Barcelona to struggle ?

[Wiesnak]

EPL journalist claims Barca would struggle in the premiership

[Slainte]

Different styles, different environment. EPL teams play much harder than most of the La Liga teams. Right now Barca has zero competition in Spain similar to Celtic and Rangers in Scotland, even a Barca draw is considered huge surprise while in good ole England everything is possible. Not that they will struggle very much but they'll definitely have some problems.

[MendozaLine]

They would definitely have a tougher time in the premiership, but they would succeed.

The Premiership is like the SEC of proper football. La Liga is more like the Pac 10

[shantymoon]

i agree with this too
bpl is difficult

[Toples]

i guess they wouldnt kick every teams ass, but it would be a surprize if they didnt win EPL

[allang84]

at the moment Barcelona are FAR better than any other side in europe by a country mile,

the english game is rough so certain barca players like messi and pedro would not enjoy it

I think they would still win it!!!

I think outside the top 5 or 6 in the epl the sides are woeful, west ham, wigan etc arent any better than the likes of deportivo, mallorca etc.

name one side in the epl that would beat barca? chelsea? no way, man u? dont make me laugh, city or spurs? hahaha

[JOHON8]

Put any English team in La Liga they would be relegated the first season. There's a reason why English players stay in England, they can't compete in Spain, Italy etc... only a player like Beckham managed to get to Liga and he was still used on the sidelines for crosses/free kicks. English players are no where near the quality of players in Spain.

You can argue "why do English teams do so well in Champions League?" it's really only Chelsea and Man Utd recently, they wouldn't last an entire season playing against Spanish talent continuously on a weekly basis. Barca already knocked out both Chelsea and United in the same year to win the CL anyways, case closed.

[Glada Tartan]

Johon8; English teams arent that english as you might know

[TT22]

Barcelona would do just fine in EPL.

[Squirrel]

I ******* hate our journalists and their bullshit "we are the best and nobody else matters" attitude towards the EPL.

It's a completely different style of game for a start and the PL is just as "top heavy" as all the other major leagues now money has taken over. In the EPL Barca would get a decent game against Man Utd and Chelsea and probably beat the **** out of everyone else, if you look hard enough the PL is VERY poor outside the top 2, likewise if Man Utd or Chelsea were in la liga they'd get a good game against Barca and Real and beat **** out of everybody else.

[Wilforth]

EPL journalist claims Barca would struggle in the premiership

They'll struggle a bit because of the physical nature of the game in the EPL and but the EPL will learn a lot from them.

[pouroupoupou]

I still remember last year's game Arsenal - Barcelona which ended 2-2. Score should have been 0-5 or more in the first 30 minutes. Barcelona is clearly one level above any English team.

[SoV]

I ******* hate our journalists and their bullshit "we are the best and nobody else matters" attitude towards the EPL.

It's a completely different style of game for a start and the PL is just as "top heavy" as all the other major leagues now money has taken over. In the EPL Barca would get a decent game against Man Utd and Chelsea and probably beat the **** out of everyone else, if you look hard enough the PL is VERY poor outside the top 2, likewise if Man Utd or Chelsea were in la liga they'd get a good game against Barca and Real and beat **** out of everybody else.

It wasn't even a journo. It was Andy ******* Gray!!!

Top English Premier League TV pundit and journalist A.Gray has sensationally remarked that Barcelona’s World Player of the Year Lionel Messi would struggle to cope with the rigours of the English Premier League, and believes he could not cut it away at Stoke City.

The Sky Sports host, who enjoyed spells with Aston Villa and Everton during his playing career, was discussing the 2010 Ballon d’Or nominees during Monday evening’s broadcast of Manchester City versus Everton.

When asked by co-presenter the hairy-handed halfwit whether he felt Messi and Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo would be capable of scoring so prolifically in England, Gray stated his belief that the Argentine would "struggle in a cold night at the Britiannia Stadium", referring to the home of top-flight side Stoke City. He added that "Barcelona would struggle in the EPL as they've never played the likes of Stoke."

The 55-year-old also claimed that La Liga, when compared to its English equivalent, did not have the same depth of quality, hinting that Ronaldo and Messi would labour to score as consistently, despite the former scoring 31 goals in 34 matches for Manchester United in the 2007-08 season.

Furthermore, on Ronaldo, Gray criticised the decision to omit the Portuguese from the final of the Ballon d’Or, but added that he "would not be the player that he is today had he not played in English football".

Gray's remarks have caused quite a stir around the world, and the SKY pundit has been heavily criticised on social networking sites such as facebook and twitter.

He's ******* off his head. Messi would tear Stoke a new one and Barcelona would walk all over our best teams.

