theHotHead wrote:EliteKiller wrote:theHotHead wrote:Hypergooner wrote:This is a good debate
It makes all logical sense for it to be harder to score, or more to the point, be seen as one of the world elite in the Prem, because the average quality is so much higher. There's more money and competition in the Prem, so it's harder to stand out.
Messi, Ronaldo, Benzima, Mbappe etc. Are obviously going to find it easier to score and look amazing, when the team they play for is so much higher standard than the teams around them. Most teams in France, Spain, Italy, wouldn't compete with Championship teams, let alone Premier league teams.
If United were in the Championship last season, Ronaldo would have bagged 30 goals.
Lets address the comment that Championship teams would beat most teams in the other top leagues, no idea where that assertion comes from but its one that is bandied about. How can we prove or disprove it ? The best way I can think of is to look at the Europa League, typically teams outside the top 4 from major leagues are in it.
Since it's inception in 1999:
Spain - 11 time winners
Italy - 1 time winner
UK - 4 time winners
Germany - 1 time winner
France - 0 wins
Teams that won not recognised as top 4 clubs from those leagues:
Eintract Frankfurt, Villareal, Sevilla (6 times), Valencia, Parma.
Where are the English teams if they are so much stronger than in other leagues ?! If someone knows of a better way of comparing the leagues I am open to hear.
Listen to Pep, Klopp and Conte, all three this year have said the EPL is BY FAR the best league, and BY FAR the hardest to win .... not because they have better teams at the top but because there are almost no easy games, unlike every other league in Europe. You have to play a strong eleven every game, not rest half the side as PSG, Bayern, Barca, RM all regularly do .... that's just their opinion of course not sure how you prove it.
I don't doubt that its the best league in the world with greater strength in depth. My point solely relates to the comment that away from your top 4 and top 6 teams in other leagues, those teams wouldn't be a match even for our Championship sides. I think thats hogwash. Those teams might not be able to give as good a fight to the top tier teams in their league but that doesn't mean they wouldn't wipe the floor with Championship teams !
There are lots of reasons for European teams doing better than English teams in Europe. A huge one being the Christmas break, another as mentioned, the ability to rest top players against easy teams.
You must be able to see how far a head PSG are, compared to the rest of France. This means more goals for their strikers. Spain and Italy are a bit more competitive but still make it easier for a top player to look like a worldy. Abrahams wouldn't bag 17 league goals in his first half season in a new country, if he was coming from Italy to the prem.
Back to my original point. It is easier to stand out in the other leagues, when the average competition is lower. In my opinion, the best players in the world are the ones that can prove it, week in week out in the biggest and best league in the world, the Premier League!