Best League in the World.

How do you be sure of that? I really doubt that one season's results serve as enough proof as to what is the better league. As Jebus said, was the Portuguese league the strongest back in '04?

I suppose we can agree that this season the Premiership teams have generally outperformed Spanish ones (although Spain looks very much on course to retain the UEFA Cup) however who's to say that next year it won't be the other way around with pretty much the same squads?

As I said, you have to look at results over a period of time wherever possible as opposed to one season's results. Otherwise you're basically saying that the Portuguese and French leagues really were the strongest in Europe in '04 (due to providing both finalists), even though it is widely accepted that they weren't and it was merely a one-off.

Overall quality of La Liga better than the overall quality of the premier league? Can't say I agree. I've watched Levante on p2p television loads of times (the Ian Harte interest) and I think Sheffield United (another team I watch all the time) would tear them apart. The squads of the lower La Liga teams are tiny and the quality is s-h-i-t-e.

I still reckon Everton would Beat Athletico or Valencia right now. They have a superb record against the top six sides but have been let down by results against the Sheffield Uniteds. They've beaten Arsenal, beaten Liverpool convincingly at home and drew away. They were unlucky against Chelsea at home to concede late in the game. Man for man its a better Everton side than finished fourth in 2005 and were subsequently robbed by Collina against Villareal. Pointw wise, theres not much seperating 3rd place to 6th.

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3 Arsenal 34 18 8 8 57 31 26 62
4 Liverpool 33 18 7 8 50 22 28 61
5 Everton 34 14 12 8 46 30 16 54
6 Bolton 34 16 6 12 41 42 -1 54

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

I still reckon Everton would Beat Athletico or Valencia right now. They have a superb record against the top six sides but have been let down by results against the Sheffield Uniteds

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Everton fan in shocking comparison for his club scandal! :D

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

I still reckon Everton would Beat Athletico or Valencia right now.

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Maybe, unlikely in my book though! But the point is more that Spanish teams have consistently been better at exporting over the last number years, ie in European competition have outperformed teams from elsewhere. The impressive thing is the diversity of teams from Spain that do well. Like this year league also-rans Espanyol and Osasuna are in the semis of the UEFA Cup, and about six years ago absolute minnows Alaves and Rayo Vallecano got to the semis, intermingled with decent showings from other lesser lights like Villarreal, Betis, Celta and more recently Sevilla. Its fair enough to claim that the likes of Everton, Spurs would beat their Spanish counterparts but only Newcatle and Middlesborough have done anyway decent in Europe recently. Likewise the point that Levante would be hammered by Sheffield United is very arguable. If the Premiership was better overall would it not have resulted in more successful European campaigns?

This may suggest many things but in this debate perhaps it's worth making the distinction between internal or external monitoring - judging a league in isolation or, alternatively, comparing it to others(presumably what we're doing) with the use of available data. If you go by the latter then I fail to see a basis for arguing that the English league is best, outside of the overly short-term point of the three English Champions League semi-finalists this year. Until Bolton, Everton etc start doing something in Europe I think it's safe to say that the quality of football played in Spain is better

Don't know about Levante but I saw Alaves in the flesh last year and thought they had a defence that Galway couldn't fail to penetrate.

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Don't know about Levante but I saw Alaves in the flesh last year and thought they had a defence that Galway couldn't fail to penetrate.

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I was talking about Alaves in the halcyon Javi Moreno days when they lost to Liverpool in that epic final. That feat would be much the same as Reading getting to the final next year. The thing is such lengthy European adventures are pretty commonplace for Spanish clubs, like Alaves' Basque cousins Osasuna this year.

I would judge a league firstly by the standard of play in that league, which is then put to test when the teams from that league play abroad. If the Premiership was the best would this not have been borne out in Europe over the past several years? I don't see the same relevance in comparing 3rd v 3rd etc.

Why are standings in La Liga more capricious? Perhaps because the gulf in footballing ability between the top and bottom sides is way less than in the Premiership. When a 'bad' team beats a good team in La Liga it's by playing better football than their opponent and not from being more up for it or more aggressive as is the case in England. Thats a big difference for me

This page shows Spanish sides to be well ahead of English ones, by the way.

Spain nearly ten coefficient points ahead of England.

If we're deciding who's league is better on the basis of who have the better performances in the Champions League this year than would it be fair to say that it's between Serie A and the Premiership? And that given Milan's thumping of United tonight than Serie A is a better league?

Answer: No it wouldn't, La Liga is still better than both :)

Surely the concept of the 'best league in the world' is nothing more than nonsense? Are Bolton better than Sampdoria? Is the seventh-best-placed team in Poland better than the top three in Moldova? Have you sad buggers nothing else to do with your time?
The Champions League is hardly a fair barometer as it's heavily-weighed in favour of certain countries rather than based on a fair contest between national champions like it used to be. Look at the likes of Ajax, who are now peripheral to a contest that they won easily when there was equality. But that doesn't suit the big boys because they prefer a closed shop and lots of happy-clappy fans.
Can you imagine the Eurovision Song Contest being so loaded? At least it's fair. You're being sold a pup yet you lap it up because TV tells you what to think and you accept it.
You deserve Liverpool.

I think I'm missing the point. What has the de-champifing of the Champions League/European Cup got to do with the 'best league in the world' except for another example of football losing its soulcialism?

I thought I made a reasonable stab at categorising the debate earlier, but basically what we've been talking about is what league you think is of the highest standard. The 'calibre' of football played on Tuesday in Anfield shows the limitations of the Premiership teams. Thrusting alright but no penetration

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Originally Posted by Billy Lord

Can you imagine the Eurovision Song Contest being so loaded? At least it's fair.

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(annoying creaking sound of seldom-opened top drawer being opened):p

I don't catagorise the standard of a league to being the best league.

Personally I get more excitement watching Linfield vs Distillery than I do watching Barcelona vs Real Madrid, or Rangers vs Celtic or Milan vs Inter.

I watch a Linfield game, there is hard tackling, decent football(most of the time), plenty of chances, a lot of banter and more characters.

When we watch English/Spanish/Italian football, you go within a foot of a player, the player dives and gets a free kick.

The teams play at such a high standard that they cancel each other out and you only get 7 or 8 the whole match.

Sure the IL is very poor in terms of standard of play in comparison to these leagues, but for excitement and a more old fashioned style of football(hard hitting) but to me it's the best league in the world.