Why ex-Chelsea boss is wrong to suggest money is the PL’s key to success

Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey wonders just how long the Premier League can last as Europe's top division.

Claudio Ranieri has claimed that English clubs are not better than those in Italy, merely richer.

The Juventus manager, who hosts former club Chelsea in tonight's Champions League clash, has said that Serie A clubs only see a difference between themselves and their Premier League rivals when they look in the bank, yet he conceded that the Blues were starting to resemeble their old self.

"Chelsea are back and with the great investments they have made they have a great fighting machine," Ranieri said, as reported by Sky Sports.

"There's no inferiority complex in Italy, maybe there's an inferiority complex in terms of money.

"That's the only one there is and that's not really a complex, just a circumstance."

But since when has Italy taken the moral high ground? After all, the league is riddled with corruption, perhaps it is for the best there is not billions floating around like there is in England.

Critics deride Serie A for being boring, and while I disagree totally, it is hard to see past the Premier League as the European league of choice.

But how long will this last? Italy was the place to be in the 90s, with English stars including David Platt, Paul Gascoigne and, er, Des Walker all playing in Serie A. The Galactico period in the early 00s saw La Liga emerge as the league to play with Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and David Beckham all playing a part along the way.

Yet, all the time, the Premier League has been ticking away and now, with genuine world class players, including Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas, can rightfully claim to hold the strongest hand.

With both Milan sides, Roma and Ranieri's Juve stil lchallenging for the Champions League, the only country with as many representatives left is England.

And at this point, you've got to say that the advantage lies with the Premier League.

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