The English Premier League As The Best In World

Charlie Klein

The Premier League is the best league in the world. I would cite that, but so many in the game have uttered the phrase that I have absolutely no idea whom to quote. The amount of success the English Premier League has enjoyed over the past five years is immeasurable. It has easily outdistanced any other league of continental Europe and many of its clubs boast strong attendance figures.

“The English Premier League is best league in the world,” The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFHHS). The Premiership won this award for the second year running by virtue of English clubs’ performances in both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The Premier League defeated second place Serie A by 161 points. In each of the past two seasons at least three English sides have qualified for the semifinals of the Champions League. In the UEFA Cup the results have not been as strong, but there are any number of reasons that may be cited as to why this is the case. Structurally in the Champions League the third place team in each group drops into the UEFA Cup. The EPL’s strongest teams have not finished third in their group for a very long period of time, whereas third place has been occupied by other league’s second, third, or fourth best sides and have done well with their parachute into the UEFA Cup.

“The English Premier League is the best league in the world,” Patrice Evra. The League is at its highest point in its 16 years under its current conception. Financially, its collective revenue is worth 40% more than its nearest competitor, Serie A. According to the same agency, Deliotte Football Money league, in its newest rankings, places seven English sides in its top 20 richest clubs of 2007/2008. The rankings are sure to change considering Manchester City’s new ownership, although they did make the list at No. 20. The English clubs featured (in order) are Manchester United (2), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (6), Liverpool (7), Tottenham Hotspur (14), Newcastle (17), and Manchester City (20). Additionally, the Premier League has had the fourth highest league revenue of any league in the world, only behind the top three leagues in the United States, the NFL, MLB, and NBA, and it is ahead of the NHL.

“The English Premier League is the best league in the world,” Sven-Goran Eriksson. Not only is the league the richest soccer league in the world, but it is also it’s most competitive. My counterpart will argue that the existence of a top four (the four teams that have occupied the first four spots in the standings for the past five seasons) is what has been damaging to this league. The top four, as it is popularly referred to, addresses the fact that for the past five campaigns Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool have all finished in the top four, and yet those who try and discredit the Premier League’s recent success miss the fact that Newcastle United and Everton have claimed places in the Champions league as recently as the 2003/2004 campaign.

My counterpart will also probably argue that there is a certain concentration of wealth in the league that prevents lower clubs from reaching the heights of a team like Manchester United, yet this is simply misconstruing the facts already presented, in addition to those that I shall add. His team of choice, Tottenham Hotspur, certainly does not suffer from a lack of sterling in their coffers. Perhaps if they had decided to either retain the services of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane instead of selling them they would not have had to suffer for their first win last season until most children were preparing to don Halloween costumes. Instead of wasting 15 million pounds on David Bentley, who spent most of his time on the bench at White Hart Lane and 14 million pounds on Roman Pavlyuchenko whose five goals and plenty of pointless forays into the 18 yard box have forced Harry Redknapp to put him on the White Hart Lane chopping block. So perhaps he has his own club’s poor transfer window to blame for the fact that Spurs have missed out on a place in Europe next term.

Furthermore, money does not always guarantee success. An example of this is Manchester City, who are the richest club in the world thanks to their new Arab owners, and yet they, like Tottenham, have failed to qualify for Europe. Stoke City, a side promoted last term managed to avoid relegation and finished 12^th, a mere five points and two places behind Manchester City. The city of Stoke-on-Trent enjoyed victories over such cash rich sides as Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester City. They also drew twice with Liverpool, a feat that not even the second richest club in the world Manchester United could accomplish against the boys in red on Merseyside. My opponent will cite the riches of Manchester United and Chelsea and attempt to prove a correlation between their transfer spending and the fact that those two teams have won the league each of the past five years. I have, however, proved that simple spending does not guarantee success. The fact that the 17^th richest club in the world, Newcastle United, was relegated and sides like Hull City managed to remain in the Promised Land is living proof that money alone does not always lead to success.

The English Premier League is the best in the world. This time I feel confident enough in saying it myself that I do not need the claims of others to feel substantiated with that comment. The league dominates all others financially and competitively. Inside the league there is better competition than any other league as any team with the correct mixture of proper management and talent can achieve their goals. Furthermore, on any give Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or even a Wednesday any team can feasibly beat another, regardless of world stature. All of those factors working in unison prove that the English Premier League truly is the greatest in the world and is thereby witnessing a golden age.