Altered Opinions

With three Champions League semi-finalists this season, the Premiership is now justifiably being claimed to be the greatest league in the world.

But why has it taken this long? Why do we view foreign teams so highly?

It seems that English fans have become so accustomed to being accused of failing to look beyond the premiership, that there is something of an inverse reaction whereby the foreign leagues are lifted onto a pedestal.

Manchester Uniteds semi-final win against AC Milan has been rightly applauded, but in many ways this is largely a result of the huge esteem with which a club like AC Milan, and Serie A, are held. The evidence shows that their form in reaching the semi-final has been far from explosive, as has their domestic form; even without their 8 point ban, they would still only sit in 3rd place in Serie A.

And herein lies the paradox. If you can accept that three champions league semi-finalists is arguable evidence of the premiership being the greatest league, then by extension, it would also be reasonable to say competing against Englands 3rd placed team would be an equal or greater challenge than facing Italys 3rd placed team. Stick with me here….

So, Manchester United against Liverpool. United get a last minute winner… sound familiar? Just a couple of months ago, United secured exactly that result in an away game at Anfield. And was the reaction to the performance as great?

Similarly, take Chelsea and their quarter-final win in Valencia. Jim Beglin proclaimed the performance to be “unbelievable”, Peter Drury described it as “A blue miracle”. Much was made, justifiably, of Valencias proud home record. But again, make the comparison; Valencia currently sit joint 4th in La Liga. Arsenal sit 4th in the Premiership and, at the time of the above mentioned game, were unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium. Oh and you can throw in the title of “Champions League finalists” aswell.

Chelsea away at the Emirates, securing a 2-1 win with a late winner. Is this so “unbelievable” or “a blue miracle”?

Why are we so quick to praise performances against European sides, but reticent towards equal or greater performances in our domestic leagues? We get so excited by the Champions League results, yet aren’t some of the domestic performances of these teams deserving of even more praise than they currently get?

When the English media portray Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world, they are often criticised for being too insular. But in the same way, Kaka scores two goals against Manchester United and for many who have never seen the Brazilian play in any other game this season, he is the best player in the world, as if peer pressure dictates this for fear of being seen as uneducated beyond the Premiership.

The truth is that Ronaldo has demonstrated himself to be the catalyst for one of European footballs very top clubs and is clearly of equal compare to Kaka in that respect.

Perhaps this reluctance to champion our own league and its players is borne out of the consistent disappointments brought about by the national team. Maybe the insistence of the country that England are on the cusp of greatness prior to every major tournament, closely followed by their inevitable failure, has led to the inverse reaction referred to earlier. Too often, we have got over excited only to be let down. Maybe its best not to risk getting excited at all anymore.

But maybe just this time?

The Premiership is dominating and English football is flooded with some of the greatest players in world football, the evidence demonstrates this. Lets not be afraid to shout about it. After all, I know what you’re thinking- it probably wont last long……