Fantasy Football Posts

Every week, I put out my analysis of fantasy football selections for players of the game every week. The tips/analysis are based solely for the official English Premier League Fantasy Football game. Please visit http://www.fantasyfootybenders.com/ for weekly posts and don't forget to comment; whether you play fantasy football or not.

E-Commerce in Ghana: Sailing or Failing

Looking through my wardrobe this morning for what to wear to work, I realized that I didn’t have enough shirts. Long sleeved shirts in particular. Instantly, like the way my brain works, I had to find a solution. I had options; go to a boutique to buy an over-priced shirt, go to Kantamanto to find a high-end store-reject or faux shirt or shop locally online. I had to choose between convenience and making the right selection. The day is almost over and I haven’t done any of these. I have been behind a PC with internet all day. I still need some shirts (mind you, this isn’t a piece about procrastination).

We can’t deny, the recent emergence of many internet-based companies in Ghana (and Africa) has a lot to do with the growing internet penetration on the continent. Internet users in Africa rose from 2% in 2005 to 19% in 2014. E-Commerce is bidding to take center stage on a continent where trading has been the go-to business for thousands of years. In Ghana, 18.9% of the population have internet access but it raises so many questions. How likely are the online population to adopt the e-commerce culture? Are these figures heavily skewed by Facebook and WhatsApp? Are e-commerce platforms taking advantage of these figures?

As a seller myself, I have the option to sell on e-commerce websites like Tisu (established in Ghana in 2011), Tonaton, Jumia Market (formerly Kaymu), Jumia and StoreFoundry or classified websites like OLX. All these websites have different modes of operations with their own pros and cons. My choice of website boils down to what will bring me the most money regardless of page views, conversion rates etc. But operators of e-commerce websites care about these things. Inevitably, every website wants traffic first, which is a major selling point. Next, they want that traffic to convert to sales (orders) and then the money can roll in. Strategies to increase page views and conversion rates among others are employed while doing their best to reduce the bounce rates. Would I want to create my own website (have a store in front of my house) or sell on a popular website (a store in a mall)? I’ll rather sell on a popular platform so it’s not surprising e-commerce platforms focus on what they focus on.

Buyers look at e-commerce websites as just another option. A means to an end. Now in looking for that shirt that I need, with my budget of 30ghc to 60ghc for 1, I’m most likely going to go to Kantamanto for 2 reasons; the option to try that shirt on for the perfect fit & the number of options I have available to make a bargain for. I could use 2 minutes to make a choice online but am I ready to wait for a possible 5 to 10 days to receive a shirt that might not fit perfectly or not hear from the platform/seller at all? Don’t get me wrong, not all e-commerce websites are ‘poor’. I’ve had items (not shirts) delivered to me a day after ordering and it was perfect. I have to be able to trust that what I see is what I’ll get. Buyers need to trust to buy. So until e-commerce platforms can create or maintain trust, buyers’ culture of taking time off their busy schedule to go out and look for items won’t change. In areas like Madina, there’s a shop every 50 to 100 meters that sell items ranging from clothes to TVs. This is no hyperbole. So until I can trust what’s online and appreciate the service, I will take that walk and cop that watch. Furthermore, it’s common knowledge that most e-commerce platforms charge commissions or add their percentages in order to make something small from sellers’ sales online. This means it’s possible to get the items for cheaper somewhere (Shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone).

One challenge most e-commerce websites face is deliveries. A lot of logistics companies are springing up to support the growth of e-commerce. I mean, who wouldn’t set up a logistics company to meet this high demand for convenience to make some more money. However, in Ghana stating and giving directions are not the best. If the orange seller isn’t at that junction, the delivery rider will probably miss it. One delivery may involve multiple calls between buyers and sellers before the transaction is complete. Once again, it’s not a bad thing. It’s working.

