The Premier League this season has been unpredictable, catching even the most seasoned fans, journalists and pundits off guard with its weekly array of plot twists and upsets. With Leicester City, a team many experts tipped for relegation, sitting atop of the table with co-leaders Arsenal, and last season’s champions, Chelsea, having suffered their worst season in recent memory, the Premier League seems to have thrown all of the rules out the window. What’s not to love?
Europe is something of a soccer factory, always importing and exporting talent. This means leagues all over Europe are constantly competing with each other for the right to sign the best and the brightest young talents. Generally speaking, talented young soccer players are attracted to the shiniest and richest clubs in Europe. This means that the clubs with the most money dominate their leagues. There is no salary cap in Europe, and this means teams can spend as much cash as they want on whomever they so choose (don’t get me started on financial fair play).
The unintended consequence of this system is that certain leagues are absolutely dominated by one or two teams. Ligue 1, France’s top league, sees the league leaders, Paris Saint Germain, 21 points ahead of second-place Monaco. The Bundesliga, Germany’s top league, has seen Bayern Munich win the league three years in a row, and currently, they are on top of the German table with an eight-point lead over second place Borussia Dortmund. The Spanish League is always dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid, and the Italian League has seen Juventus win the League four years on the trot.
These leagues are unbalanced, uncompetitive and uninteresting. The top teams rarely get out of first gear in games against the mid-table teams, and the winners medals may as well be handed out the first week of the season because there is little doubt as to what team will dominate the season.
The Premier League is a different story. The overall quality of the league is second to none. It doesn’t matter whether you support Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Newcastle or Manchester United, every team has a chance to win every match. Every match is a battle, every seat in the stadium is filled and everyone has a shot at victory.
In the past three seasons, there have been three different champions, and every year there is a heated battle to get into the top four. Each year, there are surprise packages. This season, for example, the biggest surprise by far has been Leicester City. They’re currently one of three teams jostling for a spot at the top of the table. They’re unashamedly showing the world of soccer that passion and commitment to the team are just as important as having raw talent. Their incredible run has added another dimension to the already exciting and unpredictable landscape of the Premier League.
Leicester’s never-say-die attitude epitomizes the Premier League. That is the spirit that makes it so competitive to play in and so entertaining to watch. That spirit is what drives millions of fans from around the world to watch the league week in and week out. That spirit is why the Premier League is the greatest league in the world.
