The relative strength of the Premier League

In terms of 'depth', mid-table Spanish clubs do decently in the Europa League. Since 2016, the following have reached the QFs:

Celta Vigo (average league position of 11.8 over the last decade)
Villareal (average league position of 6.5 over the last decade)
Valencia (average league position of 11 over the last decade)
Granada (average league position of 15 in first division over the last seasons in the top flight, currently relegated)

Atletico and Sevilla also did but I am not counting them because they are teams that qualify for the CL with some frequency. I will do the same for the PL, not counting United and Chelsea since they qualify for the CL often. We are then left with:

Arsenal (average league position of 5.1 over the last decade)
Wolves (average league position of 9.25 over the last seasons in the top flight)
West Ham (average league position of 10.5 over the last decade)
 
Acrobat7 said:
I don't watch the PL outside of some "big name" games, and I have no idea who random teams like Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth or Southampton are. They could be playing in the Championship and I wouldn't be surprised.
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I imagine that is the perspective that people in England (and PL fans generally) have about other leagues.
 
giorno said:
It stings for sure right now because they're really nothing special, just been ridiculously lucky and gritty while we pissed away too many games we should have won

That said, barcelona really aren't a barometer of anything in europe these days, at the first sign of trouble they cover themselves in piss and shit. They're basically PSG, catalan edition

After United hammer Betis and they and Arsenal dominate the EL over the spanish sides we can talk :D
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Yes the mighty Betis :). Good one mate. Having said that Im not too happy with facing any spanish side in Europe.
 
norm87cro said:
Yes the mighty Betis :). Good one mate. Having said that Im not too happy with facing any spanish side in Europe.
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I admit i worded that to bait you into this response on purpose :D

What i actually meant was you will 100% annihilate Betis, and I expect United and Arsenal to do the same to Sevilla or Real Sociedad should they meet. Barring a fluke, the only team left in this competition that might actually beat either - aside from each other - is Juventus, if Di Maria happens to be particularly inspired on those nights
 
giorno said:
I admit i worded that to bait you into this response on purpose :D

What i actually meant was you will 100% annihilate Betis, and I expect United and Arsenal to do the same to Sevilla or Real Sociedad should they meet. Barring a fluke, the only team left in this competition that might actually beat either - aside from each other - is Juventus, if Di Maria happens to be particularly inspired on those nights
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Yeah probably. Di Maria always brings his A game on big occasions and I know he scored on the big stage in the CL final for you lot I never liked the dodgy bloke . Anyway cheers mate:lol:
 
giorno said:
I admit i worded that to bait you into this response on purpose :D

What i actually meant was you will 100% annihilate Betis, and I expect United and Arsenal to do the same to Sevilla or Real Sociedad should they meet. Barring a fluke, the only team left in this competition that might actually beat either - aside from each other - is Juventus, if Di Maria happens to be particularly inspired on those nights
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It's not that straightforward. It's gonna depend a lot on how those fixtures fit into each team's calendar, games they have just before or after, and whether they will have to rotate. Arsenal for example are gonna focus on the league I'm sure and might not be giving the Europa 100% by the time they meet a Spanish team.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
It's not that straightforward. It's gonna depend a lot on how those fixtures fit into each team's calendar, games they have just before or after, and whether they will have to rotate. Arsenal for example are gonna focus on the league I'm sure and might not be giving the Europa 100% by the time they meet a Spanish team.
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Arsenal's B team would smash any of the spanish teams
 
Haven't really followed the thread, may have commented a few weeks ago, but my feeling is that this season, the overall quality of the Premiership has actually dropped a bit.. have a think about which teams have improved since last season? Man Utd of course, Arsenal... and then, er... Fulham, Brighton...

Who else?

Think the quality across the 'big' leagues in Europe is closer than some think. Man City are no certs' to win the CL... Madrid just smashed the hell out of Liverpool, and that's a team in transition!
 