Ghana has been blessed with smart people. People who have what it takes to take the country to the next level. Some of which have set up wonderful e-payment platforms like Express Pay, Slyde Pay and Mazzuma. This, coupled with the increasingly popular mobile money payment methods being employed by our top Telco’s provide buyers and sellers easy ways to make secure transactions while shopping online. Cash-on-delivery however is the most used mode of payment in our e-commerce ecosystem. Buyers prefer this. They want to see what they’re buying before they pay. The few who prepay are mostly from other regions. Because without payment, their items may never reach their locations. Imagine sending an item to Bawku just to have a buyer reject it.

Over the years, what I’ve learnt is that most of the processes involved from a buyer placing an order to the buyer receiving it are cumbersome. I’ve also learnt that most people in e-commerce think that long processes are necessary for better tracking and record keeping. Processes that inevitably give old buyers bad experiences and new buyers’ reasons not to come back. Some websites are feared for fraudulent sellers, others are avoided because of bad pricing while a few are still trying to make customers happy.

Being profitable should be the main aim of every business. If an e-commerce company can make enough money from order volumes and the sale of ad spaces on websites to sustain the business daily while paying their staff, way to go! Obvious isn’t it? But you’ll be surprised to know it’s not always the case. Most platforms are struggling to make enough money to cover costs. A lot are still in the trial-and-error phase. To be honest, it’s not a major concern. Amazon, until recently, though revenue figures kept rising, have had net profits at the same level for over a decade.

The Ghanaian consumer is hard to please but easy to keep once pleasing is done the right way. Once a brand gets me, I’ll make sure my friends and family join the brand-wagon. The market is there for the taking. Internet penetration figures and estimates in Ghana means there’s big potential. People are online. There’s no Ghanaian based e-commerce website in the top 20 visited sites in Ghana but Facebook is a great tool for businesses to take advantage of. The market is there for the taking. The future looks bright. But there’s no bright without right.

Fear

You're alone at home washing up after supper. You left the TV on with one ear eagerly waiting to hear the starting jingle of the next show. Then you hear 3 soft thumps outside the window. You start to wonder who or what could have caused that. Did a stray dog come close to your house? Is it an armed robber? Do evil spirits make physical sounds? Your brain starts applying the permutation and combination you learnt in math class. Your heart starts beating faster. All this while, plate-washing has been paused just so you hear something else to frighten you a bit more or allay your fears. Fight or flight. You’re wondering what to do next.

Many times, we find ourselves in situations like this and get scared more often than not. Why are we afraid? What are we afraid of? If an evil spirit wanted to get you, would it actually make noises outside when it can go through walls and come straight at you? Armed robbers are scared too that’s why they come in stealth mode. They would have just bulldozed their way into your sitting room.

As human beings, we grow up being obliged to fear one thing or the other as a sort of deterrent from doing something inappropriate. “If you don’t eat your food, I’ll call the fire man!” always made me finish my plate as a child. I had no idea what the fire man did actually but I was just scared of what he could possibly do. I wasn't ready for the ramifications of what could have happened.  The fear of the unknown. It’s one of our greatest enemies. We’re faced with it every day and it often leads to procrastination or even failure to pursue rewarding endeavors; from approaching people of the opposite sex to venturing into businesses. Why should I take that risk? Why shouldn't you?

As a child, I was afraid of everything. It was so bad that when I was alone with my mum and she had to go to the toilet, I’d stop whatever I was doing and follow her into the toilet. It was always safer by her side. The scent had to be pleasurable because it was better than being left alone. See, words can’t describe how bad it was. She realized this and adopted a strategy. Every evening, she’d sit me down and narrate a true-life horror experience to me. Why I sat down to listen, only God knows. I still remember the stories so vividly. Some of the stories featured pigs in scarves, dwarves playing football with cement blocks and little black evil spirits who looked like Betty Boop. Each episode scared the joy and happiness out of my little soul.

