Premiership the best league in Europe?

[Dickovforengland!]

The BBC seem to have kicked this off so I will expand.

Is it the best league or does it just have the best top 4? Are the likes of Osasuna or Sevilla better than Bolton, Everton and Spurs?

Surely English dominance this year and probably future years is an inevitable result of the cash being pumped into the Premiership from selling the broadcasting rights. In the end the mid-table teams in England will be able to outbid similar placed teams in Spain, Germany and Italy for the best players.

What will be the impact on the national side?

 

[Hazzman]

No...

La Liga is stronger. It has a league with 5 teams and 8 games left still have a chance to win the league. Then addition 4 other sides could get an European place.

The Premiership has a stronger top 4, that's all and the games create some excitement but that doesnt not necessary mean that the league has better players, just it's a quicker game.

 

[Dickovforengland!]

So what happens if Spurs who are 7th at the minute beat Sevilla who are 2nd in La Liga?

I think we do have some strong sides outside the top 4, like Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, Newcastle and Spurs who aren't far off the top 10 sides in Spain and will surely overtake them in the next few years with more cash from the PL gravy train.

 

[Hazzman]

So what happens if Spurs who are 7th at the minute beat Sevilla who are 2nd in La Liga?

I think we do have some strong sides outside the top 4, like Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, Newcastle and Spurs who aren't far off the top 10 sides in Spain and will surely overtake them in the next few years with more cash from the PL gravy train.

The use of an European competition to judge the strength of teams is difficult because the qualifiers are from last season's positions. Sevilla's squad is made at a fraction of Spurs.

The strong sides out of the top 4 have never had any kind of strength to launch a title bid, Spain has Real, Barca and Valencia as their cash-carriers but their 'Everton' Real Zaragoza are challenging for a title containing players such as Aimar, their 'Spurs' Sevilla are currently 2nd and won an UEFA Cup, their 'Blackburn' Athletico Madrid with the likes of Torres, Aguero, Maniche can only get a 6th spot at the minute.

Osasuna who are currently 14th in La Liga, have one foot in the UEFA Cup Semi-Finals and finished 4th last season, their English comparison would be Portsmouth. Real Sociedad won a league title a few years ago and they are now struggling with relegation and Villarreal who had a Champions League run to the semi-finals last season and currently 12th.

Their depth of their league is superior.

 

[Rhys]

Real Sociedad won a league title a few years ago and they are now struggling with relegation and Villarreal who had a Champions League run to the semi-finals last season and currently 12th.

Their depth of their league is superior.

Sociedad havent won the league for at least 20 years, but I do agree that La Liga is stronger overall. Their 'mid table' teams have better quality than ours, apart from maybe Spurs. No doubt that the English top 4 are better than Barca, Real, Valencia and Sevilla though.

 

[Hazzman]

Sociedad havent won the league for at least 20 years, but I do agree that La Liga is stronger overall. Their 'mid table' teams have better quality than ours, apart from maybe Spurs. No doubt that the English top 4 are better than Barca, Real, Valencia and Sevilla though.

My mistake over Sociedad, they finished 2nd in 2002/03.

 

[Dickovforengland!]

And Spurs are getting mullered by Sevilla. I'll get my coat...

 

[Dickovforengland!]

Osasuna who are currently 14th in La Liga, have one foot in the UEFA Cup Semi-Finals and finished 4th last season, their English comparison would be Portsmouth.

Or Middlesborough, didn't they finish 14th or thereabouts last season. La Liga probably does have more strength in depth but it won't last long.

 

[Hazzman]

Or Middlesborough, didn't they finish 14th or thereabouts last season. La Liga probably does have more strength in depth but it won't last long.

Yes, the same Middlesborough who can afford a 8 million striker.

 

[fcukcov]

And Spurs are getting mullered by Sevilla. I'll get my coat...

not anymore.

 

[pds]

I think the Premiership is by far the most entertaining league, not necessarily the strongest league though.

 

[fox58]

I think the Premiership is by far the most entertaining league, not necessarily the strongest league though.

i would agree with that statement but we are now moving to where the top few sides are way in front of the rest which is the same as Spain and Italy. its only a few years ago that Everton made it into the Champions league but you cant see anyone outside of the top 4 doing that now.

 

[Rhys]

i would agree with that statement but we are now moving to where the top few sides are way in front of the rest which is the same as Spain and Italy. its only a few years ago that Everton made it into the Champions league but you cant see anyone outside of the top 4 doing that now.

Without Henry, Arsenal are not a top 4 team. They seem to have 50 chances a game but no-one that can actually score. If they dont do something quickly, they'll have Bolton ahead of them in 4th place

 

[Joe_Fox]

I think the Championship is the best league in the world¬

 

[Dickovforengland!]

Without Henry AND VAN PERSIE, Arsenal are not a top 4 team. They seem to have 50 chances a game but no-one that can actually score. If they dont do something quickly, they'll have Bolton ahead of them in 4th place

Massive game on Saturday, can't really see Arsenal scoring with Baptista and Adebayor up front, would not be at all surprised if they did finish 5th this season.

 

[drummindefender]

a notable thing in recent years is that the premiership has got some of the biggest names in football (henry, c.ronaldo, shevchenko, ballack etc etc) whereas in previous years it was always spain and italy who had them (ie the "galaticos" at Real Madrid)-however i think i'm right in stating that the fifa world player of the year has never come from the prem.

 

[Rhys]

a notable thing in recent years is that the premiership has got some of the biggest names in football (henry, c.ronaldo, shevchenko, ballack etc etc) whereas in previous years it was always spain and italy who had them (ie the "galaticos" at Real Madrid)-however i think i'm right in stating that the fifa world player of the year has never come from the prem.

Until this year surely. No-one from Italy or Spain really stands out compared to Ronaldo and Drogba

 

[Han]

Without Henry, Arsenal are not a top 4 team. They seem to have 50 chances a game but no-one that can actually score. If they dont do something quickly, they'll have Bolton ahead of them in 4th place

if arsenal just invested in a proper goalscorer (other than Henry) they'd be scoring 3 or 4 a match, easily!

I'm amazed Wenger didn't bend over backwards to get Michael Owen, or even Andy Johnson. If they had a poacher in the box like one of those they'd be much better off, rather than relying on Adebayor (who i don't rate at all) and Baptista (Midfielder).

All they need is someone that's guaranteed to be in the penalty Box. they can let the other 9 players play the beautiful football.

 

[MHS]

The Spanish League is boring. Serie A is entertaining but there's not the quality or the speed of the Prem. The Bundesliga is wank. The Premiership is Europe's best league by a long way.

 

[Melton Fox]

Foreign football is rubbish