Since that 2009 Champions League season when the competition was only a couple of minutes away from a second all English final in a row, English teams have generally not performed well in Europe.
In fairness it was surely inevitable that the record of English teams would decline somewhat but decline it did. From 3 semi finalist for 3 years in a row the Premier League has since had two quarter finalist in 2010 to one finalist in 2011 and a winner in 2012.
On paper, not exactly a disaster, although Manchester United had the possibly the worst semi-finalists in Champions League history in Schalke in 2011 and Chelsea’s remarkable run based largely on defence was a minor miracle considering their league form.
Furthermore only two teams have made it out of the Group stages the last two years and could well have no English teams in the quarter-finals since the year Blackburn were unable to get out of their group in 1995/96 season. Three English teams however are in the last 16 of the Europa League and Liverpool was just one goal away from making it a fourth.
So achievement in Europe shouldn’t be the determining factor of the strength or quality of a league. I bet no one would say La Liga is a poor league if none of the Spanish teams overturn their respective ties this season. So are people saying the Premier League is poor because it compares poorly to the recent high level English teams were doing in Europe (while probably saying it was boring and predictable at the same time)?
It could well be one reason, another one is that with Manchester United 12 points clear at the top of the table and generally considered average compared to other teams of the recent past then it doesn’t say much for the rest of the league that they are so far ahead.
One can see the logic in that argument, but then if they knock out Real Madrid in the Champions League then exactly how many teams are much better than them? However it has to be said that Manchester United’s squad is much bigger and deeper than the competition’s and that seems to be the main reason why they are so far ahead.
So is the Premier League really poor this year? Certainly, the title race is a lot less exciting than last year with those incredible scenes at the Etihad stadium at the end of last season. However, to call the Premier League this year poor is very harsh, and also creates the question of how many good, even average leagues are there exactly? Thank goodness we aren’t watching the Estonian league in that case.
The Premier League might not have Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Falcao and it might have lost Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabregas and Xabi Alonso (and ahem… Alex Song) but the Premier League has some magnificent players, Van Persie, Suarez, Bale, Rooney, David Silva, Juan Mata, Vidic, Kompany, Jack Wilshere, Yaya Toure, the French National team (also known as Newcastle United), Eden Hazard, Oscar and others.
Why do we put down our own league with a list of players like that? The rest of Europe has grown stronger, with the financial strength of the Bundesliga, the historical significance of Serie A, the outstanding quality of players at the top of La Liga as well as the sugar daddy clubs from Russia and Paris making Europe as competitive as it has ever been. A poor premier league you say? I would love to see a Premier League that is considered good then!
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