Every top league in Europe has its own flavour. Spain has the spicy, explosive culture of the megastar. Germany has immaculate fitness and passing hard-wired into its players. Serie A houses defensive fortresses. Ligue 1 is Paris St Germain.
England is the manager's league.
It is the ultimate test of a manager's ability to manage both the club and its players, and deliver quality football. In England, anything that goes wrong with the club, whether it be the on-field performances or the heavy London traffic, is somehow always the manager's fault. That isn't to say that the managers should be pitied; in England, the plaudits belong to the manager as well. In Spain, it is Ronaldo or Messi that wins La Liga. In England, it is Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho who wins the Premier League.
The Premier League has evolved over 25 years with the number of teams decreasing from 22 to 20 and the clubs no longer being communities but instead corporations, yet the layman still loves the game and the league because the manager is the interface between the fans, the club, and the football.
Each EPL season is weighed and evaluated on key metrics: closeness of the title race, significance of achievement, escaping relegation.
Manchester United established itself as the leading Premier League club with a stellar record of 13 league titles in 24 years and they were the face of the Premier League to the world because Sir Alex Ferguson translated passion into the language of football.
Describing this season's Premier League will be the very thing that was largely missing in PL24: passion. With the exception of Leicester City no managers, no players, no owners displayed the passion for winning the large majority of their games, and most of the derbies and matches were forgettable.
2015-16 belonged to Leicester. But 2016-17 will belong to the fans. This will be one of the most viciously contested seasons and the prize of the 25th Premier League title will be a trophy that every top manager will want his name associated with.
Accentuating that will be the story of Mourinho returning to Stamford Bridge, Mourinho facing off against Pep, Pep vs. Klopp, Klopp vs. Mourinho, Mourinho vs. Wenger as United manager, in what is sure to bring back the viciousness of the "bad blood" era, Wenger vs. Conte, Conte's defensive Chelsea vs. Pep's attacking City and all of the above attempting to wrestle the mantle of THE Premier League manager from Ranieri.
Ranieri, who, "being a favorite for sacking at the beginning of the season" succeeded where everyone else failed: he brought passion back into English football's top flight.
The Premier League is the league of managers, but it is also the league of passion. We have an abundance of both to celebrate the silver year of the League. Let the games begin. #PL25
