We've all heard it innumerable times, "The Barclays Premier League is the best league in the world." It's almost become like a reflex for some people.
"Barcelona just dominated Man City in Manchester."--"Oh well that doesn't matter the Barclays Premier League is still the best league in the world."
"Real Madrid has more Champions League titles than Liverpool, Chelsea, City, United and Arsenal combined"--"Who cares about that? We're still the best league in the world"
"Sorry to tell you this but your childhood pet just passed away"--"Pet? Who needs a dog when you can watch the Barclays Premier League which by the way is the best league in the world."
It's hard to imagine a world where there wasn't someone to remind you of how "competitive" the BPL is. It's "competitiveness" is something that all English fans pride themselves on. On how on any given day a side facing relegation can beat a side fighting for the title. Now does that really mean it's competitive? A league in which the top sides, which either funded by a never-ending of petrodollars (City and Chelsea) or a financial juggernaut that is funded by global sales (United), can lose to a team which comes from a town of less than a million. That's an indication of strength?
Well I guess it could be healthy if those lowly teams are fueled by young homegrown talent that will one day play for the national team. But that's not the case either. A study by BBC Sport showed that English players only account for 32.26% of minutes played in their own league. Comparatively in La Liga, Spaniards account for 59% while Germans account for 50% of minutes played in the Bundesliga. The new BPL TV deal, worth a ridiculous 5.14 billion pounds, will merely facilitate those lowly sides to offer exorbitant wages to top European players who they will then play over their own homegrown talent.
For years now the BPL's unmatchable marketing strategy has been the corner stone of its success. The way it presents and showcases itself is far superior to that of La Liga. The glamour, the drama and the presentation is what makes it special. But this isn't the Academy Awards. This is football and if the Premier League was even close to how good people say it is, it would perform in Europe.
European competitions have always been special. We all know about the Champions League and how it creates a spectacle like no other. Every tiny detail, from the introductory song that makes your heart beat faster to the impeccable presentation, it's simply in a class of its own. Then we have the Europa League, which many feel is merely the less glamorous cousin of the Champions League. However the Europa League possesses its own unique charm. You might not see Cristiano Ronaldo scoring for fun or Lionel Messi making defenders look like school boys, but you do see quality football. Last year we saw some incredible games in the Europa League, mostly due to Sevilla and their inability to accept defeat. They came back from the brink of elimination countless times, to win the trophy and show us the unique allure that exists only in the Europa League.
Sounds great doesn't it? Well not according to pundit and ex-Chelsea midfielder, Craig Burley. Like many others, Mr. Burley is an avid supporter of the English game. According to him, the reason no English team wins the Europa League is because they don't want to. It merely disrupts their domestic season and adds unnecessary trips to Europe. Well of course every footballer would rather to go to Middleborough for a Capital One Cup second round match rather than going to the Stadio Olimpico and play Roma. And not to mention if you win the Europa League you get a spot in next year's Champions League but who wants that anyways.
So why are English teams falling apart in Europe? For the most part it comes from the lack of tactical versatility. Besides Jose Mourinho, most managers in England seem unable to understand the fact that you can't play the same way against Barcelona as you do against Burnley. For example City played the same formation against Barcelona as they did in their comprehensive win over Newcastle. Despite losing Yaya Toure to suspension, Pellegrini opted for a 4-4-2 against a Barcelona team playing a 4-3-3. With Fernando and Milner in the heart of midfield, Luis Enrique had the basic intelligence to put Rakitic alongside Iniesta and Busquets to control the midfield. If that wasn't enough, the fact that Fernando and Milner have never played together in a double pivot just made things so much worse. Pellegrini then put Nasri and Silva on the wings which was hardly helpful. Despite being magical, the pair are not wingers, they are central players who like to drift inside and control the game. This allowed Barcelona's attacking fullbacks in Alves and Alba to exploit the space on the flanks. Similarly Wenger, Rodgers and Pochettino made some basic tactical mistakes which seem to have nearly ended the English presence in Europe.
The Premier League is a thoroughly entertaining league that should be appreciated but isn't as far ahead as Jaime Carragher or Gary Neville might have you think. In the end, your performance in Europe dictates the strength of your league. There simply isn't any other way to compare. Some people in North America prefer NCAA Basketball to NBA because of how competitive it is. But imagine what an NBA team would do to an NCAA team. If you're not big on basketball, it's pretty much what Barcelona did to City at the Etihad during that first half.