Inferior products

No, not this blog (though come to think of it…), I’m referring to the recent comments made in the press by LA Galaxy supremo and Catweazle-a-like Alexi Lalas (OK, I may have taken considerable liberties in using that particular picture of Alexi Lalas; more up-to-date picture of Mr Galaxy can be found here, but I think you get my drift), where he referred to the Premiership as an “inferior product” that has been built up through “clever marketing.”

While there has been the predictable outcry from some people in England about the fact that someone involved in MLS has been making these comments about the EPL, and while he is undoubtedly slightly deluded when talking up the MLS as a competitive league (I had the dubious pleasure of watching a MLS match for the first time on cable the other day, and I can personally vouch for the poor quality of the football, and the even lower standard of the horrendous ESPN commentators), I can’t help but feel that he is absolutely right with regards to the Premiership.

Only the most one-eyed of English observers would deny that there is a significant gulf between the haves (i.e. Arsenal, Chelsea, MU Rowdies and Liverpool) and the have-nots (i.e. everyone else), and Lalas may even have a point with regards to there being a slight gap between the standards of Chelsea & United compared with Arsenal and Liverpool. What Lalas didn’t mention in his comments (though the point could still legitimately be made) is that the pitiful level of the rest of the league has duped the English football-following public (and, indeed, the many fools around the world who follow the Prem) into believing that the Big Four(TM) (and particularly United and Chelsea) are of a far better standard than they really are; one need only look at Milan’s Champions League semi-final and final ties for proof of that (by having Gattuso as a pitbull in the centre of the midfield, Scholes and Carrick were truly shackled, which not only exposed how easy it is to shut down United’s attack when the supply line to Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs is cut off, but also highlighted how rubbish United’s defence is when they’re put under pressure, Vidic being the notable exception; meanwhile, Inzaghi’s goals in the final showcased how toothless Liverpool’s attack is at present.)

Lalas also made a good point about how the average development of the English player is poor (certainly, England’s performances in recent international tournaments, when compared with the likes of Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and Argentina, make for grim reading), though I disagree to some extent with the suggestion that it’s the foreign influx that’s responsible for this; youth football development in England is a joke (given the way in which creativity and flair are viewed with a level of suspicion that borders on contempt, and that far too much emphasis is placed on height and physique at a young age) and, until that situation is remedied, English football will continue to fail to produce players that are capable of forcing their way into the 1st teams of big clubs.

Most hearteningly of all, he confirms what many football fans have known for years; that English football fans routinely fail to see the footballing world outside their shores (probably the main reason why I’ve been a World Soccer reader since the age of 14) and that there are a number of leagues that are better than the Premiership; Lalas is certainly right that La Liga is one, I would argue that Serie A is another (for those that disagree with me, compare the number of Champions League titles won by Italian and English clubs over the last 10-15 years), and there is possibly a case to be made with regards to the Argentinian and Brazilian leagues being better (at the very least, they would be if they weren’t pillaged every year by European clubs.) There have certainly been more entertaining leagues than the Premiership this season (not only La Liga, but also the Bundesliga, too; I never thought I’d ever say this about the German league, or indeed German football, but the Bundesliga has been absolutely riveting this year.)

Anyway, rant over. Apologies to anyone who doesn’t care about football; I’m thinking of penning a music blog next (possibly related to the Shortlist prize, the winner of which was announced a week ago), so keep visiting.

Prof