English clubs have struggled in Europe for a long time yet we still refer to the Premier League as the most competitive football in the world. It baffles me every time I hear fans insisting that the Premier League is the best league in the world (which some do also believe). Here’s why I believe the Premier League has been failing.
Let’s start with some statistics to set the tone. The previous nine Champions League finals have seen one English winner and one English runner-up. La Liga (which I believe is the best league in the world) had six winners and two runners-up. People will immediately scream that the top teams in Spain are vastly stronger than the top teams in England, which kind of backs my argument.
The critics of La Liga will then say that Spain has only two strong clubs but the results of the Europa League prove that it is not the case. Since 2005, England has had just two winners and three runners-up while Spain has boasted seven winners and two runners-up.
The club debate aside, there’s a long list of players from other countries who have arrived in England and dominated but English players, or even British for that matter, don’t really do very well abroad. Players like David Beckham have starred in England and then struggled to live up to the hype in Spain.
An example of the opposite trend is Thierry Henry, who arrived as a youngster from France and became the biggest star in the Premier League. The fact that English players don’t often make the switch to playing abroad is partly because they don’t suit the style of many foreign teams but mainly because most of them wouldn’t get first team football playing in the other leagues.
In contrast, foreign players are now the heartbeat of the Premier League and without them the league would have few top quality players apart from the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
The problems for English football are further highlighted on the international stage.
Unfortunately, the Premier League isn’t developing enough homegrown players who can handle the pressure of playing on the big stage, resulting in the country’s lack of success in international games.
If you look at other nations such as Germany or Spain, several of their top national players play for foreign clubs but manage to stand out playing for their country. Players like Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Sami Khedira (Juventus) and David Silva (Man City) are crucial for their countries while also being key figures for their clubs.
The bottom line of the debate is that the Premier League is overrated. Even if you were to compare the best players in the world, a strong majority of them play in Spain or Germany with very few playing in England and even those who do aren’t English.
The Premier League is failing to provide the country with top talent and the league is suffering because of this. The only reason the league is competitive is that teams like West Brom and Stoke City have a serious lack of quality and just sit with 11 men behind the ball to bore a game out. It’s not entertaining nor is it successful and ultimately it makes the Premier League look bad.
The gulf in class between the best foreign clubs and England’s clubs is shocking; the only way Premier League clubs can beat the elite from Spain or Germany is by parking the bus and hoping they can steal a win. That’s not how football should be played and it’s time we accepted that our league is failing.
by Nubaid Haroon
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: What’s Wrong With The Premier League? appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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