
Does faster and continuous mean a better league? No. Even if it does, define a "faster" and "continuous" playing league. Then, who is better? Is EPL the fastest in terms of running and continuous because of directness and less dribbling and less short passing? Yes. Is it the fastest in terms of technical speed and continuous because of lateral interplay and individual flair? Not even close.
As the article finishes, "the beauty of the game is still in the eye of the beholder" and, to most outside of Britain and the Anglo-fanatics in America, individual technical ability is the key factor in relation to talent and its depth.
EPL can't not be the deepest league in terms of talent when so many of the bottom two-thirds of the leagues' teams have British players from countries like an England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales who are struggling mightily to develop its own players to compete on the world level.
I'm not sure that we are talking about precisely the same thing here. Between Barca and Real Madrid, for example, I would say they have something like 8-10 of the best fifteen players in the world. La Liga certainly has the prettiest players in terms of skill on the ball, creativity, and passing ability, at the top of its table. But - in terms of team strength (defined by me as "ability to beat other soccer teams in a match") from top to bottom, I think the EPL is clearly superior to any other league in the world. Reasonable people may disagree.
We're talking about the same thing. Players make teams.
But, from Everton down in the final table is so average v any league. "Clearly superior" is such a ludicrous statement.
We'll disagree strongly.....but good dialogue.
Just for fun: If every EPL team played every La Liga team, which league would have the most wins? In my opinion it wouldn't be close.
Wow, how does the EPL get elevated so much in the United States? Yes, the top teams are wealthy and buy good foreigners and the league markets well and makes money. But the quality of teams 7-20 is primitive, old fashioned and without a high technical level.
Let's just say we both agree it wouldn't be close.
EPL gets elevated so much because Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN mostly show EPL matches. Personally I do think the EPL is the best overall league as far as competitiveness goes. Although the best teams in Spain would be tops in the EPL as displayed in the champions league final. Another major reason the EPL is superior, is there is very little diving and embellishment of fouls. Nothing ticks me off more than people that take a hard tackle and act like their leg needs to be amputated. The Serie A is terrible with this followed closely by La Liga.
Everything you say may be true, and I can still be right. In fact, I think that's the case! Cheers.
For years, English soccer got exempt from diving because of their honesty, grit, determination and all other non-soccer words Brits describe their game with.
But, with the EPL having so many foreign players now, it's not much different then Serie A, La Liga, etc. Remember, Cristiano Ronaldo dove just as much for Man U as he does for Real Madrid.