Rafa goes to Real Madrid, Kenny Dalglish takes over for the rest of the season and in the summer the Reds name The Chosen One as their new manager.The end of Benitez??
all things soccer 2009/10
- Thread starter scouser1
- Start date
That could very well happen.
I think it might be time for Benitez to go (and I do regard him as an excellent coach)
Hear hear!!! He'll be great but could also be vilified like Cassano. We can switch Berbatov (great goal on Saturday) for Balotelli. Sir Alex would do wonders for the lad.Inter 5 Palermo 3
Whoever said that Serie A football is dull and defensive is a fucking idiot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tk8AMessXU
There can be no middle ground for Mario Balotelli; he'll either self-distruct or become the greatest footballer on the planet. However there are still sphincterheads who question his right to be Italian. IMHO he is more Italian than Mauro Camoranesi, it's a dead issue. I would love to watch him enter Nau Camp and cast a stony silence.
And for those making monkey noises...don't let me catch you.
It gets worse for Pool, they might lose both Gerrard and Torres to surgery:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...o-Torres-and-Steven-Gerrard-face-surgery.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...o-Torres-and-Steven-Gerrard-face-surgery.html
I'm not a big soccer fan and I haven't read this thread but I have a question.
Would I be wrong to take the position that English Premier Soccer is considered the best league in the world, i.e. does it have more talent/highest level of play than any other league?
I don't recall reading a discussion comparing the different leagues.
Would I be wrong to take the position that English Premier Soccer is considered the best league in the world, i.e. does it have more talent/highest level of play than any other league?
I don't recall reading a discussion comparing the different leagues.
It's relative but yes in my opinion. A few years ago, Serie A (Italy) was the best today the EPL (England) is the best but La Liga is pretty good too.
All 3 leagues have been considered the best at one time.
They are considered the best leagues in the world simply because the best players are there (the only exception I can think of is maybe the German league in Ribery, Toni, etc)
But what makes the discussion interesting is that they are all different style wise, the EPL I find is fast and furious, a team gets the first goal and the game turns into a pin ball machine. Serie A I find more tactical, you actually do see the play build up. And the Spanish league well as long as Im avoiding the boredom of Barcelona and Real Madrid and their glory hunter supporters I think is a great league, you are guaranteed a couple of fights, 3 sending offs and a couple of goals in injury time.
English (EPL) and Spain are pretty damn close, but I give the slight nod to EPL.
After that you get Serie A, Bundesliga, France, Holland and Portugal. Roughly in that order.
Thats strictly speaking about Europe, not taking into account the Argentina and Brazilian leagues
Some good comments so far and to summarize the leagues all have a different style and currently the best players are mostly in England and Spain. But to me what makes it interesting, or not, is that there is a wide gap in quality between the best and worst teams in each respective league. Thus, each league typically has only 2 maybe 3 teams capable of winning their league. So when you say which league is better, are you saying which league has the beat 2 or 3 teams or are you comparing average teams from each league. IMO if you pick the best four then England. If you ask me which league is best on average from top to bottom, probably Spain. Italy would probably be as strong as any league if you averaged the best 13 or 14 teams.
However, if you want to see the guys in this thread get excited wait until the best teams in Europe begin the knockout phase of the European Champion's League which runs from mid-February to mid-May. The 16 best teams play two-legged sudden-death games until a European club champion is crowned. Again, the best team doesn't necessarily always win due to the sudden-death nature. But probably the best soccer, not to mention drama, for the year. Can't wait!!
Thats pretty accurate, except that the drop after the big 4 varies between Spain and England. In the end it all levels out IMO.
When all is said and done Spain and England are pretty even. If you like freeflowing, technical soccer, you will like Spain. If you enjoy a fast paced, more physical game then EPL is for you.
I agree on the different styles.
What is making England more interesting this year is that ManU, Pool and Arsenal lost good players from last year and not as good while Spurs, Villa and especially ManCity have improved. Hell even Wigan, Burnley and Sunderland are having a crack at the big boys. So the drop after big 4, IMO, is not as pronounced this year in England. Last year ManU won the league with 4 losses. The league winner this year could conceivably have 7-8 losses, especially considering that overall there are far fewer tied games.
Actually Sammy hit on a point which makes England the most watched league around the world. The pace and physicality which leads to being visually being the most exciting. But additionally English stadiums are the most crowded on average with fans that sing and cheer the most. It all makes for a great TV spectacle.
Yes slight my beloved Serie A all you want, see if I care.
Question to Manhole United fans: How on earth does Nani get the start over Obertan?!
Question to Manhole United fans: How on earth does Nani get the start over Obertan?!
Shack, to answer your question, the 3 best leagues are England, Spain and Italy.
After that you get the Champions league (which is basically the top 3 teams of those 3 leagues) competing together.
I'm trying to simplify it as much as possible
After that you get the Champions league (which is basically the top 3 teams of those 3 leagues) competing together.
I'm trying to simplify it as much as possible
My favorite tournament to watch is the Champions League simply put that is the best players in the world on the field even more so than the World Cup or Euro
As for the domination of a few teams, well every single league in Europe has this problem and it rarely broken (England, Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea) Spain (Real Madrid, Barcelona) Italy (Juve, Inter, AC Milan) Portugal (Porto, Benfica, Sporting), Turkey (Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas) etc etc etc
As for the domination of a few teams, well every single league in Europe has this problem and it rarely broken (England, Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea) Spain (Real Madrid, Barcelona) Italy (Juve, Inter, AC Milan) Portugal (Porto, Benfica, Sporting), Turkey (Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas) etc etc etc
I've watched soccer off and on over the years, mainly if there was nothing else to watch. Having said that, I have always had the utmost respect for soccer players as probably being the best all round athletes of any sport, strength, speed, stamina, agility. I kinda wanted to know that when I do watch, I know I'm watching the best, which for me helps to increase my interest level.Shack, to answer your question, the 3 best leagues are England, Spain and Italy.
After that you get the Champions league (which is basically the top 3 teams of those 3 leagues) competing together.
I'm trying to simplify it as much as possible
Do most of the best South American players play in Europe? I know they are always a factor in World Cup, but only 1 person made even slight mention of the SA leagues in this discussion. Maybe their years of being a major factor in World Cups will end if the powers that be go through on placing a ban on playing WC's in high altitude venues.
I knew I could count on you guys for an interesting and informative read. Thanks.
Yup, pretty much!
Europe is the place to be when you made it in soccer (or football).
If you're from Brazil or Argentina, and you made it to AC Milan or Real Madrid, you're pretty much in the big leagues
(kinda like making it to LA Dodgers or NY Yankees).
There are so many South Americans in Europe that Brazil and Argentina host most of their Friendlies (exhibition games) in Europe to avoid the long travel for their players. Also, bear in mind that the Andes Mountains are on the west side of South America so the only countries that benefit are Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile. Altitude is of no benefit to Brazil or Argentina.