Today, I’m glad I grew up with all those stories. Though they didn't seem to have any moral at the end, I learnt a lot from them. I started to question what exactly I was afraid of. She had made it out alive from all those encounters. She was encouraging me subtly to face my fears. Now, I hear noises in the dark and either act nonchalantly or actually check them out if I thought it was physically safe. I learnt that no matter what it was that you were afraid of, people had faced worse and made it. I’m not saying I’m a dare-devil. I’m saying I don’t get scared easily.

The fear of death, rejection, failure, neglect etc is being worn by everyday people now more often than underwear. Apart from death, which is the end, aren't these negatives we so dread supposed to make us stronger? Take failure for example. Michael Jordan was kicked out of his high school basketball team. Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper because he ‘lacked no new ideas’. Oprah was told she wasn't fit for TV and was demoted. Even Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985. Who are you to be afraid to fail? Of course there’s also the other side of fear, the good side where it lets us save ourselves from legitimate threats –physically or emotionally. When you see a Rottweiler charging down on you, use your head. This isn't a fight or flight situation. Run! Don’t ignore your final exams and say you’re not afraid of failure. Bill Gates didn't drop out of school dumb! Our ability to predict possible future scenarios and relive past occurrences gives us the needed skill to still be the most dominant creatures on earth. On the other hand, we have the certainty of a fearful future and the haunting ghosts of the past. Fear may have aided our ancestors in surviving long enough to make us but it’s making many people today unable to live freely and truly. I say, don’t let fear be a burden but rather an adviser

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2014 European Champions' League Final Special

For the first time in the history of the European Cup, two clubs from the same city have been pitted against each other to fight for the right to be called Champions of Europe and to a certain extent, champions of Madrid. The last time Real Madrid was in a final was 12 years ago. The last time Atletico was in a final was 40 years ago. It's been a long wait for both clubs. One city is at the center stage of European Football and when the day arrives, it shall be divided.

The Red and White Corner: 

Atleti's story has been sort of a fairy tale since the arrival of Simeone in the 2011/2012 season. Prior to his arrival, Atleti hadn't beaten their city rivals since 1999 in all competitions. Things have changed now. Diego Simeone's side have not only ended their run of poor results by beating Real Madrid to win the 2013 Copa Del Rey final, they've also won the Europa League (2012) and the La Liga title (2014) in a league that boasts of 2 of the best sides in Europe. What's more remarkable is that he took over the side when they were 10th in the league. Then again we consider the sale of Falcao and the fact that he had to use a lean budget to bolster his side with substitute players means that this man has done the impossible. 

The White Corner:

"I owe you a Champions League final and I won't fail you", were the words Ronaldo uttered after losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi final in May of 2012. 2 years on and he has delivered. Real Madrid eliminated this same Bayern Munich this time with 5 unanswered goals in 2 legs despite the Bavarians dominating possession in both games. Real Madrid was the team that didn't need much of the ball to do damage. Carlo Ancelotti is the leader of the pack of this Madrid team and comes in with a wealth of experience being one of 5 managers in modern football with 2 Champions League trophies under his belt. This Madrid side have been to 3 semi-finals in the last 3 years before this year's competition. They had to get it right this time. La Decima has been a dream for a dozen years. Is Madrid tired of sleeping this time? Are they ready to live their dream?

The match-up: 

On paper, Real Madrid have the stars. They can boast of so many Galacticos who'll dominate any team they feature in. Atleti don't have the names but have the balls. Head to head, position by position, there's no competition for Les Merengues. But Atleti have proven too many times this season that they can do the impossible; beating  Jose Mourinho's Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate and stopping Barcelona from recording a win against them in 6 games this season allowing only in just 3 goals. Atleti also have the best defence in Europe this season conceding just 6 goals to Real Madrid's 9. Throw in the quality of sides they've faced this season and a record of having reached the final without a loss means that Simeone's men can do it all. Real Madrid is no small side either. On the 29th of April, they traveled to Munich and stamped their presence on Bayern's four-t. That was Pep's biggest defeat in the game. Madrid had eliminated the outright favorites in this season's competition with slick, fast paced counter-attacking football. 

