That's right EPL, you're no longer on top

       

          For years, the consensus has been that the EPL is the strongest league in Europe. I never agreed with that notion but before this season there was at least a solid argument that could be made; the same can no longer be said. It was also widely accepted that the quality of the Serie A was steadily declining. Again, before this season there was a formidable case to be made. This 2011-2012 season has thus far seen a swift change of circumstances both in England and Italy.

          At the beginning of the season I had stated that the quality of the EPL had declined, I would like to thank all 20 teams in England top flight for proving me right *tips cap*. The counter argument so far has, and will continue to be, that the race for the EPL title is more open and has more contenders than it has in a long time. To be fair, that statement is true; the race is wide open with both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham (sorry Liverpool) all seen as real title hopefuls (though it will probably be Manchester City). However, there are reasons for why the race is close, I’ll explain. The main reason why the title race is close is very simple, the best (Manchester United and Chelsea) have for different reasons seen a decline in squad quality while Tottenham and Manchester City have improved over the last 2 seasons (the only teams in the EPL that can say that). Arsenal is where they always are, close but not quite there. I digress; the quality at the top is not the real problem, it’s the mid-table sides. The top 5 will remain formidable opponents in whatever competition in which they compete, but what about everyone else? Perennial top 10 finishers over the past decade, ie. Everton, Aston Villa, Bolton, Blackburn, etc. have all severely been on the decline, with Villa, Bolton and Blackburn being particularly bad this season. The bottom of the league is, and always will, be poor; but the problem is that the number of truly poor sides is rapidly growing. We have reached a point where come season’s end, anywhere from 7-9 teams could still be mathematically fighting relegation going into the final few weeks. That’s unacceptable! Blame the number of foreigners, blame the youth systems, blame the money, blame Sepp Blatter (secretly everything is his fault), but something needs to be done, and it needs to happen fast.

          At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Serie A is undertaking a much-appreciated upswing. For years, let’s say since 2004, the on-field product in Italy has just not been very good. The match-fixing scandal rocked the Serie A in 2005-06 causing the on-field product to suffer further. We saw hints of it last year, but this season has really confirmed that the Serie A is back and in my opinion better than ever, at least from an entertainment standpoint. Catenaccio is dead and buried, and most people are thankful for that. This new Serie A has ample attacking football, adventurous formations, quality young talent, and the Inter Milan monopoly of the last 5 years is over. There are now, just as in England, 5 legitimate title contenders in AC Milan, Lazio, Juventus, Napoli, and Udinese. It must be said, however, there are 5 contenders for different reason than in England. In direct contrast with the EPL, 4 of the 5 contenders for the title (Inter Milan being the exception) have seen steady improvement in recent years and look to continue doing so. Now Napoli may lose its stars and regress, Udinese may lose Antonio Di Natale to old age soon and see a slight dip, but for now they look great. Napoli’s dominance over Manchester City in both group stage meetings in this year’s Champions League underlines what’s happening in both leagues; Napoli having well-beaten Manchester City both times.

Juventus are thankfully back among the best in Serie A and look to only be getting better in a hurry. As in England, the real reason for the change in fortunes comes from those outside the top 5. Roma, who are pretenders to the top 5, are under a new foreign influence with Luis Enrique at the helm (for now) and if his system works, Roma will as soon as next season push for the title. Inter Milan will rebuild and be back strong for next season as well. Cagliari, Fiorentina, Palermo, Catania, etc. have gotten better and solidify a very competitive top 10 in Serie A.

          Serie A will be losing one of its Champions League spots to the Bundesliga starting the 2012-13 season. I’m not going to say its undeserved because over the past 7 or 8 years, it is well-deserved, just expect the argument from the Italian FA to get that spot back to be in full swing by next season. The Serie A is on the rise again and as one of the top 4 leagues in the world, it should have the maximum amount of Champions League spots. I’m not going to argue that just based on this season that the EPL should lose one of its Champions League places because to be fair they have been the most consistent with at least 3 teams in the final 16 over the past 5 years. All I’m saying is that it can no longer be said, at least rationally, that the EPL is the best league in Europe. I’m also not going to try and argue that the Serie A is now the best beacause for me its La Liga; despite the Barcelona/Real Madrid super-dominance, still boasts the most footballing quality top to bottom. I just want people to open their eyes and stop thinking that just because the EPL is what you see most on your TV every week that it’s the best. In the same vein, people need to stop stereotyping the Serie A as boring, overly tactical and defense because its no longer anywhere close to that. The scope of European football is changing; I just hope you’re all paying attention because it will be good.