Serie A is the greatest league in the World | Thebigtip

There you go. I've said it.

The Serie A is the best League in the World. Period.

Now before all you EPL, La Liga and Bundesliga fans, or anyone else for that matter thinks I'm smoking something, think again. Here are a few reasons as to why, based on the 2009/10 season, the Serie A is now the finest League in the world.

1] The Decline of the EPL

There's absolutely no doubt the the EPL has had a recent monopoly on world football. The best players, the most $$$ and a proven track record from it's competing teams in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) including an all-England Final in 2008 between Manchester United and Chelsea. But the 2009/10 season was different. Just take a look at the four English Clubs performance.

Chelsea made the 2nd Round, knocked out by eventual winners Inter (Italian) both in Milan (2-1) and in London (1-0). Manchester United were knocked out by Bayern Munich, the German champions and runners-up to Inter. Arsenal were also knocked out in the Quarter Finals by Spanish champions Barcelona, the same side that Inter then went on to beat in the Semi Finals. Liverpool didn't even make it out of the Group, finishing 3rd behind Lyon and Italians Fiorentina whom beat Liverpool both home (2-0) and away (2-1). Notice a pattern in that?

Not only that, in the EPL itself, while we've finally seen one of the 'Big 4' drop out in Liverpool and replacing it was Tottenham, in the EPL it's the same four Clubs always trying to keep up with the 'Big 4'. Those are Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Everton or for the better word 'The Chasing 4'. There's absolutely no depth after that.

2] The Rise of the Serie A

There's no doubt Inter has dominated the Serie A the last five years. It all started with the Calciopoli scandal which really hit the Serie A and Italy hard, but they've recovered supremely well since then. The League might not boast the biggest stars, but it's still producing something which both the EPL and La Liga envy and that is while Inter are still winning the League, they're being challenged.

Just look at Juventus early in the season beating Inter 2-1 before their season took a spectacular fall for the worse. There was AC Milan who with five games to go were only a couple of points behind, even with Inter winning both Milan Derbies. Then you have Roma, whom despite a poor start and the sacking of Luciano Spalleti, the 'Tinkerman' Claudio Ranieri worked his wonders, getting Roma to 2nd and they really, had they not lost at home to Sampdoria with a couple of matches to go, won the Scudetto. In hindsight, a draw would have been enough.

But that's no where the Serie A leaves it's rivals behind, it's the other 16 teams. Unlike the EPL which has the same four teams challenging the 'Big 4', in the Serie A there are multiple teams trying for that 4th spot. This season was a battle between Sampdoria and Palermo, with Sampdoria getting it. Last season it was Fiorentina that edged Genoa. This season Fiorentina came 11th, Genoa 9th. That's the same Fiorentina side that had it not been for a shocking offside decision in the 1st League of the Champions League 2nd Round Tue with Bayern Munich, they in all likelihood would have made the Quarter Finals (They won 3-2 in the 2nd Leg. They also hadn't lost at home in the UCL that season). Then you have teams like Napoli getting better with each season, managing to hold onto their star players (Hamsik, Lavezzi, Gargano) and getting 6th and Europa League football next season. You also have Parma in 8th despite the troubles they've had over the years and Bari in 10th. Then you have perennial powers Juventus and Lazio finishing 7th and 12th although Lazio were in relegation trouble for almost the entire season. You just don't see things like this happen in any other League.

3] Italy 2-1 England Head-to-Head in Europe

If we have a look at recent seasons, English teams have thumped Italian teams in the Champions League. The 2009/10 season was different. Fiorentina took care of Liverpool, the same Fiorentina side that came 11th in the Serie A and was robbed of a Quarter Final spot in the UCL. Inter played Chelsea off the pitch in London and really, that 3-1 aggregate scoreline was rather misleading. The only exception was Manchester United doing the business on AC Milan. The same Milan side that has rarely changed over the last three years. An aging side that needs to be overhauled. So overall, Italian teams have got the wood on their English counterparts. Whether or not that stays the same in 2010/11 remains to be seen.