What they fail to realize is that you're not actually comparing the two leagues because the league is made up of a lot more teams who don't possess truly world-class players yet make up for a huge percentage of the league's fixtures and a huge percentage to the 'entertainment' value as well because they ARE very good players. (After all, that's why they're playing in the TOP divisions). So what if they're not world-class? They don't have to be!
How can you for example really compare the quality of two leagues when instead of comparing 20 teams vs. 20 and 500 players against 500 and 20 managers and set of fans vs. 20 other managers and set of fans and stadium atmospheres when all you're really doing is doing it for 3 teams vs. 3 teams and 60 players against 60 players? :-s[/B]
PLF, i quoted just a lil part of your post (otherwise my post could become too long), but everything u wrote was absolutely correct :applause: :applause: :applause:
u can say wich league u prefer, but not wich league is the best.
each nation has his own football culture, they're too different to be compared.
I like to watch la liga coz their matches are always entertaining, but honestly i don't think spanish football is top quality.
but even this consideration is subjective. I mean, my idea of "quality football" is not the same of a spanish guy ideal.
in spl matches u see a lot of "joga bonito" plays........ but why?? Is it coz they have the greatest offensive players? or is it coz they have the worst defenders??? in my opinion, none of them. spanish league has good defenders, but theyr football doesn't pay much attention to the defensive aspect. if u watch a spl match u can see a player taking the ball in the midfield and nobody (of the opponent team) going to tackle him for about 4 or 5 seconds. this gives to the player the time to think what to do with the ball. this usually means "a lot of nice offensive plays"...... but it means also a lot of unbelievable defensive mistakes (at least for an italian guy). In serie A usually u don't have the time to think what to do with the ball. actually u have to know what to do with tha ball before u get it. Coz from the moment u got the ball on your feet u just have 2 or 3 seconds to give it to your mate or to make a dribbling. this usually means that in italian football u rarely see nice plays...... but this doesn't means that italian football isn't quality football..... it doesn't means that italians play always defense. it just means that italian football consider the same way offence and defence. defence in italy is not "the only thing that counts" (as a lot of people think), but is
as important as offence (what is not in spain).
so in italy, to do a "joga bonito" play, u have to be a real great player. Otherwise, is better to pass the ball quickly and with precision.
so, when i watch a spanish football match i see a lot of exiting plays (what i like)...... but i see also a lot of mistakes cause of the lack of concentration in defence..... usually when i see a goal, first i say "wow, what a great scheme!"......... but after the replay i say "wow, what a idiots are thos CBs. in serie A u will not ever see theese kind of defensive mistakes!"
instead, when i see an italian football match, i see always good matches, with a lot of intensity and balance.......... but they're even quite boring (at least if compared with la liga matches). Italian players have great fondamentals, but they rarely try to dribble the opponent (coz', like i said, when u get the ball, u got just 2 or 3 seconds, before 2 players come to tackle u). Spanish players instead enjoy the "entertairnment" aspects of football, but haven't great fondamentals.
moreover, when i talk about spanish and italian football, i'm not talking about milan, real, barca, inter, valencia or rome. I'm talking about "secondary" teams. if u wanna talk about italian, spanish, english, french, or german football, u don't have to consider totti, ronaldinho, gerrard, juninho or makaay. How many tottis ther are in serie a??? how many ronaldinho ther are in spl?? How many gerrard ther are in epl???
u have to look at medium class players, cause THEY willl tell u how football is played in italy, spain, germany, france.....
u wanna talk about italian football? then don't take as example pirlo, but corini...... don't take as example totti, but locatelli, don't take as example nesta, but terlizzi (and the same for the other leagues, of course).
some time ago, in this forum, a german guy was trying to explain to me that in bundesliga scoring a goal is as difficult as it is in serie a, by telling me that german defenders are as good as italians defenders...... he said "u have nesta, cannavaro, maldini, but we have mertesacker, boularouz, ismael" this argument doesn't mean anything. to compare italians and germans defenders u have to compare average italian defenders with average german defenders. each country has great players in each role (even spain has great defenders).
And this will still not be enough. in fact u don't just have to consider how good is a player, but what kind of schemes he plays (with his teammates). u can have great defensive players that play in a league that consider defense as "the only ugly aspect of football" (:lol: ).
in the end, is not about which league is the best. is about "what i like the most?" "what kind of plays thrill me?"
do u like great coaches and schemes?..... then don't look at epl!
do u like joga bonito plays an wings?....... then don't look at serie a!
do u like intense and balanced matches with players that rarely make mistakes?..... then don't look at la liga!
personally, i like everything in football, so i will continue to follow any league i can :mrgreen: