(via)
Premier League
England
(and Wales now, due to Swansea City's presence)
The EPL could be a case study in "how to take your brand global." The bigger clubs have undertaken aggressive overseas marketing campaigns, and it shows. American, African, and (especially) Asian viewers' demand for live coverage of English clubs has kept the Premier League rolling in TV money. These riches have been used to lure the world's best to England, making theirs a comparatively cosmopolitan league. There are more foreign managers here than in most other top leagues, more foreign players, too.
That said, English players are by far the most common, and the "blood-and-thunder" mentality still dominates. Teams swarm frantically from one end to another in a sometimes out-of-control manner, and commentators applaud players who "get stuck in" to physical battles with opponents. Foreign players are regularly the targets of half-smug cliches, one English ex-player after another calling them "unused to the physicality and pace of the English game." These comments are usually somewhat accurate, but they speak to a much larger national delusion that the EPL is the world's undisputed top league. This may have been true a few years ago, but the recent poor performance of English clubs on the European stage has made such a stance indefensible.
The all-out attacking style of the league means exciting matches and frequent upsets, but the greater tolerance for (and even emphasis on) physicality can also result in utterly charmless slug-fests. Thankfully, the worldwide trend towards Spanish-style soccer seems to finally have spread to England. Greater emphasis on ball skills and technique can now be seen. The influx of foreigners has surely played a role, but the emerging generation of young English players have now learned the new way in academies from a young age. Likewise, younger English managers increasingly employ a more continental coaching style, more focused on team-wide tactics and strategy.
As recently as a few years ago, the so-called "Big Four" of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United were utterly dominant, but the established order has been since been shaken somewhat. Manchester City's oil-rich owners have bought instant success, Tottenham Hotspur has begun to shed a decades-long tradition of inconsistency, and the aforementioned Swansea City's bargain-bought brand of passing game has seen them punch above their weight. Money still talks, but the league remains an exciting, tradition-laden competition full of varied, top-class talent.
The English League's gradual change in style is a telling example of Spain's recent dominance of world soccer. The Spanish national team are the defending world and European champions, and FC Barcelona has been the best club team of the last decade (all of time, some say). Both teams' quick-passing, possession-oriented soccer (known as tiki-taka) is now the way to play, and it could only have been born in Spain. Spanish players have for years been trained to be comfortable with the ball at their feet, and this is readily apparent when watching La Liga. A match can feel like an endless succession of chivalrous, one-on-one contests of skill. This seems more sporting, in a way.
But several flaws soon become apparent. The refereeing is terrible almost as a rule, and the officials are not helped when the rules are frequently bent. The aforementioned chivalry can turn macho and insecure, spilling past gentlemanly skill into the dark territory of simulation. Diving, pretending to be fouled, faking injury, chattering into the referee's ear. Simply put, it's a bit more prevalent in Spain. This comes to the fore on the European stage, where La Liga's best clash with the hardmen more common in other leagues.
And then there's the problem of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The former is in the midst of a reprise of the Galacticos era that brought Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Luis Figo together at the Santiago Bernabeu. Their powerful, counterattacking side scores goals seemingly at will and at terrifying speed. Barcelona, despite their recent wobbles, are by most counts the world's best team. Boasting 3 of the last 7 Champions League titles, 5 of the last 8 La Ligas, and an unprecedented six major trophies in 2009, their recent successes are unmatched. The now-ubiquitous tiki-taka is a style taught to youngsters from the minute they enter Barca's famed La Masia academy, some from a very young age. A choice few ace additions from outside produce a frightening mix of skill, agility, and what seems at times to be telepathy.
Both clubs are fantastic to watch--if you're watching the Champions League or the two play each other (Clasicos are worth an article in their own right). Their week-in, week-out domestic matches are all too frequently one-sided, one-way affairs. Real and Barca are truly historical clubs, Madrid the most prominent capital club and Barcelona symbol of the historically nationalistic region of Catalonia. Both are hugely successful, Madrid countering Barca's recent triumphs with a world-best nine European Cups. Both are massive global brands, the only real international moneymakers in Spanish soccer. It follows that the TV money is heavily weighted towards these two, and the rest of the league is left to pick up the financial scraps. Barcelona and Real Madrid's dominance of the La Liga can often mean (as it does this year) that the competition's result is a foregone conclusion. Since 2004, no other club has won the league title.
This doesn't totally prevent competition between (and from) the peloton of clubs left just below Real and Barca. Valencia's famed academy regularly turns out world-class players, but several truly talented squads have been dismantled and sold in the service of the club's debt. Atletico Madrid has a long rivalry with Real for dominance of the Spanish capital and it upholds a fine tradition of attacking soccer. The Rojiblancos remain the two "big" clubs' closest competitor. Athletic Bilbao has thrilled Europe on a budget, its squad made up almost exclusively of Basque players. Contests between these second-tier clubs, as well as the rest of the league, can be truly entertaining spectacles. And La Liga's lesser lights have had no shortage of success in Europe, dominating the Europa League and its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. Despite the obvious imbalance of Spain's premier soccer competition, its foremost ethos dominates soccer thought at the moment and its endless droves of ball-players improve clubs around the world.
Serie A
Italy
If you're a perfectionist, Italy's Serie A is the place for you. Of the big four, Italy is by far the most tactics-obsessed. The highly organized, defensive style of play known as catenaccio was born here (although it was developed by Helenio Herrera, a French-Argentine), and to this day the best Italian sides are known for their organization in defense. It is telling that even English speakers employ Italian player-descriptors like regista (a deep-lying midfield playmaker), libero (a sweeper, a roving defender who leads from the back), and trequartista (a hybrid midfielder-forward tasked with orchestrating the attack). Until the recent revival of the three-man defense (four is much more typical) its last refuge was the Serie A, where more than a handful of clubs consistently favored the then-widely scorned system. Armchair strategists, eat your heart out.
When an Italian club is playing poorly, the manager is always to blame; even prominent Serie A clubs can change managers more than once a season. During the 2011-12 season only five managers last the entire season; Genoa made a ridiculous four managerial changes and were joined by Inter Milan, Palermo, and Cesena in having four different managers (Alberto Malesani had two stints in charge of Genoa). This season would have been markedly less tumultuous but for Palermo chief Maurizio Zamparini: the famously trigger-happy owner has already made five changes this year. Gian Piero Gasperini (one of the best names, if not managers, in the game) has arrived (and left) twice. Malesani even got a turn, lasting just nineteen days before being sacked. The most recent hire and (for now) current coach is Giuseppe Sannino, whom (of course) Palermo had already hired and fired once this season.
While we're making jokes:
Luckily, all this silliness is comfortably outweighed by the sheer quality on show. Italian youth academies are no less advanced and prolific than in Spain, and it shows in the ability of the players. The word for Italian players is "technical." The best have almost-disturbingly sound fundamentals, and their efficiency of movement can be a joy to watch. Not that Serie A is even remotely homogeneous; the league boasts a significant number of imports from all over Europe and beyond. More cosmopolitan than Spain, less physical (and with better weather) than England, it is a popular destination for the world's best.
As in the other leagues there is a group of clubs that consistently finishes highly, but the cast is less familiar than in England (not to mention Spain). Juventus are Italy's most successful club, and the AC Milan/Inter Milan rivalry (they share a stadium) is only enhanced by both teams' global stature. But the rest of the league is no pushover. Udinese, Palermo, Lazio, Roma, and Fiorentina have all competed in recent years, and even long-dormant Napoli (historically, the club of the legendary Diego Maradona) has recently returned to prominence. Long known as the home of boring, defensive soccer, Italy has seen a recent renaissance of attacking play led by an Andrea Pirlo-directed Juventus and perennial entertainers Roma. Napoli's blistering counterattack also bears mention. Even with the increased forward emphasis, the aforementioned tactical discipline means Italian clubs normally excel in European competition. But Serie A's place in the UEFA league ranking (behind England and Spain) was taken last year by the last of the Big Four...
Bundesliga
Germany
Like England's, Deutschland's premier league is the home of fast-paced, end-to-end soccer. Unlike England, there is no strangely-macho attachment to physicality. Historically, this has meant that the Bundesliga always has one important thing: goals. Lots of them. As the sport has globalized, the Big Four have gotten statistically closer, but an odd tradition for abandon is apparent as soon as you turn on the Bundesliga. It's akin to La Liga's chivalry (minus the diving) mated with the Premier League's fast pace (minus the hatchet jobs). It makes for a fantastic watch, even when the camera is pointed into the stands: the Bundesliga's family-friendly atmosphere means you get a wonderful cross-section of German society.
