Premier League makes attack the key to success.
It has been argued for the last ten years that the Premier League is the best domestic league in Europe and therefore the World. There are strong arguments for it, although it could be said that it's mostly an English mantra. At the same time many foreign players have also endorsed the view, namely those that have played in it.
Meanwhile La Liga is usually the other domestic league to be named as a potential rival to this crown. Judgements are based upon the wealth of each league as well as other factors such as attendances and of course the stature of the players the clubs own. We know that as far as attendances, the Premier League wins hands down.
This season so far, La Liga and the Premier League have both been producing attractive football, at least in terms of goals and results. The overall goal average across the Premier League has shifted upwards, this may very well lower as the season progresses, but it is significant.
Since the Premier League's inaugural season in 1992-93, the eventual champions have often been the team with the highest goal average per game at the seasons end. The first two Premier League seasons did buck this trend, Manchester United won both titles whilst Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United topped the averages respectively.
What has been consistent is the fact that only one team per season usually averages two or more goals per game. The statistics show that the first time the Premier League had a team that broke this barrier, it was the 1996-97 season and the eventual champions Manchester United.
Only on one occasion has there been two teams to finish the season with a goal average of 2+ a game, back in 2001-02. The champions Arsenal and Manchester United took those honours, but interestingly Liverpool were actually the runners-up that year and were fifth in the goal averages column.
Clearly it takes more than just goals to win the title, although it's a massive step. The statistics prove that a strong defence is where a title challenge begins, and then you have to back it up with goals. This was achieved with a menacing aplomb by Manchester United in the early years of the Premier League.
However you need only look at the 1998-99 season to see the cost of not scoring enough when having a mean defence. Arsenal's defence of their title won the previous year should have been cemented when they incredibly conceded only 17 goals in their 38 matches. Unfortunately they only scored 59 to Manchester United's 80 and the title travelled back up North.
Looking at the present season, after the opening 9 fixtures there are 6 teams that are currently averaging more than 2 goals a game. With Arsenal going so far as to be averaging 3.38! Such rampant goal scoring surely can't continue all season long. Then again it has to be noted that whilst generally the top six are scoring more, their defences are also more porous.
It all points to the Premier League possibly moving towards an even more open style of play, where attack is being emphasised by the goals that are being conceded. We need only look at Liverpool and the current mire that they are in.
The Merseyside club has actually out-scored all other teams in the Premier League bar Arsenal. And yet they have conspired to win 5 and lose 4 of their opening 9 matches, partly down to the 13 goals they have shipped. Then again their goal difference is almost identical to Tottenham, who's start has been all the more rosy.
When studying the statistics it quickly becomes clear that there is a fine and difficult balance between a team's attack and defence. Very rarely will it be argued that a team who finishes as champions are not the most deserving of the accolade, but sometimes you can look back and wonder where things went so wrong.
This comes to mind if you consider the team that currently holds the highest ever goal-scoring average of the Premier League era. It came in José Mourinho's first season with Chelsea (2004-05), when he triumphantly secured the title at the first attempt.
That season Chelsea were only defensively breached on 15 occasions, a remarkable backbone that paved the way to their success. The runners-up Arsenal meanwhile scored 87 times at an average of 2.29 goals per game, their reward was to finish 12 points adrift!
It therefore goes to show that we cannot make too many predictions based upon the season thus far. It must simply be noted that the Premier League heavyweights are scoring more and conceding more that we have seen before. This has coincided with the financial rise of Manchester City and the continued positive developments at Tottenham and Aston Villa.
It could be argued that if we were to focus on La Liga, they can now lay claim to hosting the World's best 3 players at this time. It is fair to say that Lionel Messi, Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo are massive attractions and a coup for La Liga. Not only that, Barcelona are the current holders of the Champions League after dispatching Manchester United last May.
Ultimately a comparison between the Premier League and La Liga should come down to the quality of football that is played rather than money etc. Do higher scoring games prove quality, or should we crave an Italian defensive style. The Italian influence of Capello on England certainly hasn't meant clean sheets all the time.
The progress of Real Madrid's Galactico's mark II will be crucial, will they dazzle La Liga and Europe or will they wilt as they did against AC Milan the other evening? For now the likes of Deportivo La Coruña and Sevilla are aiming to show that La Liga won't just be a two-horse race, and competitiveness links to popularity.