******* Sky and their "Premier League is the best in the world" agenda. Cunts.

[SoV]

I ******* hate our journalists and their bullshit "we are the best and nobody else matters" attitude towards the EPL.

It's a completely different style of game for a start and the PL is just as "top heavy" as all the other major leagues now money has taken over. In the EPL Barca would get a decent game against Man Utd and Chelsea and probably beat the **** out of everyone else, if you look hard enough the PL is VERY poor outside the top 2, likewise if Man Utd or Chelsea were in la liga they'd get a good game against Barca and Real and beat **** out of everybody else.

Disagree with the bolded part. Attack Man Utd and Chelsea and they start shitting themselves. And attacking is something almost all Spanish teams do.

Also, there are teams like Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Seville, Villarreal, Valencia off the top of my head who would give Man Utd & Chelsea a game and a half. And that is with spending a percentage of what those two have spent.

[Sawyer]

Real Madrid will be champion. They have the best coach on earth.

[Squirrel]

I cant believe I wasted my valuable time responded to comments made by Andy ******* Gray, absolute cockjockey of the HIGHEST order. Wish he'd **** off back and commentate on Scottish football where he belongs!!!!

[Squirrel]

Disagree with the bolded part. Attack Man Utd and Chelsea and they start shitting themselves. And attacking is something almost all Spanish teams do. Also, there are teams like Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Seville, Villarreal, Valencia off the top of my head who would give Man Utd & Chelsea a game and a half. And that is with spending a percentage of what those two have spent.

I agree to an extent that Barca and Real Madrid would beat everyone else but still maintain they would at least get a decent game against the Mancs and Chelsea, the CL over the years has proven that pretty much, but for that daft fucker to say Messi would struggle to break down Stoke City etc is an absolute ******* joke.

I wonder if he forgets that Barca destroyed Englands 3rd best team last season at the Emirates and on another night would have won that game 8-0. One thing i've ALWAYS maintained is that the depth in la liga is better if people would just take off the EPL tinted glasses, that shows for me in the Uefa cup/Euopra league where the "2nd tier" of Spanish teams are often there or thereabouts and the English teams are always dogshit.

(The swear filter has taken a hammering in this thread, as it will in EVERY thread I post in based around Andy Gray or the "greatness" off the EPL!!!)

[latinrus]

I hate those stupid kind of comparison

[Squirrel]

FWIW I think if a meaningful game ever came around then even on an off night Barca would knock in at least 6 against all the teams placed 5th to 20th in the EPL last year.

Andy Gray is a ******* stoner, the more I read it the more I cant understand how someone can get into a position as a football pundit when he talks ******* trash like that.

[turnip]

There's a reason why English players stay in England, they can't compete in Spain, Italy etc...

That reason is that English clubs are willing to pay a lot more for an English player than they're worth. They get to stay home and make more money.

Barça would be the best team in the EPL imo. They wouldn't have to adjust to the physical nature of the teams any more than the English sides would have to contain their frustration at being passed to death. The near-frozen pitches we've seen lately could lead to some upset results and might make more of a difference than the style of play. That said my opinion is that the EPL, La Liga, and Serie A are all on a very similar level.

[SoV]

FWIW I think if a meaningful game ever came around then even on an off night Barca would knock in at least 6 against all the teams placed 5th to 20th in the EPL last year.

Andy Gray is a ******* stoner, the more I read it the more I cant understand how someone can get into a position as a football pundit when he talks ******* trash like that.

800k/year, the wanker is paid to spout like this.

[Squirrel]

That reason is that English clubs are willing to pay a lot more for an English player than they're worth. They get to stay home and make more money. Barça would be the best team in the EPL imo. They wouldn't have to adjust to the physical nature of the teams any more than the English sides would have to contain their frustration at being passed to death. The near-frozen pitches we've seen lately could lead to some upset results and might make more of a difference than the style of play. That said my opinion is that the EPL, La Liga, and Serie A are all on a very similar level.

Solid post pal :clap:

800k/year, the wanker is paid to spout like this.

He's always ******* annoyed me but this takes the ******* biscuit, I know more about football than that stupid Scottish twat!

[SoV]

Stoke will need to get the fukkin ball first to even have a chance.

[MendozaLine]

I've noticed this as an outsider. Teams like Wigan, Fulham, or Wolves go into a place like Stamford Bridge or the Emirates looking to draw. No attacking whatsoever.

Disagree with the bolded part. Attack Man Utd and Chelsea and they start shitting themselves. And attacking is something almost all Spanish teams do.

Also, there are teams like Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Seville, Villarreal, Valencia off the top of my head who would give Man Utd & Chelsea a game and a half. And that is with spending a percentage of what those two have spent.