Rooney in Paris said:
It wouldn't, at all.
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Spanish teams, barring atletico, madrid and maybe betis, just don't know what the feck to do against any team that can throw serious pace up front and keeps spamming long balls over the top
 
Chelsea progressed
Spurs out
Waiting for City and Liverpool
 
In terms of team budgets no other league comes close. PL is way on top.

Some of the sub top teams in other countries would get relegated here.
 
Not a good year, but Sevilla is still alive in Europa while 13th in La Liga (only one PL club still in the comp too), and Madrid could very well win the UCL again, and nobody wants to draw them; the PL has two teams in the QF while Italy has 3.
 
Had Arsenal won yesterday, the Dutch league would've overtaken the Portuguese league. Fecking bottlers.
 
PL is definitely overrated but football as a whole doesn’t have many world class teams. But it does make CL a lot more open now.
 
PL teams suffer from having to compete in two very tough competitions at the same time. Don't think the PL and CL has been won by one team at the same time ever.
 
ThatsGreat said:
PL teams suffer from having to compete in two very tough competitions at the same time. Don't think the PL and CL has been won by one team at the same time ever.
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I've heard it said many times that teams in weaker leagues struggle in the CL too, because they are just not ready for the challenge. Which is it?
 
cafecillos said:
I've heard it said many times that teams in weaker leagues struggle in the CL too, because they are just not ready for the challenge. Which is it?
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Whatever justifies multibillion PL teams getting humbled in Europe by poor sides…
 
ThatsGreat said:
PL teams suffer from having to compete in two very tough competitions at the same time. Don't think the PL and CL has been won by one team at the same time ever.
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PL not dominating in Europe=Sign PL is best. PL dominating in Europe=Sign PL is best. No PL in Europe=Sign PL is best.
 
ThatsGreat said:
PL teams suffer from having to compete in two very tough competitions at the same time. Don't think the PL and CL has been won by one team at the same time ever.
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You're right if you exclude United. United have done it twice (with one of them being the treble)
 
cafecillos said:
He said "at the same time" though, as in the final whistle of the CL final and of the league match where the title is decided happening simultaneously.
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Oh yeah true. The 99 team were pathetic for not doing that.
 
Dan_F said:
Pardon?
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Pintu said:
Are you new to football?
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Red in STL said:
Seriously?????
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Yes, I'm entirely serious. Never been done and never likely to be done.

But kidding aside that was a different era. The City Guardiola era needs title winning teams to accumulate a mid to high nineties points total. That leaves very little room for errors and almost every match is like a cup final. Most of the other leagues have title winners in the mid eighties.

Even the '99 utd team won the title with 79 points, something that's never happened since.
 
ThatsGreat said:
Yes, I'm entirely serious. Never been done and never likely to be done.

But kidding aside that was a different era. The City Guardiola era needs title winning teams to accumulate a mid to high nineties points total. That leaves very little room for errors and almost every match is like a cup final. Most of the other leagues have title winners in the mid eighties.

Even the '99 utd team won the title with 79 points, something that's never happened since.
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2008?
 
ThatsGreat said:
Yes, I'm entirely serious. Never been done and never likely to be done.

But kidding aside that was a different era. The City Guardiola era needs title winning teams to accumulate a mid to high nineties points total. That leaves very little room for errors and almost every match is like a cup final. Most of the other leagues have title winners in the mid eighties.

Even the '99 utd team won the title with 79 points, something that's never happened since.
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I won't even adress your obviously wrong claim...

In the 17/18 season City won the league 19 points ahead of United (so they could have dropped pretty much any points they wanted) and still ended up crushed in the quarter finals of the CL by a team who was actually struggling in the PL to get a CL spot and ended up in the final.

The "we win the CL because we're the best league - we don't win the CL because we're the best league" double sided argument from PL fans is always hilarious.
 
Oly Francis said:
The "we win the CL because we're the best league - we don't win the CL because we're the best league" double sided argument from PL fans is always hilarious.
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People finding this argument funny clearly proves that PL is the best league :wenger:
 
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