Jorginho praised the English Premier League after Arsenal’s exciting 4-2 win at Villa Park on Saturday. He mentioned the Premier League. That is why it is the world’s premier league. Beautiful.” This is not the first time the Italy midfielder has said this. The Premier League sells this narrative to its growing global audience and is the world’s richest league, with revenues for its 20 clubs expected to exceed £6 billion this season, more than La Liga and the Bundesliga combined.
The Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe. On any given day, a bottom-placed team can defeat a top-placed club. Broadcasters enjoy this David and Goliath scenario because it adds suspense to the never-ending stream of matches. But, the last decade has revealed that the strong are becoming stronger, and the gap between them and the weak is growing significantly wider. The Manchester clubs and Liverpool have dominated the league for the last five seasons, finishing first and second. Some notable European leagues are likewise dominated by a single team.
Don’t confuse a three-way title chase with a competitive Premier League!
Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga 10 times in a row, Juventus has won nine consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2020, PSG has won eight of the previous ten French titles, and only Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid have won La Liga in the last 18 years. Bruno Fernandes makes a turn. Bruno Fernandes breathes new life into Manchester United. Continue reading. This season, three title contenders have the potential to shatter the English football duopoly.
Arsenal’s victory over Aston Villa on Saturday pushed them above Manchester City, who drew with Nottingham Forest in the afternoon and fell two points behind the leaders despite having played one more game. On Sunday, Manchester United defeated Leicester, moving closer to the top two. Three-horse championship races are available. Three credible challengers are uncommon. The point differential between first and third place has exceeded ten in ten of the last eleven seasons.
In 2013-14, champion Manchester City was four points ahead of third-placed Chelsea. That was an odd season. In the last 11 seasons, the average difference between champions and third place has been 17 points, compared to 11 points in the preceding 19 seasons. Elite teams are separating from their competitors. The top two and lowest three have grown apart as well. Manchester United and Aston Villa won 158 points in 1992-93, while Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest won 133.
Last season, City and Liverpool combined for 185 points (despite playing four less games), while Burnley, Watford, and Norwich combined for 80. In 30 years, the point differential between the top two and lowest three has nearly doubled. It’s now a huge chasm. The top teams’ dominance is demonstrated by changes in goal differential. In the first ten years of the Premier League, champions averaged +45 goals.
That average increased to +51 during nine seasons, and +57 in 11 years. Manchester City’s goal difference was +73 last season, the second highest in Premier League history after +79 in 2017-18, when they became the first team to reach 100 points. Manchester United had a goal differential of +58 in 2007-08. They won the first Premier League title in 1992-93 with a goal differential of +36, while Norwich finished third with a -4.
The goal totals of the top players may best reflect the Premier League’s lack of competitiveness. Erling Haaland has more league goals than eight teams combined, including Chelsea. Haaland is having a fantastic season, but other strikers are outscoring clubs. Harry Kane has 17 goals this season, which is the same as the whole Everton and Wolves teams, who are not in the relegation zone.