[irlandais_noir]

Look, it's not controverisal. La Liga is top-heavy; Barca and Real are strong, the rest of the league is shit. Barca would NOT dominate the PL like they do La Liga. The style of play is completely different: teams would not give them the time or space to play the way they want/like. They would be be favorites, but not by a huge margin. La Liga TV money is structured to allow Barca/Real to stay on the top forever; PL, on the other hand, spreads the cash a la NFL, and allows for a much more competitive league top-to-bottom.

[Squirrel]

Look, it's not controverisal. La Liga is top-heavy; Barca and Real are strong, the rest of the league is shit. Barca would NOT dominate the PL like they do La Liga. The style of play is completely different: teams would not give them the time or space to play the way they want/like. They would be be favorites, but not by a huge margin. La Liga TV money is structured to allow Barca/Real to stay on the top forever; PL, on the other hand, spreads the cash a la NFL, and allows for a much more competitive league top-to-bottom.

[Wiesnak]

Look, it's not controverisal. La Liga is top-heavy; Barca and Real are strong, the rest of the league is shit. Barca would NOT dominate the PL like they do La Liga. The style of play is completely different: teams would not give them the time or space to play the way they want/like. They would be be favorites, but not by a huge margin. La Liga TV money is structured to allow Barca/Real to stay on the top forever; PL, on the other hand, spreads the cash a la NFL, and allows for a much more competitive league top-to-bottom.

stick to the nfl dude

[SoV]

I've noticed this as an outsider. Teams like Wigan, Fulham, or Wolves go into a place like Stamford Bridge or the Emirates looking to draw. No attacking whatsoever.

Is right. Teams in the PL play for a draw away from home, and even at home. The quality of football in the PL is shocking. Would rather watch La Liga or the Bundesliga instead.

Look, it's not controverisal. La Liga is top-heavy; Barca and Real are strong, the rest of the league is shit. Barca would NOT dominate the PL like they do La Liga. The style of play is completely different: teams would not give them the time or space to play the way they want/like. They would be be favorites, but not by a huge margin. La Liga TV money is structured to allow Barca/Real to stay on the top forever; PL, on the other hand, spreads the cash a la NFL, and allows for a much more competitive league top-to-bottom.

Are you telling me Atletico, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville, Villarreal would not beat the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland, Wigan etc.?

You just have to look at these teams' performances in the past 10 years in Europe to have your answer.

[Socrates]

They would definitely have a tougher time in the premiership, but they would succeed. The Premiership is like the SEC of proper football. La Liga is more like the Pac 10

lol

Pac-10> SEC

[Wiesnak]

Is right. Teams in the PL play for a draw away from home, and even at home. The quality of football in the PL is shocking. Would rather watch La Liga or the Bundesliga instead.





Are you telling me Atletico, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville, Villarreal would not beat the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland, Wigan etc.?

You just have to look at these teams' performances in the past 10 years in Europe to have your answer.

[MendozaLine]

its a pretty spot on comparison. La Liga is a much more offensive league like the Pac 10. The EPL is much more defensive like the SEC.

And do you really think the Pac 10 is a better conference than the SEC? Or are insinuating that La Liga is better than the Premiership?

lol

Pac-10> SEC

[irlandais_noir]

Lol @ everyone being non-responsive to my post. It is undeniable that the PL is stronger top-to-bottom. Look at the top 5 right now (Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham). I would fancy all of them to easily come third in La Liga. PL's true strength, however, can be seen further down the table. Teams like Sporting Gijon and Almeira would be easily relegated in the PL, wheras West Ham and Fulham would be comfortably mid-table in La Liga.

"Last season the club that got the least under the Premier Leage formula, Middlesborough, received 30.9 million pounds, compared to Manchester United, which got the most, at 51.1 million pounds.
That is a ratio of one to one and two thirds. Though not strictly analogous as clubs negotiate TV rights individually not collectively as in the EPL, the ratios in the top Italian and Spanish leagues are one to 16 and one to 14, respectively."

Looking at the way money is spread around, this is hardly surprising. The Premier League IS the richest league in the world, and top clubs dont hog all the cash like they do in Spain and Italy. The result is that mediocre teams are able to purchase excellent players from all over the world. La Liga has two excellent teams, a couple more good ones then a host of thrash. The Premier League has 3-4 excellent teams, ~10 good ones, and very little thrash.

[SoV]

Lol @ everyone being non-responsive to my post. It is undeniable that the PL is stronger top-to-bottom.

Are you telling me Atletico, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville, Villarreal would not beat the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland, Wigan etc.?

You just have to look at these teams' performances in the past 10 years in Europe to have your answer.

