Robert Pires believes the Premier League is now
the "strongest" domestic competition in the world and has backed
his former club Arsenal to be crowned champions of
Europe.
Liverpool's victory over Inter Milan last night means there are
an unprecedented four English teams in the quarter-finals of the
Champions League.
Former France winger Pires, now playing with Villarreal in
Spain's Primera Liga, admits that is a fair indication of the
Premier League's standing in the European pecking order.
"In my opinion the English league is the strongest because if
you look at the Champions League they have four clubs in it," he
told ESPNsoccernet.com.
"They know what to do to win, they work hard. In Spain people
expected Real Madrid to get through and look (they lost to Roma in
the Last 16).
"The English know exactly what to do. In Spain it's just
Barcelona (left in the Champions League) and Getafe in the UEFA
Cup. That's a fact and the English are simply excellent."
Pires believes the Premier League's new dominance is a result of
the division's wealth.
"The English have more money to spend on buying the best players
here, in Europe and South America, so they can build up strong
teams to win the league or Champions League.
"I think there's more money in the Premier than in Spain and
that could be why they're ahead of us."
Pires' former club Arsenal - for whom he played from 2000 to
2006 - claimed their place in the last eight with a masterful 2-0
win at AC Milan last week.
It was enough to convince the midfielder that Arsene Wenger's
side have what it takes to go one better than in 2006 and win the
tournament for the first time.
"I saw a bit of the Milan match against Arsenal and I was very
happy for them," Pires said.
"I played there for six years, I worked with Arsene Wenger and
what he's doing there doesn't come as a surprise. Arsenal are good
enough to win the Champions League."