<div style="width: 343px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>The Man Who Still Holds the Key to Arsenal&apos;s Future</div>
At first glance, this question looks bleedingly obvious. With their massive fan base, a beautiful new 60,000 plus seat stadium, and their years of success and trophies, Arsenal should be quite clearly considered to be a “big club.” For the past decade and more, they have been considered part of the so-called Big Four, along with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool. But now that old order is crumbling, and Arsenal are struggling to keep pace with the other big clubs.
Just about three weeks ago, when Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal, Guardian pundit (and EPL Talk award winner) Barry Glendenning made an offhanded comment that should really stick in the gut of all Arsenal fans. He stated that of course Spurs should beat us. They spend significantly more money than us on players. He’s dead right. And now it has come to this: Tottenham are on the verge of finally, and perhaps permanently, overtaking Arsenal as the dominant club in North London.
 
My fellow Gooners. Read that again. That should strike fear in the heart of every Arsenal fan around the globe.
But the numbers and the reality doesn’t lie. Sure, Arsenal has finished above Tottenham for 15 straight seasons. But you don’t get a trophy for that. And now that Tottenham has finally reaped Champions League riches, these days are certainly numbered as well.
Which leads me back to my original question. Can Arsenal continue to call themselves a big club over the long-term without spending the requisite money?
While Arsenal continue to stay amongst the strongest clubs in Europe on the Forbes list, they have definitely fallen behind domestic rivals Chelsea and Man U, and most certainly behind Barcelona, Real Madrid, and perhaps even Bayern Munich. With the rise of Manchester City and Spurs, it won’t be long before Arsenal find themselves behind these clubs.
But the question has to be asked: Why?
When did Arsenal fall behind to the point where they may simply not be able to keep up? Arsenal have sold big players before, most notably Nicolas Anelka. What makes them different now, and why can’t they recover?
1. Inability to Market Themselves, Especially Outside Europe. By all measures, Arsenal play the perfect style to be the most popular club in North America and Asia. They play wide open, attractive football, and their skill and talent makes crowds want to see them play, even in opposing markets. But Arsene Wenger remains very stubborn. As the Gaffer wrote just six months ago, the fact that Arsenal have not gone on such a tour is almost criminal. The fact that Arsenal have also ignored key markets in Asia, while allowing clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, and of course Chelsea and Manchester United dominate that region has been business malpractice by Arsene Wenger.
2. Smart Spending In Face of Massive Debt. This is one that i will credit Arsene for. While other clubs, most notably Manchester United And Liverpool, spent heavily in the face of massive debt, Arsenal actually made a large profit over the last three seasons, selling such luminaries as Adebayor, Flamini, and Kolo Toure. Liverpool, however, have spent freely, adding Aquilani, Torres, and others. That club may pay the ultimate price: if a new owner isn’t found soon, they may become the new Leeds, forced to sell off players and plunge through the ranks of the football league.
3. Lack of development and motivation of some key players. While I will not spend this column harking on the failure of players like Denilson or Theo Walcott to grow at the club level, it is important to note that a number of these young players have not developed in the way we all thought they would. Sure, some of it has to do with key injuries, but this can not be an excuse: it is Arsene Wenger’s job to highlight not just the top talent, but also durable talent. Every manager knows that the Premier League season is long and grueling. The manager must find players up to the task.
4. Lack of depth. Three and four are very much related. Everyone this side of Rotterdam knows that Robin van Persie gets injured. Everyone, that is, except for Arsene Wenger. When RVP is inevitably out for 3-4 months with some sort of calf/knee/ankle/foot injury, Arsene Wenger has no plan B. But the facts don’t lie. When Didier Drogba was out for a couple months, Nic Anelka was there to pick up the scoring slack. Arsenal simply have no other striker option good enough. Eduardo is not the same player he was before the injury; he may never be. Nik Bendtner is just starting to scratch the surface of his talent. At this point, however, he’s simply not a reliable option.
5. Arsene Wenger Himself. This is the one that is really hardest for me to write. But first, a confession. I generally hate all the coaches/managers of teams I root for. I have always disliked Jim Leyland, even when the Tigers made their first World Series in 22 years. My anger toward Lloyd Carr was unparalleled when he was the coach at Michigan. There has only been one coach who I have steadfastly supported: Arsene Wenger. It was hard not to. The man brought trophy after trophy to Arsenal. Every fan swore their allegiance: “In Arsene We Trust,” the banner reads behind the goal. But is Arsene Wenger really deserving of that? The past five seasons don’t lie: While the ship has been sinking, while Arsenal players struggled (especially in goal), Arsene Wenger behaved not like one of the winningest managers in history, but more like Baghdad Bob. “We have utmost confidence in (insert flopping continental keeper name here)” he would say, while that keeper flubbed one or two goals almost every game. Arsene Wenger needs someone to offset him, someone to say to him “Arsene, we really need a new keeper.” “Arsene, Silvestre and Billy Gallas aren’t good enough.” In other words, Arsene Wenger needs someone to tell him when he’s wrong. He’s been wrong on the keeper, he was wrong to not buy depth the last couple years (as stars were likely out of our price range), and he’s wrong not to strengthen the squad at the back and at the front. If Arsene Wenger is unable to notice these things on his own, he needs someone to tell him when he’s wrong. Before it’s too late.
While Cesc may walk now, and Gallas not long after, it is clear that Arsenal have a lot of decisions to make. While a lot of these fall on the shoulders of one man, it is important that he understands that his years of winning have bought him a lot of patience. But a fifth consecutive season without silverware, and a 4th without any sort of final appearance, will see the end of the patience from a lot of fans. While he can point fingers at Barcelona or Chelsea “tapping up” our players, it is clear that Arsene has not done enough to convince our players that their futures lie at Arsenal. In 2010-2011, Arsene has the chance to reverse the bleeding. If he does not, a steady and perhaps irreversible decline may be at hand at Arsenal.
Jordan Acker will continue to love his Gunners no matter what. Follow him on Twitter at @JAcker2L

Is Arsenal Still a Big Club? - World Soccer Talk

Is Arsenal Still a Big Club?