And since you've taken time to respond to our comments, I feel you deserve a proper response as well.

Look at the top 5 right now (Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham). I would fancy all of them to easily come third in La Liga.

So that's 3 Premier League winners in the last 10 years that you fancy to finish THIRD in La Liga. Kind of contradicts your argument.

And then you have Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City, who have spent insane amounts of money. We all know how Chelsea spent under Ranieri and Mourinho. Man City have spent more than any other team in the world in the last two seasons. Spurs have a massive, massive wage bill and we really to have to see if they can cope with the pressure of playing in Europe (they might be doing well in Europe but they are doing poorly in the PL). Arsenal got anally probed by Barcelona last season and I'm looking forward to it happening again. Only team I expect to challenge in La Liga is Man Utd, and they might, might struggle because they tend to have trouble against teams that attack them, compared to teams in the PL who will park the bus in-front of goal for 90 min, home and away.

PL's true strength, however, can be seen further down the table. Teams like Sporting Gijon and Almeira would be easily relegated in the PL, wheras West Ham and Fulham would be comfortably mid-table in La Liga.

I already stated above, that there are more teams of European pedigree in La Liga than in the PL. As for West Ham being comfortably mid-table in La Liga, I wonder where you get the notion from. Or Fulham for that matter. Both teams are absolute shite and would struggle in any league.

I would like to ask, how well have teams like Everton, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Birmingham, Stoke, Sunderland etc. have done in recent seasons in Europe?

"Last season the club that got the least under the Premier Leage formula, Middlesborough, received 30.9 million pounds, compared to Manchester United, which got the most, at 51.1 million pounds.
That is a ratio of one to one and two thirds. Though not strictly analogous as clubs negotiate TV rights individually not collectively as in the EPL, the ratios in the top Italian and Spanish leagues are one to 16 and one to 14, respectively."

They already are planning to bring in TV rights based on position in Spain, something similar to the PL. I've always had a problem with the way TV rights were being sold in Spain and thankfully now, they are fixing that problem.

Looking at the way money is spread around, this is hardly surprising. The Premier League IS the richest league in the world, and top clubs dont hog all the cash like they do in Spain and Italy. The result is that mediocre teams are able to purchase excellent players from all over the world. La Liga has two excellent teams, a couple more good ones then a host of thrash. The Premier League has 3-4 excellent teams, ~10 good ones, and very little thrash.

Laughable at best.

Look at how much Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs have spent over the past 5 years and look at their wage bill and then tell me if there is a gap or not. The money in the PL is concentrated among the top-4/top-6 while the rest of the league barely have positive net spends.

The PL is the richest league in the world because of the massive fan-base of Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal & possibly Chelsea. No other team has massive following in Asia. Merchandise sales from the region prove that.

And which "mediocre" team in the PL has bought excellent players from all over the world? How would you describe "excellent"? Because right now, the 5 best players in the world are playing in La Liga (for me)-- Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Villa.

As for the PL having very little trash teams, it's all bollocks. Clubs like Sunderland, Blackburn, Everton, Stoke, Fulham etc. play absolute shite football. I would rather watch La Liga over the PL, anyday. And that's coming from a Liverpool fan.

[SoV]

Oh, and for me, the Bundesliga is the best league in the world-- great football, some brilliant managers, cracking players, cracking atmosphere, cheap ticket prices meaning football is still the sport for the middle class, like it's always been. The PL could do to learn from the Bundesliga. It's not long before going to a footy game becomes a luxury, unless it hasn't become so.

[irlandais_noir]

I meant that if those 5 teams moved to La Liga, they would fill up the spots 1-7 (along with Barca/Real) not necessarily that they would be 3rd; whereas if the top 5 teams in La Liga moved to the PL, only Barca and Real would have a good shot at the top 7. Im frankly surprised by the amount of people that think La Liga is that tough. How come Real/Barca dominate so completely without similar success in Europe? English teams perform excellently in the Champs Leage, but still struggle (relatively) in the PL. IMO it's because there are few 'free' games in the PL; any team can beat you. Real/Barca pound damn near everyone.

As to why I think Fulham/WH could do well. I mean, Fulham was just in the Europa League final and now they're fighting away relegation this year with a pretty much unchanged team. Of course there is a gap in the PL, but the gap in La Liga is MUCH bigger (the top two are basically an island on their own).

All of this is not to say that Barca would struggle in the PL, I simply think that there is not a change they would embarrass all their opponents like they do in La Liga. But if we could have a home/away series between all teams in PL vs those in La Liga, I would bet my life savings the PL would come out on top. That is what I mean, when I say it is a 'better' league.

From an entertainment/cost perspective Bundesliga does have a strong case, I agree.