Strength of the Premier league

[MACCA75]

I keep seeing people say that the Premier League is a terrible standard this year, and I just don’t think it’s true.

The top 4 aren’t 10 points clear like they have been in the past, precisely because of the strength in depth in the league.

People have the bizarre idea that because City and Liverpool aren’t slapping everyone 4-0 every week, the league must be rubbish.

We have 6 clubs comfortably near the top in the Champions league and are the overwhelming dominant force in European football.

I will accept the top 3 or 4 aren’t as good as in previous years - but there has never been such strength in depth. The bottom side have 2 Brazilian international midfielders. Every side has a handful or more of really good players. I’ve watched loads of really good games this season too.

 

[dublinbluenose]

The standard of the league is lower than say 10 - 15 years ago. But so is football in general. 99% of players are athletes as opposed to extremely talented individual footballers.

Systems and statistics have devalued the individual talent of players.

Most professional sports are the same.

EDIT: my spelling is atrocious at times

 

[Bkk Andy]

The strength in depth might be better but it's narrowed and the fact that it's more competitive is good for domestic fans. English teams don't look like they can dominate in Europe and that's how a lot of people judge league strength - against other leagues.

 

[RomanReigns]

Calvert lewin joining Leeds
xhaka joining Sunderland
Walker joining Burnley

When promoted sides can strengthen by bringing in these type of players it shows how strong every team is in the league

This isn’t the German league where Bayern win 6-0 every other week this is the best league in the world

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I keep seeing people say that the Premier League is a terrible standard this year, and I just don’t think it’s true.

The top 4 aren’t 10 points clear like they have been in the past, precisely because of the strength in depth in the league.

People have the bizarre idea that because City and Liverpool aren’t slapping everyone 4-0 every week, the league must be rubbish.

We have 6 clubs comfortably near the top in the Champions league and are the overwhelming dominant force in European football.

I will accept the top 3 or 4 aren’t as good as in previous years - but there has never been such strength in depth. The bottom side have 2 Brazilian international midfielders. Every side has a handful or more of really good players. I’ve watched loads of really good games this season too.

When that was happening, the same people were saying the league was rubbish because of that aswell.

 

[Nymzee]

Think pretty much everyone’s been wank this year myself.

 

[Lapeno77]

Calvert lewin joining Leeds
xhaka joining Sunderland
Walker joining Burnley

When promoted sides can strengthen by bringing in these type of players it shows how strong every team is in the league

This isn’t the German league where Bayern win 6-0 every other week this is the best league in the world

Bayern lost 2 1 at home to 13th place Augsburg yesterday.

 

[Lanolin]

I keep seeing people say that the Premier League is a terrible standard this year, and I just don’t think it’s true.

The top 4 aren’t 10 points clear like they have been in the past, precisely because of the strength in depth in the league.

People have the bizarre idea that because City and Liverpool aren’t slapping everyone 4-0 every week, the league must be rubbish.

We have 6 clubs comfortably near the top in the Champions league and are the overwhelming dominant force in European football.

I will accept the top 3 or 4 aren’t as good as in previous years - but there has never been such strength in depth. The bottom side have 2 Brazilian international midfielders. Every side has a handful or more of really good players. I’ve watched loads of really good games this season too.

I genuinely don’t think most people who say it actually have any idea why they’re saying it. It’s not an opinion based on them watching a significant amount of games from this PL season and comparing it to other leagues, or other seasons, it’s just a weird little cliched thing people say to sound insightful.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Calvert lewin joining Leeds
xhaka joining Sunderland
Walker joining Burnley

When promoted sides can strengthen by bringing in these type of players it shows how strong every team is in the league

This isn’t the German league where Bayern win 6-0 every other week this is the best league in the world

bayern lost yesterday.

 

[Lanolin]

The strength in depth might be better but it's narrowed and the fact that it's more competitive is good for domestic fans. English teams don't look like they can dominate in Europe and that's how a lot of people judge league strength - against other leagues.

There are 6 English teams in the top 11 of the CL table. Thats about as dominant as it’s possible to be, surely?

 

[Rita_Poon]

let's see which euro trophies get won by PL sides in April/May.

 

[Bkk Andy]

There are 6 English teams in the top 11 of the CL table. Thats about as dominant as it’s possible to be, surely?

Would you back any of them to win it? I wouldn't.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Would you back any of them to win it? I wouldn't.

I’d say so. PSG aside, I’d imagine the next favourites are Arsenal and City. Bayern under Komoany flatter to deceive as soon as they play anyone decent and Madrid are not the force of old. I could easily see an English team winning it this season. Arsenal might not get a better chance.

 

[Lanolin]

Would you back any of them to win it? I wouldn't.

I think that’s a slightly different thing. It’s a knock out tournament in the end, so theoretically a load of them could knock eachother out and then whether PSG beat Chelsea on penalties or not doesn’t tell us much about the overall strength of the league. What I was getting at is saying the league is poor can be backed up if the results in Europe are bad. If the top teams were getting battered when they came up against European opposition it would be a sign that the overall quality here was poor. When you’ve got an unprecedented 6 teams in the CL though, and they’re all in the top 11, that doesn’t really stack up. By the standards of any other modern season, English teams are dominating Europe to a larger extent than teams from anywhere have before.

 

[Kurt.]

I still say if you put fergies united team or arsenal’s unbeaten team under wenger in this league they would trounce it