how did that go again?
The relative strength of the Premier League
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
It's really funny to me, I like one team in the PL and that's it, I don't worship the league as a whole. To constantly keep going about the PL is the best wreaks of an insecurity that makes no sense to me. Like people need to be validated that they are in the right to watch the best product.
How about City, United, Liverpool losing to Brentford whilst drawing to Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea?
Who is your version of that?
This club was literally just promoted last year.
Brentford are really good. The equivalent would be someone like Rayo Vallecano - look it up
Not sure what your point is though or how is that relevant to the discussion
Anyway I respect all teams - but it’s weird, people all say that Serie A had its top spell as the best league in the world but the PL doesn’t.
The PL had it in the 2000s.
Oh I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. It's so entitled, so arrogant. I heard a BBC sports commentator saying the other week saying that Arne Slot, Feyenoords manager (1st in the Dutch league, Cup semi-final, EL 1/8th final) should go to Leeds United that is facing relegation because they were 'better in every aspect, and face it, everyone wants to play in England'. There's such a condesecnding notion of European football, of European heritage clubs in the UK. Sure, PL is the strongest competition, with the most money, but please, show some respect and humility to other beautiful leagues in our continent.
I can't be 100% certain (And I don't like to play armchair psychologist) but I've always felt like it has something to do with the fact that, by and large English teams are pretty underwhelming in the CL (In terms of winning it), so it's like a bit of an insecure defense mechanism by lashing out at every other league and saying they're crap and that the PL is the best.
I think that it's sky original advertisement tactics which as far as I can remember stated that the PL was the best league in the world.
Okay a win vs Real Madrid & Sociedad - draw with Barcelona and Athletico Madrid.
What’s your version of Brighton FC? Literally also a new PL club that has 50 million pounds of players all over the place? To show some player quality?
I don’t watch the La Liga much I admit but I’d like to know.
The financial aspect of the PL is just next level to me and it makes a hard league - whilst the rich clubs in La Liga always seems to stay the same.
Fulham is another. A new owner, relatively new club back in the PL. Newcastle was horseshit last year and has new owners and managers and players and are at the top.
What are the criteria for being a version of Brighton FC?
I dunno, some people are maybe overprotective about the league they have invested their time and resources in while others have made the slightly weird decision to make it their mission to remind everybody that the PL is absolutely, definitely, most certainly not the most competitive and strongest league. The internet brings out the most stubborn and argumentative. Who knew!
It's possible, but i think Spurs and Chelsea are very much up in the air, and City seem prone to feck things up as well. (I don't need to talk about Liverpool i think)That’s brilliantI still think 3 English teams will go though though.
You try to make one of these things out as completely benign and innocent and another one as weird and malicious. Easy to see where you stand
I’d make City strong favourites, Chelsea slight favourites (not on form but just given how much they created in the first leg), Milan slight favourites and Liverpool monumentally fecked outside of an early red card. But yeah - I can see anything happening too outside of Liverpool going through
Thankfully I'm too well-balanced and dashing to give a shit!You try to make one of these things out as completely benign and innocent and another one as weird and malicious. Easy to see where you stand
Speaking as a Madrid fan, taking a 3 goal lead to the Bernabeu terrifies me. The last two times it happened we nearly blew it
Newcastle are at the top now ? That's news to me.
it’s by far the most competitive, most technical, most physical league in the world. it’s established fact that eusebio chose to be born 60 years earlier so he could avoid playing in the premier league.
It doesn't matter that much if new clubs come up and are strong, because it tends to be offset by older clubs getting weaker. Everton were a serious club until not that long ago and are now a relegation candidate with a squad that is fecking terrible.
There is an assumption that clubs simply keep getting stronger because they have money but it doesn't really work. There's many reasons for that, an obvious one being that a lot of players in every league are still domestic, and they're never really going to move anywhere else. So to a large extent the league's quality will be determined by the quality of their domestic player.
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I am not a football nerd that knows every single player on earth. I'm looking at Brighton FC's squad right now and I'm not sure what I am supposed to be impressed by here.
I am sure some of these are good players that I've just never heard of, but how are you sure that there aren't good players you've never heard of in random La Liga teams?
I am sure some of these are good players that I've just never heard of, but how are you sure that there aren't good players you've never heard of in random La Liga teams?
And even then currently, newly promoted Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca are in similar spots to Brighton and Fulham. Sevilla who were fourth last season are currently 12th.
