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Last May Manchester City and Liverpool finished 26 and 25 points respectively ahead of their nearest rival Chelsea. Between them they lost only five games all season while Spurs – who finished fourth – suffered 13 defeats. Between them they conceded 45 goals while Arsenal – who came fifth – shipped in 51.
It was the widest gap between first and third since the formation of the Premier League. It was the widest gap between second and third too.
So where does this leave us going into a new campaign with the empirical truth that we have two clubs who are presently light years ahead of the rest? Should we be concerned that the foreseeable future heralds only another two-horse race?
For those among us who wish to see a more competitive league fought out in the upper echelon most of the hope should be invested in Tottenham Hotspur, who staged a more valiant effort than anyone else to prevent a duopoly occurring last year and this despite ultimately trailing to Chelsea.
As late in the day as February Maurico Pochettino’s side were still considered in the running for the title and though the wheels came off from that point – losing seven from their remaining 12 fixtures – Spurs’ exhilarating charge to the Champions League final was superfluous proof that the north London giants are capable of doing extraordinary things under their magic Argentinian.
Yet however highly or otherwise Tottenham’s 2018/19 is regarded it was all achieved amidst a period of rootlessness as their stadium build experienced numerous postponements. And due to the exorbitant cost of their new ground doubling from initial projections it was widely expected that they would once again be inactive in the transfer market this summer.
It has been a pleasant surprise then to see them anything but financially hamstrung, thus far strengthening their midfield with the £55m purchase of Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele, while rumours persist over an imminent bid for Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos and by anyone’s estimation these are additions that will elevate an already robust squad.
We may be at an early juncture but the feeling is that should a high-achieving club – one that has been positively parsimonious in recent years in comparison to their peers – improve in key areas, they could very conceivably close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.
To what extent is of course pure conjecture but that isn’t the point of discussion here: what matters is the possibility of a more open, competitive title race playing out before our eyes next term entertaining more than two fan-bases; what matter is an avoidance of last season’s two-pronged assault on the senses that many people – neutrals and the media alike – deemed to be predictable and boring.
For this to occur one of two circumstances must materialise, the first of which is so unlikely as to be fanciful.
Does anybody realistically expect the intimidatingly brilliant creations courtesy of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to regress in the months ahead? If so may we suggest you peer out the window and await flying pigs.
Which leaves us only with the prospect of one, or ideally more of their inferior rivals making significant gains on their season just gone and – Spurs aside – again expectation is at a minimum.
Manchester United are a club in disarray, with an out-of-depth manager who bizarrely seems to be under the impression that it’s still the 1990’s (how many more times must he say ‘We’re Man United’ as if that means anything these days?) and their two biggest stars intent on leaving Old Trafford.
Clearly in need of an overhaul United’s is a squad unbalanced from so many failed managerial stints in recent times. Most damningly of all is the quantum leap in consistency and results that is required if they are to bridge the sizeable gap between themselves, City and Liverpool.
Last season they eventually decayed a full 32 points behind their dominant neighbours, the same amount of points that separated them from relegation. To even claw that back to a respectable margin this time out will require substantial improvement.
Does the 6th May 2009 ring any bells Chelsea fans? If so, you might want to give the video below a miss…
At Stamford Bridge, meanwhile, they too have sought out the comforting nostalgia of a playing legend installed into the dug-out and it would be wholly unfeasible to expect an inexperienced coach in Frank Lampard to successfully go toe-to-toe with Guardiola and Klopp. The loss of their best player Eden Hazard diminishes Chelsea greatly while their transfer ban is also a serious hindrance to immediate progress.
As for Arsenal a hit-and-miss inaugural season under Unai Emery could have been viewed as a potential springboard to better things now that the Spaniard has assimilated himself in the capital – but with a severely limited transfer budget that can be ruled out.
Can the Gunners accrue more than 70 points by next May? Absolutely. Can they challenge for the title? Absolutely not.
Which in all likelihood leaves us all again with a straight shot-out between Manchester City and Liverpool, gobbling up points relentlessly and taking it in turns at the top while the rest crick their necks looking up.
Is this a problem for the Premier League? Only time –and television viewing figures – will tell.