We know what both teams are capable of. We've seen them in their best and worst. We've seen Diego Costa bulldoze through defences with Koke being the engine to this mean machine. We've also seen Bale and Ronaldo tear defences apart with blistering speed making Bolt and Blake question their tags as the fastest duo in the world. Courtois has had so many saves, he could single-handedly save the world from our oppressors and Modric, with his diminutive stature, has been able to marshal Madrid's midfield better than most World World War 2 officers ever did in their field. 

The Stats:

24th May 2014 is the day that has been set for El Derbi Madrileño. Both teams have crossed the Rubicon. Atleti come into the final unbeaten with 9 victories and 3 draws while the white team in the other corner come in with 10 victories 1 loss and 1 draw. Casillas hasn't lost a final in which he's started for Spain and Real Madrid in 14 years he also hasn't  lost a game to Atleti in 15 years in all competitions. Both teams have a trophy eating them off Barca's plate. Real Madrid have a goalscoring ratio of 3.08 goals per game to Atleti's 2.08. At the other end of the field, Atleti allow in 0.5 goals per game as compared to Madrid's 0.75. This infographic from SBOBET says it all.

"Stats don't play football" is a popular saying from where I come from however, it's the style of the teams over and over again that produces these stats. Nevertheless, anything can happen in a final. Some will crumble under the pressure while others will rise to the occasion. 

What to expect:

Expect the improbable. We've seen so many finals that have ended with a mixture of sorrow, pain, joy and excitement carefully brewed in barrels that last days. Whatever we're served, we drink. Real Madrid's front trio of Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema have mastered the art of intertwining and carefully pulling defenders out of position with their movements whenever they're on the ball. They come up against the meanest defence in Europe. A side that don't park the bus but go out and take the ball from their opponent's feet like it was theirs. Godin has been a rock at the center of this unit wowing many admirers week in week out. The question of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object comes to mind but I'll save the physics lectures for later. 
Conversely, Diego Costa and his band of brothers which includes the mighty Leonidas (Arda Turan) and Koke have terrorized defences with fewer goals which have been achieved through sheer will to succeed. They have to find their way through the same defence that has improved from conceding 18 goals in last season's competition to 9 goals this term. 
Both teams have been fairly consistent this season and this is how their teams have been shaped. We're likely to see a 4-3-3 system for the Carlo's men with Simeone opting for his favoured flat 4-4-2 formation.
It's unlikely Diego Costa, Pepe and Arda Turan will play but don't rule anything out just yet. Diego Costa is in Serbia in search of alternative medicine to be fit in time for the game which may in turn rule him out for the World Cup if things go wrong. It's a risk. That's how important this game is.
I'm not here to tell the future. Whatever happens on Saturday will be a consequence of so many variables working together since these players were born. There are 2 things I'm sure of; the ball will be kicked and there will be a champion.


Whatever happens, we're in for a cracker. This chapter will be completed, destinies are waiting to be fulfilled and, for some, new suitors will be seduced. Ancelotti, the wise old master of sophistication will come up against the boisterous vulgarian in Simeone. The king of Madrid will soon be crowned.

