Really the Best League in the World?

Is the Premier League really the best league in the World?

There was a time when this question would have earnt you a clip round the ear, a disparaging sigh or something a little more stern given the wrong company. 'Of course the premier league is the best league in the world you @$^%&!' shouted with bottom of the gut certainty for all to hear.

These days however it's not a given and despite its relative merits has lost considerable ground to leagues from across Europe, particularly in countries such as Spain and Germany who's domestic football is experiencing something of a renaissance.

In and of itself the premier league is still the best as an insular spectacle. Given the ultimatum of being able to watch only one league and one league alone very few would look outside England's offering. But of course this is subjective considering many of our hearts lie tied inextricably to teams represented in the premier league. Ask a Spaniard the same question and they would say La Liga, a German Bundesliga, an Italian and a Frenchman well they'd probably be happy to be included in the argument.

The premier league's strength lies in the depth of quality on offer. It has become something of a cliche now but the fact remains that any team, regardless of league history and position has the capability to cause an upset, there truly are no easy games. The pace at which the premier league is played means that the balance of a game and indeed of an entire season can swing like a maniacal pendulum by the minute. 

Consider the late drama of Manchester City's famous title and how Aguero's goal to win the league came in the last minute of the last game of an entire season. Consider also Liverpool's capitulation this season at Crystal Palace where they lead 3-0 only to draw the game and hand the title to the lesser of two evils in neighbouring Manchester.

There is also greater incentive for teams in mid table to strive for a higher league position as the premier league offers four champions league spots and two Europa league places whilst a more democratic division of television rights than say La Liga truly benefits a 10th place finish over 15th. This ensures that smaller teams keep battling away throughout the season, making it difficult for those higher up.

Similarly the allure of playing in the premier league is such that teams in mid table often sign internationally renowned players. Look at QPR's capture of Brazilian and world cup semi-finalist Julio Cesar, Everton's signing of Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu and Stoke's recent acquisition of striker Bojan.  These sorts of signings don't happen at clubs like Granada or Hoffenheim, meaning that talent percolates down through the league making it more competitive throughout.

However it is undeniable that premier league sides can no longer be considered the 'best' in Europe and one definition of 'the best league' is one that offers the highest standard of football, measured against Europe's other elite leagues.

We need only look as far as the major European competitions to see that this is the case. In last season’s Champions League we saw an all Spain final, Real vs Atletico Madrid, which followed a semi final round including German champions Bayern Munich and a sole representative from the Premier League, Chelsea, who never looked for a moment like progressing. 

In the Europa league, Europe’s second cup, English representatives in the form of Wigan Athletic, Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur didn’t exactly fair too well either. Wigan failed to make it out of the group stage finishing rock bottom, whilst Swansea were knocked out in the round of 32, Tottenham in the round of 16. Not a single premier league side even made it to the quarter finals of Europe’s second most prestigious competition.

Considering that between 2005 and 2012 the premier league has had a representative in the final of a major European competition every year, then the last two seasons indicate a widening of margins between the best sides.

No wonder then that major broadcasting platforms are currently embroiled in a battle over Europe’s domestic leagues. Viewing figures in the UK for Spanish and German football in particular has nearly trebled in the last 2 seasons alone. And although the Premier League is still the most popular league in the world, owing largely to its following in Asia the scales have more than shifted.

This shift has been recognised by the major broadcasters with Sky Sports set to launch a new channel, Sky Sports 5 on the 12th August which will exclusively show European football from La Liga, Eredivise and the Champions League. BT Sport have been doing the same for over a season now showing Ligue 1, La Liga and Bundesliga matches.

This could explain why in the current preseason more than ever top sides from the premier league are heading further and further afield in an attempt to conscript more fans to the cause. New and unchartered frontier's for the premier league franchise offer a wide-eyed, malleable population, like the younger cousin or godchild who through careful and well considered manipulation can grow into a fully-fledged fanatic and call the premier league their own.

It seems as though at least in Continental Europe some of the glitz of the premier league is starting to fade. 

Consider this summer's transfers where the top marquee signings in the name of Kroos, Rodriguez and Suarez have gone to Spanish sides. Arsenal the only side from the premier league with a comparative signing in Chilean and ex-Barcelona striker Alexis Sanchez. There is a definite sense that the premier league is no longer the pinnacle of a player's career, that true international status and professional greatness can only be achieved by donning the claret and blue of Catalonia or the dazzling white of Madrid.

Even League 1, France's premier division is beginning to carve a position out for itself as one of Europe's more exciting leagues. PSG's summer splurge has seen the signing of Brazil and ex-Chelsea defender David Luiz to accompany a whole host of stars like Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovich, whilst rivals Monaco can showcase stars like Falcao, Berbatov and Moutinho.

With the established hegemony of La Liga under threat by last season's winners Atletico Madrid, it is no longer a two-horse race, whilst the eternal battle between Spain's two most successful clubs is more intriguing now than ever. 

I will concede that star signings are only a small part of what makes a league exciting to watch however it is clear to see that when once the world’s best flocked to England and Spain, now the division of talent is more even across Europe. The premier league retains its mantle as the best league only just due to the fact that so little can separate first from fifth place making it a more intriguing league. However I believe that we are at the start of a paradigm shift whereby in a season or two we will be waiting just as anxiously for our late night dose of European football as we do for that Sunday afternoon fix. As sports broadcasters invest more in showing and analysing European games this can only be a good thing for our general knowledge of the sport and it won’t be long before pints are spilled and friends lost over a match between SC Freiburg and Hannover 96.

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