For those interested in a long term relationship, the Bundesliga is most sure to be here in 20 years. The league is a worldwide example of financial stability and sustainable growth. Ticket prices are the lowest in the Big Four, attendance is consistently high, and player costs are a healthy fraction of income. This is in stark contrast to Spain and England, where the richest clubs spend lavishly and unhealthily. Much of this can be attributed to a systemic overhaul of the country's academies. They were/are joined by England's clubs in following the Spanish/Italian model, but in true German fashion they did it all at once and properly.
Although the league is generally unpredictable, the last two years have seen a worrying lack of competition. Global powerhouse Bayern Munich (by far Germany's most successful club) is running away with the league this year, and Borussia Dortmund did the same last year. Both clubs are head and shoulders above the rest of the Bundesliga, and they only look like getting stronger: Dortmund's academy continues to churn out talent, and Bayern's pantheon of world stars will be coached next year by Pep Guardiola, the architect of Barcelona's 2009 "sextuple."
But as in Spain, the soccer world is all the richer for this league's two heavyweights; the comparison is furthered by a glance at this year's Champions League semifinals: Barcelona v. Bayern, Real Madrid v Dortmund. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are both packed with wonderful homegrown talent, directed by world-class tacticians in (respectively) Jupp Heynckes and Jurgen Klopp, and lauded throughout Europe for their exciting play.
And a few predictable years does not La Liga make; Dortmund is still a relative newcomer to the big stage, and it remains to be seen if they can survive the charismatic Klopp's increasingly inevitable departure. Germany's aforementioned leapfrogging of Italy in the UEFA rankings is certainly not down to Dortmund's European performance--they were knocked out of last year's Champions League in group play (before the knockout rounds even began). Germany's "lesser lights," including Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, have long performed admirably in Europe, and Bayern's push to the Champions League final last year (coupled with Serie A's poor performance) was all that was needed. The Bundesliga's financial stability and high standards will keep it competitive through much "worse" than this.
So there you have it! England, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga. All four are fantastic competitions, delivering World Cup quality year in and year out. I hope I've given you a good primer, and I hope your understanding of (and appreciation for) the beautiful game will only grow with increased interest.
That said, English players are by far the most common, and the "blood-and-thunder" mentality still dominates. Teams swarm frantically from one end to another in a sometimes out-of-control manner, and commentators applaud players who "get stuck in" to physical battles with opponents. Foreign players are regularly the targets of half-smug cliches, one English ex-player after another calling them "unused to the physicality and pace of the English game." These comments are usually somewhat accurate, but they speak to a much larger national delusion that the EPL is the world's undisputed top league. This may have been true a few years ago, but the recent poor performance of English clubs on the European stage has made such a stance indefensible.
The all-out attacking style of the league means exciting matches and frequent upsets, but the greater tolerance for (and even emphasis on) physicality can also result in utterly charmless slug-fests. Thankfully, the worldwide trend towards Spanish-style soccer seems to finally have spread to England. Greater emphasis on ball skills and technique can now be seen. The influx of foreigners has surely played a role, but the emerging generation of young English players have now learned the new way in academies from a young age. Likewise, younger English managers increasingly employ a more continental coaching style, more focused on team-wide tactics and strategy.
As recently as a few years ago, the so-called "Big Four" of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United were utterly dominant, but the established order has been since been shaken somewhat. Manchester City's oil-rich owners have bought instant success, Tottenham Hotspur has begun to shed a decades-long tradition of inconsistency, and the aforementioned Swansea City's bargain-bought brand of passing game has seen them punch above their weight. Money still talks, but the league remains an exciting, tradition-laden competition full of varied, top-class talent.
(via)
La Liga
Spain
The English League's gradual change in style is a telling example of Spain's recent dominance of world soccer. The Spanish national team are the defending world and European champions, and FC Barcelona has been the best club team of the last decade (all of time, some say). Both teams' quick-passing, possession-oriented soccer (known as tiki-taka) is now the way to play, and it could only have been born in Spain. Spanish players have for years been trained to be comfortable with the ball at their feet, and this is readily apparent when watching La Liga. A match can feel like an endless succession of chivalrous, one-on-one contests of skill. This seems more sporting, in a way.
