Throwdowns > Closed

Bigalke said 02/19, 05:47 PM
The top three are indisputable. The order between 4 and 8 is debatable, but I'll grant you those five teams right now. Where your argument takes a drastic turn from logic is those final two teams, showing both homerist tendencies and an Anglocentric viewpoint.

9. Borrusia Dortmund
10. FC Porto

Would you trust Arsenal or Spurs to dispatch either side right now -- home, away or on a neutral pitch? I surely wouldn't. Both are in position to finish top-two in their respective leagues, and both are in position to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

You could make a tenuous case for Tottenham, but Arsenal? The same Gunners side that lost to Bradford City and Blackburn?! Please, HCF... don't let fanaticism blind you to the facts.

Bigalke said 02/19, 07:33 PM
There's a good question... IS the Premier League the best in the world THIS year? Because we're not resting on past laurels or dusty history but the realities of the present with this topic.

If we're talking dominance by its top teams, the EPL has but two teams in the Champions League round of 16 -- same as Serie A, one less than the Bundesliga and two less than Spain has produced. Only one is in any shape to talk about advancing, and they're fairly ranked at #3. A

If we're talking domestic competitive balance, no league is deeper this year than the densely-packed half-dozen battling at the top of the tables in Italy. The top 3 in the EPL are separated by 16 points; that's the gap from 1st to 7th in the tight Serie A race. England's clubs might enjoy the biggest revenues as a whole, but by no means does that mean they're still ascendant.

Which is why ANY list that says the EPL's top five are among the 10 best in Europe is patently ludicrous. Dortmund and Porto are better NOW... this isn't a history contest or a popularity contest.

Bigalke said 02/20, 12:30 PM
Guess what? It isn't Arsenal's nature to beat teams above them either. Sweat? The only sweat Arsenal is making is their own flop sweat. Spurs have Bale... and what else?!

You've done nothing to negate my arguments about the down nature of the EPL. You've failed to prove your two teams. You want to obfuscate this argument by tossing AC Milan in as MY failure, but because you too omitted them this is a non-point that has no bearing on the teams we ARE arguing. Too late to try to carry new contentions, HCF... you ought to know better than to try.

The reality is that Porto held their own against PSG in the Champions League group stage. Dortmund knocked off Real Madrid and Man City to finish top in Group D... and they drew 1-1 v. Bayern IN MUNICH on Dec. 1.

Face it. Maybe we both missed a potential top-10 team in Milan. MAYBE. But the teams I DID pick are better European club teams RIGHT NOW than the selections you did make. Both Porto and Dortmund are more complete and cohesive teams, front to back, than either Arsenal or Spurs. They are in better position now -- in ALL competitions, both UEFA and domestic.