The problem is that there are many languages that can do the job better and faster (especially in the non-compiled world). By arguing that "PHP is good enough",

The problem is that there are many languages that can do the job better and faster (especially in the non-compiled world). By arguing that "PHP is good enough", you're effectively arguing for mediocrity. Regardless of whether it's "good enough", it still isn't the optimal solution, and calling it subpar is still justified.