Premier League on the decline?

With there being no English representation in the last eight of the Champions League this season, there has been much debate on whether or not the Premier League is of the quality that it was just a few years ago.  Well, it depends how you look at it.

It was only last season that Premier League Chelsea were upsetting the odds to win their maiden European crown.  In the last 10 seasons, the Premier League has produced 8 Champions League finalists, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea with one win apiece from those finals.

Having no English team at the quarter final stage of this competition is unheard of, but it is not a reflection on the Premier League as a product.  From an entertainment point of view, the Premier League remains the best league in the world.  It is still the most watched around the world and is the most competitive.  It is perhaps an overused saying that on their day any team in the league can beat any other.

That’s not to say that rival leagues La Liga and the Bundesliga are not right up there with the Premier League.  In terms of quality at the top end of their respective tables, the top sides such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have all shown they have edged ahead of the top teams that the Premier League has to offer Europe (with the help of the odd contentious refereeing decision).

Although rival European leagues may be able to boast superior superpowers at present, what those league offer beneath those is nowhere near the standard of the Premier League.  La Liga is a prime example of this, how often have we seen Barcelona routinely trounce all comers in their league, almost to the point where the El Clasico clash with Real Madrid only La Liga game worth watching as a spectacle.

It is the all round competitiveness across the board that is keeping the Premier League on an even keel with the rest of Europe.

Aaron Sharp Follow @ajs26061988