How strong is the premier league?

[Ironskullll]

I'm hearing a lot of pundits saying that this year's PL is poor but I'm not so sure.

At the start of the season plenty of people pointed out that many middle-ranking teams had strengthened by making good buys and that we - ie Spurs - would struggle to achieve fourth place as a result. In the event I think that they were part right in that, yes, those teams did improve and as a result, the league became better. It's just that Spurs improved even more.

That Spurs are having a better season than last year hasn't surprised me. We didn't have any stars at their peak, ready to start the downhill slide; we had plenty of young players we could rightly expect to improve, some decent signings, especially Toby, and a manager who'd settled in and was beginning to look the business. Every reason to believe in a better season than last year. In the event, Alli and Dier have been the unexpected icing on the cake and yet our improvement has only taken us up three places.

Arsenal are where they were last year, so in what respect has the league declined there?

The other three perennial CL teams aren't doing as well by their own standards but does that mean the league itself has declined?

The picture is muddied by the Champions League. I think that the PL is of such a very high standard that it's almost an anchor around the necks of teams wanting to do well. I think that's why Arsenal's form has improved now they're out. I think that Citeh performed well this evening against a supposedly superior PSG because they're no longer candidates for the PL title and just aren't playing as intensely as they would if they were. I think Chelsea and Liverpool both won the CL because they were able to focus their efforts on it because they weren't in the race for the PL. Are there any other examples of teams winning the CL but having so many teams beat them out in their domestic league?

To a lesser extent I think Leicester are benefiting from not having the CL to contend with. That shouldn't be used as a stick to beat them with though, because they don't have the extra luxury of a CL sized squad in the first place.

Looking at it the other way, I think that some of Europe's elite would struggle if they had to compete week in week out in the PL.

I wonder what other people think about the standard of the PL?

 

[Spurger King]

Team for team, it's the best league in the world.

Comparisons to other European leagues are a bit lopsided. No surprise that when the Prem was dominated by the same four teams, we did well in Europe. Oil Money threw a cat amongst the pigeons by starting to dilute the spread of quality players. Clubs like us have balanced scouting and youth to bring in young talent. New TV deals have allowed clubs like Stoke and Palace to bring in major talents. Most teams in the Prem can compete with the bulk of European teams, and overall this is the strongest domestic tournament.

In contrast, all the best players in Spain, Germany, and Italy, are syphoned up by two, three, or four clubs...leaving the rest with the dregs.

Spain has the two best teams in Europe, but for the most part the rest of their league is an embarrassing cakewalk.

 

[Shadydan]

I agree that the league has got a lot stronger overall however it's clear that our CL teams have both dropped off and the other Euro teams have caught them up and surpassed them.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

Would be interesting to see a team made up from each major league in the world compete against each other in a tournament.

PL/ Bundesliga/ Serie A/ Ligue 1/ Brazilian league/ Argentinian league/ MLS/ La Liga etc etc

Like an alternative world cup, but based on where the players play rathe than what their nationality is.

 

[mpickard2087]

I think what we are seeing now more than ever with the increased money in the Premier League is quality trickling down further as buying power for all clubs increases. Now we are at a point where the majority are '7/10, tough nut to crack, solid outfits that make it more unpredictable and keeps the league closer together in terms of the standings and points gaps. However the top teams have undoubtedly dropped off to aid this.

In relation to this, I think what is missing though is the consistent top quality individual performances/star power and maybe the 'proven' biggest names/reputations. I don't think we are seeing the very best. Variety of reasons for that... Whether that be players disrputed by loss of form/injury (Aguero, Hazard, Fabregas), Ageing players (Rooney, Toure, Silva, Schweinsteiger), Young players not quite there yet consistently (Kane et al) or players already gone (in very recent years the likes of Suarez, Gerrard, Lampard) Obviously there have been stellar individual seasons for the likes of Ozil, Payet, Kante, Mahrez, Alderweireld etc. etc. but for me there have been more underperformers from the 'stars'.

I also think the league lacks a little in terms of tactical acumen and appreciation, and game management. This is particularly relevant when we play Europa/Champions League games and pit our wits against foreign teams.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best the Premier League has ever been.

It is not just that the money coming in is allowing clubs more spending power and, more importantly, wage spending power, but other factors are at play in conjunction with increased revenues. Increased revenues along with awareness of - and ability to fund - better working practices such scouting, analytics, technology and development.

The improved personnel, analytics and technology are being combined with better coaching, tactical awareness and variation throughout the league (as clubs like Southampton and Leicester can afford to hire people like Koeman and Ranieri and next year we may have LVG and/or Mourinho duking it out with Klopp and Guardiola etc) as well as, to a degree, Fair Play rules curbing some outrageous spending (although obviously not all).

On top of that you have Utd going through a monumental transition, ManC going through a mild transition with an ageing squad, Chelsea imploding, Liverpool going through transition too.

In comparison to the other major European leagues, Italy has gone through a financial shitstorm, French football has one of the four richest clubs in the World and 19 of the poorest in Europe. Spanish football is financially top loaded, though they are trying to re-address that. But what those countries have lacked in finances they have made up for in coaching and tactical preparation, but that gap is now closing and English football is finally making ground in the coaching and tactical stakes I think (largely due to foreign influence or the desire to emulate continental and more successful international working practices).

 

[Sevens]

I think globally football is going through a bit of a barren spell. There aren't that many exceptional players about at the moment. Or if there is they never seem to fulfil their potential. I put this down to money in the players pockets at a very young age combined with an overly dependant moneyball approach by the clubs to players, coaching etc.

This years Premier League is the most exciting for years because of its unpredictability. The reason it is unpredictable is because in truth there are no great teams in it. And there hasn't been for a while.