Why Messi Isn't The Greatest Footballer Of All Time

Lionel Messi, considered by some as the greatest footballer of all time was born on the 26th of June 1987 to a steel worker father and a part-time cleaner mother. I could go on about his background but this is no biography. I won't beat about the bush. There's a lot to be talked about here.
I have no other business here than to explain why Messi isn't the greatest ever. Or even the greatest in the last 20 years.
I'll start in 2010. Jose Mourinho's Inter were paired with Pep's Barcelona who had just swept all 6 trophies in which they had competed in. Sneijder scored and provided Milito's goal for Inter to take the first leg by 3 goals to 1. Messi was nowhere to be found. Some say Cambiasso put him in his pocket. Barca won the 2nd leg but Inter went through to the final. Sneijder vital for Inter again providing an assist for one of Milito's goals. Messi ended up being top scorer scoring 8 in 11 but Ronaldo had a better goal ratio scoring 7 in 6 games. Golden boot? Inter went on to win the treble with Sneijder scoring 8 and providing 12 in 39 games. He was ready for the World Cup.
June came and all the world stars were in South Africa to battle for supremacy. I'd like to believe you all watched (football newbies inclusive) so I'll skip the details. Messi crashed out of the tournament by losing by 4 goals to Germany (of which he had to deal with a similar situation in this season's champions league) in the quarter finals. Sneijder went on to the final following spectacular performances against Brazil and Uruguay winning 4 man of the match awards and scoring 5 goals (joint highest). Messi finished with just 2 assists in South Africa after scoring 47 goals in 53 games for Barcelona in the season before. It was obvious by now who was better between both players at this point. Messi had inspired Barcelona to the league but Sneijder had taken Italy, Europe and almost conquered the world. He scored more goals than Sneijder but Suarez had more goals than Messi. The 2010 Ballon D'Or was given to Messi after scoring goals that brought only a La Liga title.
In 2011, he fully deserved the award. In 2012, Messi won the award again after failing Barca when they needed him the most. Messi couldn’t score a single goal in the two most important matches of the season for Barcelona (the UCL semifinals against Chelsea, including a penalty kick miss) which lost them 2 trophies. A year in which Ronaldo was vital for his club and country taking Real Madrid to the UCL semi final, winning the La Liga title with a record 100 point haul, beating Barca in the Spanish Super Cup and taking Portugal to the semis of the Euros. Ronaldo had done enough. He had outclassed Messi even in games against Barcelona. FIFA had a mind of their own giving the award to Messi for the 4th year running just because Messi had more goals but yet couldn't score in decisive games. Fifa had changed the criteria again to suit Messi.
Messi in actual fact deserved just 2 of the 4 awards he received. This brings him to a step below Cruyff, Platini, Van Basten, Ronaldo and Zidane. The 2012 polls was the same one in which the Thai national team coach voted Sergio Busquets as the best player in the world. You'd stop to ask yourself what the world is coming to.
People compare Messi to people who have performed for their homelands and various clubs no matter what. Players whose names are chanted on the highest world stage in football. It won't be fair to mention the likes of Pele, Maradona and Zidane here as they are light years ahead of the Argentine.
Let's look at what Messi has done. He's delivered for Barcelona but really, if we take time to analyze his style and how it works with Barcelona's core players, it's fair to see that without them (in Argentina), he can't replicate that form for country or anywhere he may go. He's scored record number of goals in years in which he didn't win many trophies but yet won more for team and scored less for club in other years.
In Argentina, Messi has a wealth of stars. I've seen people lift the World Cup with weaker players. It's true Messi isn't 11 players but Maradona did it. If Messi is the best ever, why can't he do it? Let's reduce the standard to Copa America. Messi still can't do it.
When Barcelona wins 6 trophies, it's because Messi was phenomenal. When Barcelona lose out, we blame the other 10 players.
Again, let's consider the time-frame. Have a look at Ronaldinho's fast rise and fall. We don't know what tomorrow holds. We can't jump on the 'World's Greatest' bandwagon after 6 years. People have stayed at the very top for at least 10 years with some hitting 20. These feats aren't easy to achieve.
Ronaldo has proved himself in the white of Real Madrid, the red of Manchester United and green of Portugal and his current record goal record for Real Madrid is miles ahead of Messi's. Forget the bravado, stylishness and other things Ronaldo stands for, it's football we're talking about. We should discuss Messi and Ronaldo cos they are in the same league (literally and figuratively) though there are quite a few attributes which makes Ronaldo more complete than Messi.
We could decide to over-look what Messi really deserved and say he won 4 Ballon D'Ors but that won't be fair. Leonardo DiCaprio has never won an Oscar. You can also decide to over-look that and say he wasn't good enough but that won't be fair either.
He's been lucky to be in a dominating team cos really, when the top 3 players in a year are from one club, it just goes to show that it's been more of a collective effort than an individual one.

