English Premier League - Some Thoughts

I have been following English premier league now almost regularly. And they play one of the most exciting football. It is a great sight to see and hear all the noise of anthems played by the fans. In a match like ManU vs. Liverpool, I can feel my hair raise in excitement.

Such is the pace of soccer that I feel alive. I wonder what it would be like to be there in that stadium, alive and feeling all that energy all around you. Man ... I am sure many a englishman will corroborate my feelings and imagination as a true feeling. A feeling that can only be felt, not explained. It is amazing how much talent this league attracts! If you look at the fact that of all the great teams, at least one of the starting eleven plays in the english league.

I was thinking the same thing last week, and another startling question was doing rounds in my head.

If all the above is true, then why does england repeatedly fail to win any silverware at national level or at club level?

And the answers have been equally startling too!

1. English Soccer has a tradition of beating by pace, not by skill.
If you look at the english premier league matches, what is the most notable trait is that of pace. The whole match takes place at a breathtaking speed. However, the mistakes made by players are very ordinary, the most basic is that of giving away possession. People are not first touch oriented, they are speed oriented in their play.

2. Lack of class is condoned if you score.
I think this is the most startling of all. Look at Wayne Rooney. I dont think the guy has enough class, but he is built like a bull and scores. Every english commentator goes ahead and describes him as a prodigy, whereas I will call him only a dangerous player because of his knack for goals. There are many such examples, Peter Crouch, David Beckham, etc. It is a pretty big list. There are exceptions, like Gerrard, Lampard, etc. but overall, it is a powerful league, not a very skillful league though.

For English national team:
3. Lack of a good first touch.
This is where the Argentinians and Brazilians are experts. They have such an amazing first touch, as if caressing the ball with their feet. And the ball seems to respond! The deftness of the touch translates into goal scoring ability in crunch matches. This first touch is most crucial for the forwards, and that is why english has such lack of quality scorers. I think this is a major reason why english are struggling with lack of goals. Their strikers don't seem to be in the same class as Czechs and Italians and French (to some extent).

And this was what was so special about Alan Shearer, his first touch, be it with the head, chest or feet, was simply superb. And that shows in the number of goals he scored for magpies. Look what has happened to the magpies now! They are struggling without the same standard.

This is where I love the Spanish football. They play free-flowing artistic football. Valencia used to be amazing once upon a time, but that torch is now being carried by Barca.

Right on the contrast to the speedy English football is the Italian football, defensively packed, amazing poaching and too good midfield. Truly, many were surprised when Italians won the FIFA World Cup, but I hardly was. I have always been a believer of midfield football.

This list of what Italians get right about football is so big that it has to be a different blog post altogether!!