But several flaws soon become apparent. The refereeing is terrible almost as a rule, and the officials are not helped when the rules are frequently bent. The aforementioned chivalry can turn macho and insecure, spilling past gentlemanly skill into the dark territory of simulation. Diving, pretending to be fouled, faking injury, chattering into the referee's ear. Simply put, it's a bit more prevalent in Spain. This comes to the fore on the European stage, where La Liga's best clash with the hardmen more common in other leagues.
And then there's the problem of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The former is in the midst of a reprise of the Galacticos era that brought Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Luis Figo together at the Santiago Bernabeu. Their powerful, counterattacking side scores goals seemingly at will and at terrifying speed. Barcelona, despite their recent wobbles, are by most counts the world's best team. Boasting 3 of the last 7 Champions League titles, 5 of the last 8 La Ligas, and an unprecedented six major trophies in 2009, their recent successes are unmatched. The now-ubiquitous tiki-taka is a style taught to youngsters from the minute they enter Barca's famed La Masia academy, some from a very young age. A choice few ace additions from outside produce a frightening mix of skill, agility, and what seems at times to be telepathy.
Both clubs are fantastic to watch--if you're watching the Champions League or the two play each other (Clasicos are worth an article in their own right). Their week-in, week-out domestic matches are all too frequently one-sided, one-way affairs. Real and Barca are truly historical clubs, Madrid the most prominent capital club and Barcelona symbol of the historically nationalistic region of Catalonia. Both are hugely successful, Madrid countering Barca's recent triumphs with a world-best nine European Cups. Both are massive global brands, the only real international moneymakers in Spanish soccer. It follows that the TV money is heavily weighted towards these two, and the rest of the league is left to pick up the financial scraps. Barcelona and Real Madrid's dominance of the La Liga can often mean (as it does this year) that the competition's result is a foregone conclusion. Since 2004, no other club has won the league title.
This doesn't totally prevent competition between (and from) the peloton of clubs left just below Real and Barca. Valencia's famed academy regularly turns out world-class players, but several truly talented squads have been dismantled and sold in the service of the club's debt. Atletico Madrid has a long rivalry with Real for dominance of the Spanish capital and it upholds a fine tradition of attacking soccer. The Rojiblancos remain the two "big" clubs' closest competitor. Athletic Bilbao has thrilled Europe on a budget, its squad made up almost exclusively of Basque players. Contests between these second-tier clubs, as well as the rest of the league, can be truly entertaining spectacles. And La Liga's lesser lights have had no shortage of success in Europe, dominating the Europa League and its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. Despite the obvious imbalance of Spain's premier soccer competition, its foremost ethos dominates soccer thought at the moment and its endless droves of ball-players improve clubs around the world.
(via)
Serie A
Italy
If you're a perfectionist, Italy's Serie A is the place for you. Of the big four, Italy is by far the most tactics-obsessed. The highly organized, defensive style of play known as catenaccio was born here (although it was developed by Helenio Herrera, a French-Argentine), and to this day the best Italian sides are known for their organization in defense. It is telling that even English speakers employ Italian player-descriptors like regista (a deep-lying midfield playmaker), libero (a sweeper, a roving defender who leads from the back), and trequartista (a hybrid midfielder-forward tasked with orchestrating the attack). Until the recent revival of the three-man defense (four is much more typical) its last refuge was the Serie A, where more than a handful of clubs consistently favored the then-widely scorned system. Armchair strategists, eat your heart out.
When an Italian club is playing poorly, the manager is always to blame; even prominent Serie A clubs can change managers more than once a season. During the 2011-12 season only five managers last the entire season; Genoa made a ridiculous four managerial changes and were joined by Inter Milan, Palermo, and Cesena in having four different managers (Alberto Malesani had two stints in charge of Genoa). This season would have been markedly less tumultuous but for Palermo chief Maurizio Zamparini: the famously trigger-happy owner has already made five changes this year. Gian Piero Gasperini (one of the best names, if not managers, in the game) has arrived (and left) twice. Malesani even got a turn, lasting just nineteen days before being sacked. The most recent hire and (for now) current coach is Giuseppe Sannino, whom (of course) Palermo had already hired and fired once this season.
While we're making jokes:
- Most of the Italian players do indeed talk with their hands.
