The better league: Serie A or EPL?
I’m sure most of you’ll might be thinking why the Serie A and not the La Liga? Well, the answer is simple. I believe that the La Liga is a two-horse race between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, or in some rare cases a three-horse race which includes either Valencia or Atletico Madrid. Love it or hate it, there have been no other champions in Spain except Real Madrid and Barcelona since 2004, and in my opinion, this fact is reason enough to eliminate the La Liga from this debate.
The Serie A is also one of the biggest leagues in European and world football and though there aren’t many ardent followers, it has been branded as one of the lesser yet familiar European leagues, mainly due to the Champions League, where clubs get to showcase their talent at a higher stage. In my view, the Serie A and the EPL are the best leagues in the world.
Now let’s look where both of the leagues score points over each other:
1. Competition
Serie A: The Serie A is a league where every team could win or lose against any other team. Alright, not all teams but I suppose you get the point. Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, Napoli, Udinese, Lazio are just a few teams which are serious title contenders and mind you, any team can win any match any time. A team like Milan can slump to defeat against a team like Siena and a team like Brescia can even beat Inter. So, undoubtedly the Serie A has loads of competition and adaptability.
EPL: The EPL too isn’t behind when it comes to competition between teams. Though I feel that serious contenders are just a few, the competition level is unquestionably high. But the problem with the EPL is that teams who have promised and were nobody’s before the ongoing season, tend to fizzle out in the end. And many-a-times the performance of teams is really patchy, for example: Chelsea of last season. They won the Champions League and FA Cup and finished 6th in the EPL. It’s quite clear that Chelsea didn’t continue their good run of form in the EPL.
Verdict – Serie A wins by a small margin just because it was a wee bit more competitive.
2. Viewership:
Do I need to even give an answer? EPL wins hands down, as it is the most-viewed league in the world, while the Serie A stands at a comparatively low 4th.
3. Commentary:
Serie A: A player scores over a free-kick. The Italian commentators go ‘Golla Golla Gooooooooooollll’. Magnificent to hear. The high pitched voice and that unlimited drag to the Italian commentator’s shriek leaves the viewers on their feet. Looks like they really enjoy their job.
EPL: Their English counterparts on the other hand go, ‘Brilliant. Simply brilliant.’ You know, that isn’t very fun to hear.
Verdict – When it comes to commentary, I will certainly give the Italian commentators the upper hand despite the fact that I and most others don’t understand a thing they are saying … or rather screaming.
4. Style of Play
Serie A: The game in Serie A is full of passing and there is fluidity in the game. A lot is dependent on the personal skill of the players. It is indisputably the home of strategic and tactical football.
EPL: EPL on the other hand, is full of hard tackles, big fights and violent injuries. It’s not that I hate the EPL but this sadly is the English style of play. IT has transformed from a mesmerizing passing to a physical and body-use game.
Verdict – I will give the Serie A more points in this field just because it witnesses more of what we say ‘pure football’.
5. Type of Players
Serie A: The Serie A was and will be one of the greatest leagues in the world. But I must give more emphasis on the word ‘was’ purely because of the rise of other leagues like the La Liga, Bundesliga and most prominently, the EPL. With the migration of players to ‘bigger and better’ places, the quality of players in Serie A is rapidly decreasing.
EPL: As I mentioned earlier, the EPL is the most popular and viewed league in the world and not for just any reason. Money and fame are major contributors to the mass migration of players to the EPL. And with new players arriving in England every transfer season, both quantity and quality of players seems to be increasing.
Verdict – With the EPL being considered the best league all over the world and also taking a few factors mentioned above in mind, I give EPL full marks when it comes to quality of players.
6. Fans
Serie A: When talking about fans, I’m strictly talking about fans in Italy. One fact when it comes to Italian fans is that they are never afraid to criticize. If a team does something wrong, the team and more prominently, the manager will surely get a lot of advice in the next day’s newspapers on how the team should have been run, which player should be dropped etc. And if a player even makes a tiny mistake like missing a clear shot on goal, the fans are very critical about it and the player will certainly have a hard time in the next few days and due to this very reason, the players are always gunning to put their best foot forward.
EPL: One word describes English fans – whiners. If the fans supporting team loses, they always seem to have a suitable justification for their team’s defeat. And if the situation is really bad, the fans simply start to grumble and begin blaming the manager. Taking an example of Blackburn Rovers last season, they had a horrid season. They finished 19th and were relegated and throughout the season only manager Steve Kean was blamed for their performance. So that is something, isn’t it?
Verdict – I have to give it Serie A and it’s not because I abhor the EPL, but just because the Serie A is more amusing to watch as the fans are constantly trying to dent the spirits of their club and the players (maybe just to lift their spirits?)… at least in this aspect.
Overall Verdict:
In the end, the EPL gain the bragging rights, NOT because it has better playing style or there are a lot of goals scored, but plainly because is a fun place to be. And all the drama and hype (don’t get me started on that) in the EPL really wins it.