Is the EPL the best league in Europe?

Hands down, yes. I like European football. Who doesn't? It is definitely the most glamorous. And over the years there has been great debate over which league is better, who has the best teams, players etc. The truth is, every league has its argument.
La Liga boasts, Spanish heavy weights, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico and Villareal. All with world class players, all who have had recent European success. The same can be said of Italian powerhouses, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus. In Germany, there is Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. All these teams are destinations that any player in world football will gladly accept a contract to play. But if we want to look at sheer consistency, let's examine the EPL.
How many years in recent memory, have there been a quarter final or semifinal stage of a European competition (either Champions league, or Uefa Cup) in which at least three teams are English? Take this year for example. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in it at this stage of the competition. In fact last year and many years before. The draw was such that English teams met in quarter finals, semi finals, and Finals consistently. Clearly there is something special there. To add to the case, Uefa cup, in recent years "second teir" EPL teams (like Tottenham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Bolton) have made pretty good runs.
Now I am not making any arguments on which team is the best in Europe, because to me that can be any of a number of teams, but when it comes to European competition, the English teams collectively do well. So any given year in the later stages of the season, there can be atleast 4 or 5 EPL teams still involved in some type of European football. At first I was not a believer, having previously voted for Italian League and most recently La Liga. But with these facts, the answer is a resounding YES!
p.s With the EPL winding down, it looks like a 2 horse race for the title between Man U and Liverpool. We (Chelsea) have an outside chance of winning, but our focus in retribution for last year's Champion's League final let down. Also, for good measure we will also be going for the FA Cup with all our strength. We will let those two fight for the League title, it will be our's next year anyway!

Till next time, Football is more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!

Cheers,
Deon

Can MAN U win it all?

As much as I hate to admit it Manchester United, under the supreme guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, seem poised to win it all. With the FA cup quarter-finals up tomorrow against Fulham, I am sure Sir Alex is doing all in his power to ensure there is no "let down" in their performance just 6 days after winning the "Carling Cup".
Fulham, currently ranked 10th (out of 20 teams in the English Premiership) is one of those teams that puzzle me. Usually a "mid-table" team means, you beat everyone ranked below you, and every so often you may get a good result against a higher ranked opponent. This is not always they case with Fulham, they will struggle against a lower ranked team and then the next week, play the "game of their lives" against top ranked opposition. Which Fulham will show up tomorrow? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile "drunk and disorderly" Ashley Cole and Chelsea are on the road to take on "League Championship" side Coventry. Being a Blue's fan, I will really like to see Chelsea assert themselves from early, find Drogba and Anelka upfront and avoid a cup-tie replay. Unless a MAN U suffer a major slip up, "FA cup" and "Champion's League" are all that is left for Chelsea to add to their trophy case. I hope the hunger is there.
I don't really care about the other FA cup games, to me they are just the other teams in the "pot". These two games in addition "Real Madrid vs Althletico Madrid" (the Madrid derby) and "Barcelona vs Bilbao", should make for an exciting Saturday.

Up next week, my thoughts on Beckham's transfer saga and the MLS. Until then remember, Football is not just a sport, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!

Cheers,
Deon