Why You Need to Watch England’s Premier League This Season
The United States hasn’t completely fallen in love with soccer just yet, but there are signs that it’s taking off in a big way. Whereas ten years ago you’d be hard pressed to find too many Americans who could name more than three European soccer teams, today you have a not insignificant number tuning into to watch the English premier league via NBC. If you’re still not convinced that it’s worth getting up early for (England is 5 – 8 hours ahead), take a read of our reasons why you should be watching English soccer this year. You won’t regret it.
The Teams Are Strong
Some people think that Spain’s league (called La Liga) is better than England’s league, but that’s shortsighted. There are two teams – Real Madrid and Barcelona – who might win the league in Spain. In England, there are five (or more, if Leicester’s surprise title win two years ago is anything to go by). Will it be one of the Manchester teams? Will Liverpool kick into gear and end their more than twenty-year title drought? Will Tottenham ease into their new stadium and bring home glory? Or will Leicester do it again (we’re saying no)? It could go any which way!
The Touchline is Exciting
It’s not just on the pitch where things are exciting. The benches make tuning in worth it in their own right. All the world’s biggest managers, including Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, and Antonio Conte, are coaching in the EPL. And alongside being master soccer coaches, they’re also all a bit mad. On any given match day, you can expect to see sending offs, heated debates, and tears – and that’s just from the coaches. Never has a league had so many superstar managers all competing against one another.
There’ll Be a Surprise Package
It’s impossible to predict English soccer. If you have Everton clinching a Champions League spot (that means finishing in the top four) as one of your EPL bets for the season, then you might just be a winner at the end of the season. Nothing is written in stone: the teams that should, on paper, be “the best” might ultimately falter, while the team’s everyone expects to finish at the bottom might go on a twelve match running streak. Anything can happen in soccer, and in England it normally does.
There’ll Be Hot Champions League Action, Too
It’s not just the domestic league that’ll be worth tuning in for, either. England has five teams in the champions league this year (Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Manchester United), and it’s not unthinkable that there’ll be an all English final, such is the quality of these five teams. Tune in on set Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and you’ll be able to see how the English clubs fare against their European counterparts.
We’re at Peak Level
The English league has always been good, but it’s even more special at the moment. With the fans, players, and managers ensuring it’ll be a lively season all the way through to May, it’s worth tuning in for!
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