L.O.V.E

Love is an emotion. The display of love could be the strongest emotion there is and in some cases, could be the weakest. Most often, love is shown as an action and experienced as a feeling. Love can’t be put in a single way; it defines so much more; compassion, kindness, tolerance, determination, faith and many more. Again, love may refer to the need for intimacy, emotional closeness, the ‘platonicity’ of friendship or even religiously. All these things make love complex. More complex than you might think you know. So I can’t define love entirely; I’m a mere mortal. I might not even be able to do justice to the concept in this article. What I know, I’ll write.

Most of this is going to be about love between two people, the love that most people crave for. Even gay people.

My bible, specifically, 1^st Corinthians chapter 13:4-8 states that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it’s not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.” This definition to me encompasses everything love is. It requires so much more. People always utter the words “I love you” but do we really know what love is? Can we love patiently despite everything? Can we love selflessly? Most people can’t. Love is a choice. This brings me to the concept of loving someone and being in love with someone. To be in love, you feel devoted to another. All your focus is on your partner. You want that person in your life. You don’t consider what they can offer you but rather look towards what both of you can achieve together. There’s unity. However, when you love someone, there’s more affection and appreciation. Even when separated, you care about them and always hope for the best for them. When you love someone, there’s no intense need for closeness or intimacy. Their happiness is your comfort.

Most often, we try to portray our love as unconditional. Unconditional love is the rarest form of love. This is the kind of love where we accept whoever we love for whoever they are. Imagine you claim to love someone and yet, after the person gets paralyzed or contracts a lifelong disease, the love ‘fades’. That’s not love. And definitely not unconditional love. For those of us who experienced that kind of love close to unconditional from our mothers know what it feels like. We should try and emulate it as closely as possible. Loving someone else unconditionally may or may not be achievable. But we can try to love close to that. All we have to do is eliminate as much conditions as we can.

The love stories we see and hear about most often seem unrealistic which is true to some extent. We perceive most of it as a fairy tale. Girls thrive on these fairy tales and day-dream about what they hope their love lives would be like. At least it’s good in the sense that they want something perfect. With guys, it’s either love is written on their foreheads or the word doesn’t exist to them. For the guys in between, they’re just in a temporary phase. I’m yet to find anyone who lived “happily ever after”. We should rather hope for “happily EVEN after….”

Before we can love anybody, we should first be able to love ourselves. You can’t love someone if you don’t even know how to love. The basis of loving someone is in loving ourselves. Even in difficult times in relationships, we should look to ourselves first. Nevertheless, there’s nothing wrong with loving someone more than yourself (I think). Again, love shouldn’t be about how beautiful or sexy or tall someone is. There shouldn’t be a reason for love. Just love. We should also keep in mind that love is more about giving rather than receiving. We should have the desire to give more and not expect anything in return. Even so, if we don’t get love back, we tend to feel unwanted but the focus should be on our contribution we make to making him or her happy.

If you love someone, make them know and let it show. Don’t make them feel left out. At least once in your life, let love take over. It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Love conquers all.

