The relative strength of the Premier League
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
Firstly PSG lead their league by some 20 plus points whereas Bayern do so by 5.
Secondly, competitiveness is not always correlated with strength though. For a lack of competivness one must not only focus on the lack of competitors but also the existence of a leader. For example, were Real Atletico and Barca messing up big time this season would it make them a stronger league just because other teams are closer? Would the PL be weaker if United of 08 with Ronaldo, Vidic, Rio and scholes were it? Because they'd piss on the current PL. So for me competivness or the lack cannot be correlated to strength without understanding the reasons.
You can judge their league position this year and last few years, their performances against the top German teams, their CL performances, and their squad.
They seem be having a poor league season, in 7th and having lost to Bayern and Dortmund, but they are in the CL QFs having beaten United. Last year they won the Cup but seem to have regressed since then (having sold their main star).
On paper I recognise Draxler, Schurrle and Kruse as pretty good attacking players. Dante is a very inconsistent defender, Benaglio a decent keeper. Luiz Gustavo is a great DM but must be getting old. Ricardo Rodriguez is a very very highly regarded young LB
I'd say English relegation battlers would thrash all other leagues relegation battlers.
That's why this league is the most competitive. Stars are spread out evenly IMO when a team like stoke can play the stars they have.
That's why this league is the most competitive. Stars are spread out evenly IMO when a team like stoke can play the stars they have.
Sunderland and Newcastle?
28.
They don't sell the best german players, France sell the best french players, that tells you everything.
If the likes of Griezmann, Varane, Benzema, Martial, koscielny were in french clubs the league would be close to the top.
Edit: The german clubs want to sell while the french clubs need sell.
He's been around (and looking experienced) forever! Wanted him since I first saw him at Bayern. Would have been perfect to add steel when our midfield was Carrick+ open space.
I'm pretty sure my pub side could beat Aston Villa. Sunderland, Newcastle, Norwich etc. are shite too.
About equal to/slightly worse than the PL.
Examples:
Kevin de Bruyne: a flop at Chelsea (title challengers), re-emerged at Wolfsburg (top 4-challengers), sold to City (title challengers)
Kroos: integral to Bayern (title and CL challengers, almost a superclub), sold to Real (superclub)
Kagawa: integral to Dortmund (at that time title challangers) , sold to United (at that time league and CL challengers)
Ronaldo: superstar at United (at that time league and CL challengers), sold to Real (superclub)
Bale: star at Spurs (top 4-challengers), sold to Real (superclub)
Suarez: star at Liverpool (at that time a top-4 team), sold to Barca (superclub)
but ONLY maybe on paper.
schürrle is so one-dimensional and mediocre, for him they paid 30 million €
draxler is stagnating since years, but hey no problem for volkswagen, wolfsburg paid 37 mio € ..
dante is shit, and just like luis gustavo, wolfsburg likes to buy players from bayern, which are just too bad for them.
all in all, a totaly laughable "club", hope they don't get to the cl-spots.
Ah yes, because the mighty Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa would somehow be mid-table sides if they were in Spain. And who exactly are Stoke's star players?
Stats prove that United and Barcelona have won the same amount of games between 1998 and 2016, if La Liga isn't competitive than the PL isn't either.
I think this thread is a satire and I didn't realize before
can you see Villa thrashing anyone?
They couldn't even thrash my league 2 boys Wycombe!
The main issue with English teams is how horribly they're managed in contrast to the Spanish and Bundesliga counterparts. Clearly this Newcastle side is pretty good on paper, they just play terribly and have been coached terribly for years now.
For me Aston villa, Newcastle and sunder land are most of the time better than Granada, gijon and Levante. Always have and always will be. Fair enough if you don't agree.
Wait, what? We're discussing the present, but the achievements of these clubs in the past. That's ridiculous.
Past included. Present also.
Another way I think this is the case is because our division 2 is better. Teams promoted can do weird things. Leicester after a couple years messed everyone over.
But at present Aston Villa are fecking awful. One of the worst PL sides I've watched play. You can't honestly think they're better than the Spanish teams?
They're quite clearly not better than them at the moment, and the past is utterly irrelevant in discussing the current merits of said leagues. Unless you want to argue that Nottingham Forest or Leeds United are better than them, which would also be a bit silly.
Also in terms of atmosphere, in terms of ticket prices, in terms of stadium being filled by crowd, in terms of goals scored, in terms of the quality of players etc etc ..... There are many things that we can look at tbh. I'd understand comparing LaLiga with the PL as they're the two strongest leagues but between the french and german one ? There is only one clear winner at the moment.
Sorry I added something else. Yes Aston Villa are awful and they would likely suffer in Spain. However look at Newcastle's squad vs gijons. Wynaldum,Perez,collocini etc. The results might be the same across the globe but the players are slightly better at the clubs here.
In terms of how they treat the fans the Prem has got to be near the bottom.
The whole squad argument means very little when you look at the premier league table right now though, surely you can see that? Do Leicester have the best squad? Do Chelsea have the 8th worst? Obviously not.
It's very short sighted to just talk about the squad when it comes to how strong the league's are. There are many other factors.
The same stuff happens elsewhere too (well, not to the level exactly of what Leicester is doing this season, but that's an obvious outlier).
Levante finished 6th the season after getting promoted, got to the round of 16 in Europa League the next season.
Betis finished 7th the season after getting promoted, got to the round of 16 in Europa League the next season.
Eibar, the team with one of the tiniest budgets of both the Spanish first and second division and one of the only ones without debt and turning a profit, are currently 8th the season after narrowly (and somewhat fortuitously) escaping relegation last season.
Villarreal were relegated on 41 pts the very same season they played in the CL... they finished 2nd to Elche in Segunda and came back up, finishing 6th in La Liga the following season.
It is amazing the people who use this argument only aren't paying to what's been happening in England this season.
But you don't know players from La Liga or Bundesliga or any other league than Premier League because you do not watch them!!
I really doubt Aston Villa, Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland would be trashing anyone.
If you don't think that you can judge the quality of a league by watching it, then how are you able to say one league's players are of a better quality than another? What measurement are you using to determine that Villa have better player than Levante for example?
Football Manager?
Okazaki - absolute nobody in Bundesliga
Okazaki - one of the very best players in the EPL.
Heh.heh
Okazaki - one of the very best players in the EPL.
Heh.heh
You what?
Well there's lots of ways
1) what level of the game have they previously played at?
2) looking at transfers to and from the club. Where are the players coming from and where is their level once they leave.
3) the relative position in the league
4) performances for narional teams
5) transfer history.
Luckily Atletico are good at penalties else they wouldn't have been a good team either.
Griezmann had an off day. Atletico created 16 chances to PSV's 4. It happens. PSV parked the bus and defended very well. It was all Atletico except for the missed chances.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34203615
Pretty similar stats that proved we were a bad team though!
Oh im only talking about this game. Atletico aren't used to having more possession. They like to play on the counter. PSV made them play a possession oriented game and i think it was a good tactic. Their keeper also made two point blank saves.