I have, generally, been of the opinion that the strength of the Premier League is relatively overblown. However, I am not surprised that it keeps getting talked about. It serves the interests of virtually everyone. If you are part of the Premier League its good PR. If you want a European Super League, you have to pretend like the Premier League is this bogeyman coming to take all the trophies. 
We had this same 'argument' being put forward a dozen or so years ago, when Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were regularly getting to the last eight and the last four in the European Cup.
What I do believe is that the distribution of the TV money in the Premier League allows more teams to buy good players, which makes the league more competitive and more watchable. You can make a case that the level of competition is more taxing on Premier League teams. However, you can also make the inverse argument: The lighter level of competition in some leagues makes the best teams there less prepared for a step up in intensity. Personally, I don't buy the spin on either side.
We had this same 'argument' being put forward a dozen or so years ago, when Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were regularly getting to the last eight and the last four in the European Cup.
What I do believe is that the distribution of the TV money in the Premier League allows more teams to buy good players, which makes the league more competitive and more watchable. You can make a case that the level of competition is more taxing on Premier League teams. However, you can also make the inverse argument: The lighter level of competition in some leagues makes the best teams there less prepared for a step up in intensity. Personally, I don't buy the spin on either side.
La Liga team goes from CL spots to dog shit form and placement: a sign that the league is terrible now.
PL team goes from CL spots to dog shit form and placement: a sign that the league is thriving.
Yeah. Nothing from Chelsea’s current form suggests any confidence they will beat Dortmund.
touche JP!Anything can be spun into a positive or negative.
Napoli, Roma Freiburg Union Sociedad Lens are top 4 in their leagues - weak leagues,
Newcastle is top 4. Sign of a top league
Leverkusen from top 4 to 10th - Weak league
Sevilla from top 4 to 12 - Weak league
Chelsea from top 4 to 10th - Strong league
Bayern Madrid PSG Barca do well in CL - they have no competition and are able to rest
City Chelsea Liverpool do well in CL - Our teams are the best in Europe
Bayern Madrid PSG Juve do badly in Europe - They don't get tested in top games so they falter when they see tough games in the CL
City Chelsea Liverpool do badly in Europe - They are tired from the intense competition at home so they falter vs rested teams
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The amount of clubs from the Top 5 leagues who reached the UCL knockout stages:
Bundesliga: 11
La Liga: 10
PL: 8
Serie A: 8
Ligue 1: 8
The number of CL participants all time:
Bundesliga: 14
La Liga: 13
Ligue 1: 11
PL: 10
Serie A: 10
Number of CL participants last decade:
Bundesliga: 9
La Liga: 9
Serie A: 8
PL: 7
Ligue 1: 7
Bundesliga: 11
La Liga: 10
PL: 8
Serie A: 8
Ligue 1: 8
The number of CL participants all time:
Bundesliga: 14
La Liga: 13
Ligue 1: 11
PL: 10
Serie A: 10
Number of CL participants last decade:
Bundesliga: 9
La Liga: 9
Serie A: 8
PL: 7
Ligue 1: 7
To be honest, the PL is fun to watch and intensity is pretty good, money is great. Besides that, it was tactically weaker before. I think it got better but now they need to win titles and unfortunately, the CL is a bit unpredictable. I do think English clubs should win more the CL and are underperforming. It doesn't help that this year, Liverpool is really bad, Chelsea the same, Spurs are a bit underwhelming. City is a surprise despite their lower form.
It will all be better when United begin winning it again.
It will all be better when United begin winning it again.
In 3 weeks I still see Spurs Chelsea and City progressing
All the other teams have a league to play in it.
a £50million player does not mean they are good
The price of the players doesn't mean anything.
Unless you think Darwin Nuñez is world class cause Liverpool paid 100 feckin millions for him or Enzo Fernandez is the GOAT midfielder cause Chelsea paid 120 millions for him.
PL teams most of the time will overpay cause other leagues know they have the cash, so they will ask for more money when a PL team knocks the door asking for players.
I get tired of saying this. Average ass players cost £50 mill in England. £15-20 overseas. Look at Chelsea buying dudes who cost 1 million 6-12 months ago for 80 million
Last season we were literally 2 minutes away from having 3 all English CL finals in 4 seasons. Yes Madrid turned it around at the last minute but anyone who thinks the pl isn't stronger now compared to other leagues hasn't been paying attention. Not to mention this has all happened while the biggest English club, us, have gone through a period of mediocrity
Barca was an easier game than Leicester in the end. Certainly gave us less scares in the first half.