La Liga vs EPL

I'm getting tired of the comparisons between the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga. People see the Premiership as the most competitive because teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are all fighting for the league. Have you paused to think if these teams are bigger than Real Madrid and Barcelona? Certainly not. In the end, there'll be one winner.
Undoubtedly, the premiership has more publicity and the money involved is way more than La Liga. Most premiership matches are on Saturday afternoons. Very convenient for everyone. La Liga's matches are later at night. Some 10 years ago, those of us who were privileged to have TV sets in our homes saw EPL more often than any other league. We only saw La Liga teams in the Champs' League. I'm just saying all these factors over the years have brought the EPL to where it is. But when we're talking of the quality of football in the league, La Liga wins hands down. I want to talk about the strength of both leagues. The Champions League and the Europa league are the best platforms to discuss this. Before I go there, I'll compare both leagues.
Everyone keeps on spitting about that La Liga is a two-horse race. First of all, if you ask me, I don't see 2 horses, I see 2 Bugatti's. Secondly, the Premiership has been a 2-team league for a while now. From the 95-96 season to the 03-04 season, it's been either Arsenal or Manchester United. From the 04-05 season to the 10-11 season, it's been Manchester United and Chelsea. The current season that ended saw the title go to Manchester City. Between these times in La Liga, Valencia, Athletico Madrid, Barcelona, Deportivo La Corona and Real Madrid have won the league. Do the math. Recently, it's just been Manchester United vs the richest team.
When you look at both league tables last season, you'll notice than the last team in La Liga got more points than the last in EPL. In Spain, the point difference between the 4th and 20th team was 31 whereas it was 44 in the EPL. Really, majority of the teams in La Liga are more competitive than the Premiership.
Last season, the top 3 assistors in the Premiership were Silva, Valencia and Mata. Mata and Silva are exceptional talents from La Liga. Most people wouldn't have heard of them if they stayed in Spain. They were hardly amongst the best when they were in La Liga and both of them struggle to hold a starting berth for their national team. They moved to EPL and dominated. Take a look at the former Balon D'or award. For the past 20 years, only Michael Owen and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the title for their merits in the Premiership. The Fifa World Best Player award went to an EPL player only once since 1991. Many players from La Liga have won it during these periods. Only means one thing, there isn't much quality in the English League.
People claim that teams like Stoke City will beat Barcelona and that these Spanish players won't survive in the Premiership. Europe provides the platform for all of us to see and compare. Unfortunately, we might never see the Stoke-Barca match because they aren't even good enough to qualify for the Champs League.
At the beginning of last season, there were 8 EPL teams and 6 La Liga teams in the group stages of the Champs League and Europa League. By the quarter-final stage, EPL had only 1 team (eventual winners) as compared to 5 from La Liga. The Spanish were more competitive. Chelsea won the Champs League but many people criticize their style and the way in which they won it. Winning the most coveted trophy in club football and finishing 6th behind teams like Tottenham and Newcastle puts your quality in question. We all saw Atletico Bilbao beat Manchester United home and away. They dominated in both matches too.
The main oversight of those in favor of the Premiership is the fact that Real Madrid and Barca are the best in the world. Currently, no team is their equal. Scratch the Champs League; these two teams are favourites when they meet any other team.
I've seen Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle beat teams by more than 5 goals. City beat Man Utd by 6 goals to 1. Blame it on the inconsistency.
On a normal Saturday afternoon, when I sit down to watch a Premiership game, all i see is running, running, running, crossing and heading. It gets old. None of them are good enough to hold the ball for long periods. Arsenal are the only exception. Big ups to them. Ronaldo left the premiership to La Liga and now doesn't only score but provides. He's become more complete.
Another argument is that all the quality players are only in two teams in La Liga. Well, I can't force your eyes to see quality. I can only point it out to you. We have the likes of Falcao, Arda Turan, Iker Muniain, Soldado, Rami, Navas, Negredo, Demichelis, Cazorla and others who will have starting places in most of the so-called top 6 teams in England.
Mourinho and Ronaldo who spent at least 2 seasons in the EPL have come out to say that winning La Liga is more difficult than any other league they've played in.
The hype from the English media sucks. Teams buy average players for extravagant prices. All these factors are adding to the gradual demise of the English league. In due time, when the publicity is enough, we'll all see why La Liga is better. For now, those of you who haven't seen the light can stay in darkness. Maybe you're blind, maybe ECG has caused it. Eventually, you'll get there and appreciate the Spanish La Liga.