So far so good for the neutrals then. There is a real chance that the traditional English top-four of recent times is facing a substantial challenge at long last. The question is if the Premier League was the best league in the World before, what is it now that it's getting more competitive, or will La Liga outmuscle it?
Meanwhile La Liga is usually the other domestic league to be named as a potential rival to this crown. Judgements are based upon the wealth of each league as well as other factors such as attendances and of course the stature of the players the clubs own. We know that as far as attendances, the Premier League wins hands down.
This season so far, La Liga and the Premier League have both been producing attractive football, at least in terms of goals and results. The overall goal average across the Premier League has shifted upwards, this may very well lower as the season progresses, but it is significant.
Since the Premier League's inaugural season in 1992-93, the eventual champions have often been the team with the highest goal average per game at the seasons end. The first two Premier League seasons did buck this trend, Manchester United won both titles whilst Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United topped the averages respectively.
What has been consistent is the fact that only one team per season usually averages two or more goals per game. The statistics show that the first time the Premier League had a team that broke this barrier, it was the 1996-97 season and the eventual champions Manchester United.
Only on one occasion has there been two teams to finish the season with a goal average of 2+ a game, back in 2001-02. The champions Arsenal and Manchester United took those honours, but interestingly Liverpool were actually the runners-up that year and were fifth in the goal averages column.
Clearly it takes more than just goals to win the title, although it's a massive step. The statistics prove that a strong defence is where a title challenge begins, and then you have to back it up with goals. This was achieved with a menacing aplomb by Manchester United in the early years of the Premier League.
However you need only look at the 1998-99 season to see the cost of not scoring enough when having a mean defence. Arsenal's defence of their title won the previous year should have been cemented when they incredibly conceded only 17 goals in their 38 matches. Unfortunately they only scored 59 to Manchester United's 80 and the title travelled back up North.
Looking at the present season, after the opening 9 fixtures there are 6 teams that are currently averaging more than 2 goals a game. With Arsenal going so far as to be averaging 3.38! Such rampant goal scoring surely can't continue all season long. Then again it has to be noted that whilst generally the top six are scoring more, their defences are also more porous.
It all points to the Premier League possibly moving towards an even more open style of play, where attack is being emphasised by the goals that are being conceded. We need only look at Liverpool and the current mire that they are in.
The Merseyside club has actually out-scored all other teams in the Premier League bar Arsenal. And yet they have conspired to win 5 and lose 4 of their opening 9 matches, partly down to the 13 goals they have shipped. Then again their goal difference is almost identical to Tottenham, who's start has been all the more rosy.
When studying the statistics it quickly becomes clear that there is a fine and difficult balance between a team's attack and defence. Very rarely will it be argued that a team who finishes as champions are not the most deserving of the accolade, but sometimes you can look back and wonder where things went so wrong.
This comes to mind if you consider the team that currently holds the highest ever goal-scoring average of the Premier League era. It came in José Mourinho's first season with Chelsea (2004-05), when he triumphantly secured the title at the first attempt.
That season Chelsea were only defensively breached on 15 occasions, a remarkable backbone that paved the way to their success. The runners-up Arsenal meanwhile scored 87 times at an average of 2.29 goals per game, their reward was to finish 12 points adrift!
It therefore goes to show that we cannot make too many predictions based upon the season thus far. It must simply be noted that the Premier League heavyweights are scoring more and conceding more that we have seen before. This has coincided with the financial rise of Manchester City and the continued positive developments at Tottenham and Aston Villa.
It could be argued that if we were to focus on La Liga, they can now lay claim to hosting the World's best 3 players at this time. It is fair to say that Lionel Messi, Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo are massive attractions and a coup for La Liga. Not only that, Barcelona are the current holders of the Champions League after dispatching Manchester United last May.
Ultimately a comparison between the Premier League and La Liga should come down to the quality of football that is played rather than money etc. Do higher scoring games prove quality, or should we crave an Italian defensive style. The Italian influence of Capello on England certainly hasn't meant clean sheets all the time.
The progress of Real Madrid's Galactico's mark II will be crucial, will they dazzle La Liga and Europe or will they wilt as they did against AC Milan the other evening? For now the likes of Deportivo La Coruña and Sevilla are aiming to show that La Liga won't just be a two-horse race, and competitiveness links to popularity.
So far so good for the neutrals then. There is a real chance that the traditional English top-four of recent times is facing a substantial challenge at long last. The question is if the Premier League was the best league in the World before, what is it now that it's getting more competitive, or will La Liga outmuscle it?
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