I think our mid-table teams are over rated too, as demonstrated by the Europa League. It's been a pretty poor showing by English clubs in Europe this year and indeed for the last three or four years.

But you'll always get phases like this. We're in a transitional period post-Fergie's Utd. The last time we saw anything like this was towards the end of the 80's. It was clear Liverpool weren't anywhere near as good as they had been and yet they were still up there winning/challenging until all of a sudden it stopped. It took a few years for Utd to come through and start to stamp their authority and in the meantime Arsenal, Leeds and Blackburn all bagged titles with good but not great teams.

 

[Gbspurs]

Would be interesting to see a team made up from each major league in the world compete against each other in a tournament.

PL/ Bundesliga/ Serie A/ Ligue 1/ Brazilian league/ Argentinian league/ MLS/ La Liga etc etc

Like an alternative world cup, but based on where the players play rathe than what their nationality is.

Agree and I'm amazed that this sort of thing hasnt happened yet. What makes sense to me is each league's "team of the year" lines up managed by the managed of the year sometime in post season.

Tricky to accommodate but it would be quality to watch.

 

[Timberwolf]

Spain has the two best teams in Europe, but for the most part the rest of their league is an embarrassing cakewalk.

Bit harsh. The bottom half of the league might be rubbish, but the other top half teams have pissed all over the English teams in Europe over recent years. Atletico would be right up there in the Premier League, Sevilla have won Europa like 4 times, while Bilbao, Villareal and Valencia have gone pretty far.

 

[Shadydan]

Yeah La Liga is still a strong league, it's just looks rubbish because the too two are head and shoulders above everyone else.

 

[Trix]

I don't really care if it's the strongest or not. Being the most competitive is why it's the best.

 

[OPModric]

La Liga and Bundesliga are way above. Germanys eight team beat Real and year after year Spain has 6-7 teams in quarter finals in europe.

 

[SugarRay]

I have never cared for where the prem ranks. Tottenham play in the prem, that's why its a million times better than any other league. If we played in the the conference I would feel the same about that division!

 

[Japhet]

I think it's definitely the toughest League. The Spanish giants continually have their egos massaged by drubbing the rest of their opponents and as a result are supremely confident on all fronts. In this year's EPL, many teams can beat anybody else on their day and I don't think that applies anywhere else at the higher levels of the game.

 

[Marty]

Aside from the four or five at the bottom the PL is by far the most competitive of the top leagues in Europe.

Bit harsh. The bottom half of the league might be rubbish, but the other top half teams have pissed all over the English teams in Europe over recent years. Atletico would be right up there in the Premier League, Sevilla have won Europa like 4 times, while Bilbao, Villareal and Valencia have gone pretty far.

The top 7 in Spain are incredibly strong yes, but behind Atletico, Barca and Real the rest know that they aren't going to win the league once we get as far as the EL knockout stages, which plays a huge part in them prioritising the EL the way they do and therefore getting further. There also doesn't seem to be quite as strong an obsession with the "holy grail" of the CL as there is in England.

The English obsession with getting a CL place over actually winning a huge trophy in the EL is one of the most damaging mindsets in our game, and unless attitudes change it will cost us a CL place sooner rather than later. If Italy had done better in Europe this year it would've cost us already.

 

[Lilbaz]

The premier league is the best because it is the most competitive and exciting. Thats why it is the most popular and earns the most money. Thats all that really matters as we will never have a premier league bundesliga play off.

 

[Monkey Bastard Hands]

I think you have to look at the league itself and then how it compares to other European leagues seperately.

As a league in its own right, I have no doubt that it's the strongest in the world. The fact that you have Leicester as likely champions this seasons says it all; the level of competition between all teams is incredible and anyone (Villa and Newcastle excepted) can beat anyone on their day. Combined with the changes that have been made with the rules (video technology and that magic spray), development of training grounds and all the support given to players health and well being, I think this league has the whole package and even the "lesser" teams will easily compete with Europe's elite when it comes to how clubs are run and what they can offer players.

On the flipside, I think the relative strength has dropped when compared to other leagues in Europe and the fact that English teams have, by and large, performed pretty poorly in European competitions in recent years shows this. I think the two are related - having a more competitive domestic league means players are not just going to the big 4 clubs anymore. Realistically the top 10 clubs in the PL could attract Europe's best players which I think effectively dilutes the strength of the top teams. Whereas in Spain, Germany, France, and Italy, the leagues are dominated by an elite group and so the best players go to those teams and create formidible opposition in the European competition. For English teams, the fact that the PL is so competitive is possibly a weakness when it comes to competing with Europe's best.

 

[hellava_tough]

I wonder if Premier League clubs will ever get rich enough to buy/field a European squad, completely seperate to their league squad lol

How much did the Leicester squad cost to buy and maintain (in wages)?

 

[talkshowhost86]

I don't really care if it's the strongest or not. Being the most competitive is why it's the best.

Exactly. It's always been the best to watch because at the start of the season there's generally 4 or 5 teams who you think could challenge (although that doesn't always pan out). In Germany and Spain now you know what's going to happen, and the same can be largely said in Italy (although this year has been slightly more competitive).

With the additional money flowing into the league it will only help more teams to become competitive (something we've started to see this year with more teams taking points off the traditional big boys) so I think in 3-5 years time it will be at a point where there are very few games you can confidently predict.

The best three teams in the world are in Spain and Germany...but their leagues are rubbish compared to ours in terms of watchability (yes it's a word).

 

[Jamturk]

The premier leagues strengths are it's weakness when it comes to Europe.

Speed, Stamina, workrate, tempo leads to less technical play which you require in European competition.

Also the amount of games hinder too.

I think German football provides the perfect balance and is the best in the world, hence their success at club and International level.