Barclays Premier League: No longer a physical battlefield

I still clearly remember when I started watching the Premier League, around the 1999-2000 season. The matches used to be physically draining, and used to end with bruised men and a lot more yellow and red cards.

However, I believe the league has since changed for the better. More teams have started to play the beautiful game, the way it’s supposed to be played. Teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham are great examples of this change.

Earlier these teams used to have an ugly style of play. Games used to finish 1-0, and going to opponents’ home grounds was like going to wrestle! But now things have improved. And they’ve improved quite a bit. This has also meant that matches, and inevitably the league, has become even more interesting.

Also, this means that it’s no longer necessary for the teams to have that tall and strong player in the squad. In fact, these have now been replaced with short and skilful players. However, a tall and strong player is still important for the team, a strong defensive midfielder is still required for a team to be successful, but it’s usually the people with flair who score the goals as well.

The likes of David Silva, Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa are also few examples I would like to elaborate upon. No one would have given these players a chance to be as successful as they are today in the league. Also, not to forget players like Cesc Fabregas who have proved themselves in the league.

But to say that the tall and strong players have lost their importance would be wrong. A certain Stoke City will tell you that these players are still capable of guiding you to the top 10 of the Premier League! But seriously speaking, these players are still very important.

Teams like Chelsea, despite having Juan Mata and Oscar, still need the likes of John Obi Mikel, David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic to be successful. Who can forget Didier Drogba and the role he played in guiding Chelsea to their first European title. Manchester City also needed Yaya Toure to win the league. In fact, he has been the main engine of the champions, and they look up to him when the chips are down.

A perfect balance of the two sets of players is required for a team to be called champions in the English game. This automatically leads to beautiful football, and makes for a great viewing. This would also probably be one of the main reasons why this league has the highest viewership around the world!