Football News: Premier League, the most exciting in the world?

People keep talking about how the Barclays Premier League is the best league in the world because it is the most exciting. I am not sure if I agree with that view, not just because I have not seen every other league to know, but because the product on offer from the Prem has been dire this season.

How many teams have played attractive football this season? Arsenal and Manchester City at times, Chelsea early on, and then I am struggling to think of another team that I would have any interest in watching as a neutral.

The second half of the season saw Chelsea revert to Jose's type of negative, defensive, grind out a result at all costs football. Even Arsenal showed a pragmatic side to their football at times, though for most of the season they still play fairly pretty football.

Man City are mainly exciting due to their complete hopelessness defensively leading to them giving up chance after chance to the opposition, while their attacking strength enables them to always look like they are going to score. Overall though, the quality of play from them has been very poor, with Yaya Toure spending most of the season in a sulk and barely breaking sweat.

At least Stoke City showed signs of moving away from being a purely physical team overpowering the opposition through set pieces, though there is still a very physical edge to their game. Sadly though, Tony Pulis has taken over at West Bromwich Albion and is already turning them into a carbon copy of his brute force approach from the Stoke days.

Maybe there is some hope for next season, as Manchester United under van Gaal should be playing better football, Stoke will be further along the line of their move away from Pulis. Man City and Arsenal will hopefully get their act together and produce attractive football and Jose will let Chelsea off the leash even more. Maybe.

Right now though, it is just difficult to get excited about the Premier League, who cares who finishes 5th? Who cares whether it is the hated owners of Hull or Newcastle that are relegated? It is difficult to muster any enthusiasm for the final day tomorrow and that is sad when this is the league awash with all the money.

Written by Tris Burke May 23 2015 12:37:49