- Every. Single. Player, regardless of nationality and unless bald, has clearly spent time on their hair before the game.
Luckily, all this silliness is comfortably outweighed by the sheer quality on show. Italian youth academies are no less advanced and prolific than in Spain, and it shows in the ability of the players. The word for Italian players is "technical." The best have almost-disturbingly sound fundamentals, and their efficiency of movement can be a joy to watch. Not that Serie A is even remotely homogeneous; the league boasts a significant number of imports from all over Europe and beyond. More cosmopolitan than Spain, less physical (and with better weather) than England, it is a popular destination for the world's best.
As in the other leagues there is a group of clubs that consistently finishes highly, but the cast is less familiar than in England (not to mention Spain). Juventus are Italy's most successful club, and the AC Milan/Inter Milan rivalry (they share a stadium) is only enhanced by both teams' global stature. But the rest of the league is no pushover. Udinese, Palermo, Lazio, Roma, and Fiorentina have all competed in recent years, and even long-dormant Napoli (historically, the club of the legendary Diego Maradona) has recently returned to prominence. Long known as the home of boring, defensive soccer, Italy has seen a recent renaissance of attacking play led by an Andrea Pirlo-directed Juventus and perennial entertainers Roma. Napoli's blistering counterattack also bears mention. Even with the increased forward emphasis, the aforementioned tactical discipline means Italian clubs normally excel in European competition. But Serie A's place in the UEFA league ranking (behind England and Spain) was taken last year by the last of the Big Four...
(via)
Bundesliga
Germany
Like England's, Deutschland's premier league is the home of fast-paced, end-to-end soccer. Unlike England, there is no strangely-macho attachment to physicality. Historically, this has meant that the Bundesliga always has one important thing: goals. Lots of them. As the sport has globalized, the Big Four have gotten statistically closer, but an odd tradition for abandon is apparent as soon as you turn on the Bundesliga. It's akin to La Liga's chivalry (minus the diving) mated with the Premier League's fast pace (minus the hatchet jobs). It makes for a fantastic watch, even when the camera is pointed into the stands: the Bundesliga's family-friendly atmosphere means you get a wonderful cross-section of German society.
For those interested in a long term relationship, the Bundesliga is most sure to be here in 20 years. The league is a worldwide example of financial stability and sustainable growth. Ticket prices are the lowest in the Big Four, attendance is consistently high, and player costs are a healthy fraction of income. This is in stark contrast to Spain and England, where the richest clubs spend lavishly and unhealthily. Much of this can be attributed to a systemic overhaul of the country's academies. They were/are joined by England's clubs in following the Spanish/Italian model, but in true German fashion they did it all at once and properly.
Although the league is generally unpredictable, the last two years have seen a worrying lack of competition. Global powerhouse Bayern Munich (by far Germany's most successful club) is running away with the league this year, and Borussia Dortmund did the same last year. Both clubs are head and shoulders above the rest of the Bundesliga, and they only look like getting stronger: Dortmund's academy continues to churn out talent, and Bayern's pantheon of world stars will be coached next year by Pep Guardiola, the architect of Barcelona's 2009 "sextuple."
But as in Spain, the soccer world is all the richer for this league's two heavyweights; the comparison is furthered by a glance at this year's Champions League semifinals: Barcelona v. Bayern, Real Madrid v Dortmund. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are both packed with wonderful homegrown talent, directed by world-class tacticians in (respectively) Jupp Heynckes and Jurgen Klopp, and lauded throughout Europe for their exciting play.
And a few predictable years does not La Liga make; Dortmund is still a relative newcomer to the big stage, and it remains to be seen if they can survive the charismatic Klopp's increasingly inevitable departure. Germany's aforementioned leapfrogging of Italy in the UEFA rankings is certainly not down to Dortmund's European performance--they were knocked out of last year's Champions League in group play (before the knockout rounds even began). Germany's "lesser lights," including Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, have long performed admirably in Europe, and Bayern's push to the Champions League final last year (coupled with Serie A's poor performance) was all that was needed. The Bundesliga's financial stability and high standards will keep it competitive through much "worse" than this.
So there you have it! England, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga. All four are fantastic competitions, delivering World Cup quality year in and year out. I hope I've given you a good primer, and I hope your understanding of (and appreciation for) the beautiful game will only grow with increased interest.
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