It's a simple question. What is the best soccer league in the word? Is it the English Premier League? It's certainly the most watched by the hordes of Asian gambling syndicates and sycophantic Saturday beer league Eurosnob muppets. Is it Spain where beautiful futbol is a sign of divine intervention? Or what about Italy where ultras rule, the stadia are horrible and the games are rigged? The stereotypes have a kernel of truth but we shouldn't base our comparison on a feeling or a stereotype. Examine facts and compare them between the 3 leagues. Don't look at a couple of years and diagnose a trend. Look back further, 5 or 10 years at the most, so I went back to the beginning of the decade. I tossed this year out since it's not over yet, and I tracked the stats, but I interpreted them the way that I think is right. If I'm wrong, well I guess I'll be hearing from you. Yes, I could have included Germany, France or the Netherlands but decided not to because the life I lead doesn't allow time for the leagues we don't cover here on Forza Futbol.
Most Goals: Most people look at goals as the measure of the overall excitement of a game and that might be oversimplifying it, but let's start there and see where it leads. Over the period of 2000-2008, Spain at 2.62 comes just ahead of Italy no less at 2.61, with England way behind the leaders at 2.58 goals per game. If that doesn't seem like a lot it's because it isn't. The English have a theory, that lumping it up the park, no more than 3 touches per possession, will increase the chances at goal. Uh, nope not even close. In fact all it really does is increase the opportunity to give the ball away. Therefore something else, or more likely a combination of factors needs to be examined, before the final determination of which is the best league in the world.
Overs and UndersWhat about the percentage of games that end above the expected amount of total goals per game, in gambling terms, the overs. For me at least this describes how open matches are, how much scoring is involved over-all and (since I am an American) I sarcastically equate the level of action with the over-all viability of a league based on the scoring. The league with the highest level of matches ended above the over? The league with the least expectation of scoring: Italy at 48.72% of games finishing on the over, followed by Spain this time at 47.89 and England again falling short comfortably in last at 47.17%. Conversely of course, the English games fall overwhelmingly on the under; a measure of how exceedingly dull the English game really is? Nope. The difference again is negligible at about 2% between the leagues.
Home vs. Away Performance
For me the home winning percentage of a club is a measure of how strong a club's home form is of course but also indirectly related to how influential their crowd is or as we say here in the States, how powerful "12th man" is whereas a club's draw percentage is partly a measure of the league's parity. It could also be construed as a measure of pragmatism or lack of risk taking to some extent. For me, a league's away percentage is a measure a league's away support obviously. The expectation is that English teams travel better than anyone else therefore they influence the outcome more than their Spanish or Italian counterparts. Home winning percentage is greatest in Spain with 47.40%, with England at 46.9% and Italy at 45.49%. There are more draws in Italy as expected with the least amount of draws in England but even so the difference is a matter of less than 4%. The away percentage is greater in England but what we're talking is less than 1% difference between England and Spain.
In the end, really, it's what you like and what you can stomach. The EPL brands itself as the greatest league in the world with the most action and the best games. It's not. The difference between the leagues is minuscule. Football is football. Do I prefer one league over the other. Sure, I'd rather watch the Italian teams or the Spanish teams face-off but that's just a personal preference.
EPL is far more entertaining spanish league play like ballerinas not footballers the game was invented in england and the fast pace is how it's meant to be played not pretty little passes that sucks dick
ReplyDeleteHmm, let's see if I can fix this a little before I can comment on it.
ReplyDelete"The E.P.L. is far more entertaining. The Spanish League players are like ballerinas not footballers. The game was invented in England and the fast pace is how it’s meant to be played, not pretty little passes that suck dick." Ah. That's better.
1)English football is FAR more entertaining? Maybe if you like demolition derby. In my book excitement means goals. The game with the most action is the game with the most goals. Overall, that's in Spain right now.
2)The best footballers in the world right now, Ronaldo, Messi and Kaka (the top 3 Ballon D'or winners) are playing in Spain. Not a ballerina there in sight.
3)Spain are Euro Champs. England didn't even qualify. Spain have won the Euros twice; second only to Germany. England have actually never won the Euros.
4)Pretty little passes...yeah. Wasn't it Englishman Brian Clough who said that football was supposed to be played on the ground, a passing game, and when they asked him why his clubs played that way he said, "If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there."
When they go back to playing the way the game is supposed to be played, a passing game, on the ground and not "hoofing it up the pitch", then maybe England'll win the World Cup again in my lifetime. Until then, the students of the game will continue beating up on the inventors.
I would have to say its the EPL, with Spain just behind. I don't really like watching the Italian league anymore. I guess a bonus of the EPL is that I understand the commentators, even thou they sometimes talk a lot of rubbish.
ReplyDeleteGood piece, sums it up quite well, but think Lescott was head and sudhloers above any other England player. Parker, whilst playing well still takes too many touches for my liking, thought Lampard actually looked more class.Welbeck really needs to start against Sweden, but i dont think he will, but he looked far more dangerous than Bent (header aside).Finally, Andy Dunn's piece was ridiculous, such a vendetta against Capello, we beat fucking Spain for f*ck's sake!
ReplyDeleteMate if you don't score 6 asignat Newcastle, I'll be disappointed!OUt of interest, why is it that you love to hate Jermain Beckford? only really ever heard good things about him
ReplyDeleteGood potins John, I agree with the potins on some of the Aussies that have been included too. Let's see how they go tomorrow! You could have opened a can of worms there mate
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