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That the EPL is the best championship in the world is plain for everyone to see.&nbsp; The teams are far and away the strongest, most physical, and quickest.&nbsp; With exceptions to super teams like Barcelona, the four Premier League teams involved in the Champions League can (and do) knock off foreign opposition rather easily.
Yet in 5 finals in which an English team has played, only two have been champions.&nbsp; A 40% winning percentage doesn’t seem bad, but consider that the winner between Man United and Chelsea had to be from the EPL.&nbsp; That leaves 4 finals that a continental team could win, and they have won 3 of them.&nbsp; 1 out of 4 is not at all impressive, especially considering the ease with which the EPL teams seem to reach the final.&nbsp; So what accounts for this discrepancy in dominance and silverware?
One account might be that the English teams have been unlucky to only win one.&nbsp; I would disagree.&nbsp; If anything, Liverpool (and by extension, the EPL) are the luckiest winners of the four games, beating a Milan team that really should have won if not for a string of miraculous goals and saves.&nbsp; Barcelona and Milan in ’06, ’07 and ’09 were in far greater control of the games than their British opposition, though Arsenal at least had the excuse of being a man down.
One account might be that the EPL is not as dominant as it seems.&nbsp; There is strong bias in the English-language press, and it manifests in the constant recitation of English superiority.&nbsp; Considering this, one could argue that despite the routine losses, continental clubs actually put up the stiffest resistance to English clubs.
One can&nbsp; see this during the 2009 edition.&nbsp; Over two legs, Manchester United beat Arsenal by 3 goals, but Porto by 1 and Inter by 2.&nbsp; Chelsea beat Liverpool by 2 but could only beat Juventus by 1 and could only tie Barcelona.&nbsp; Against weaker opposition in the group stage, the EPL looks fantastic, but against top clubs, especially those with lots of players with Champions League experience like Milan and Barcelona, passing through to the next round in the knockout stage is never assured.
Unfortunately for this theory, those who actually watched the games will probably say the 1 and 2 goal score lines do not really do the games justice, and that Chelsea should have won the second leg by at least 1.&nbsp; The EPL teams have been stronger over the past five seasons; it should be quite clear to anyone who watches for a few matches with EPL clubs and then compares it to a Porto vs. Atletico Madrid showdown, for instance.
I would argue that the reason is a strange combination of luck and inspiration, and maybe a touch of club attitude.
The best team does not always win the Champions League.&nbsp; In 2007 Milan was not the best club in the tournament.&nbsp; They were lucky at times, but mostly it came down to a Kaka playing like he was inspired by God.&nbsp; (Oh, that’s right, he actually was.)&nbsp; He single-handedly took apart Man United, downed Celtic, and was the impetus behind both Inzaghi goals in the final.&nbsp; During that season in the Serie A, they finished 5th.&nbsp; Runners-up Liverpool were 3rd, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. They were also not the best team in the competition, they were like Milan in that they were best at the competition.
AC Milan, according to their website, is the most successful international club in the world.&nbsp; It seems part of their culture to do well in in tournaments, just like Liverpool seem to light up on European nights as they flounder in EPL purgatory.&nbsp; There’s no science to it.&nbsp; Arsenal and Chelsea try and try to be successful in the UCL but it hasn’t come.&nbsp; Sometimes the best win, like in 2006, 2008 and 2009 but often times the teams that are good at winning it do so, like in 2005 and 2007.
This season the best team won, but they also had all the right ingredients.&nbsp; They had Messi the inspired superstar; they had the 93rd minute Iniesta wondergoal, and the general team inspiration in quest of the first Spanish treble.&nbsp; Barcelona might not have the history of Milan or Liverpool, but it looks like they’re trying to build it.
While the EPL dominance may continue for 2 years, 5, or 10, I’m not sure how many Champions League trophies will find their way back to England.&nbsp; As long as teams like AC Milan, Barcelona,&nbsp; Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are around, the gulf in class can be overcome on any given European night.

Why Aren't English Teams Making Their Dominance Count in the Champions League? - World Soccer Talk

Why Aren't English Teams Making Their Dominance Count in the Champions League?

As we near the end of what has been and still is an exciting season in the EPL, the various gongs and awards are being given out. As usual, they create plenty of controversy, particularly in the case of Ryan Giggs, who was named Footballer of the Year despite only starting 12 league games this season.<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
The fact is that these awards always go to those players who enjoy plenty of column inches. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, has had a quiet season by his standards and I would be willing to bet he wouldn’t even be in most Man Utd fans’ top three for their player of the season. At most clubs, the marquee name often does not pick up the fans’ award. It’s the left back who’s been dependable all season, or the hard-working centre midfielder.
In the Premier League there are always players who have been excellent yet are never considered for the big awards because they play for a less fashionable club, or perhaps because of the belief that you must play for a team likely to win a trophy to be taken seriously. That is rubbish, of course, so in honour of these players, I present my No-Big-Four-Allowed EPL Team of the Season:
Goalkeeper: Shay Given – Man City 

When people talk Newcastle it’s normally about strikers. Or Joey Barton. Or the behind the scenes shenanigans. But for years their best player was Shay. Not the biggest keeper you’ll ever see, but there aren’t many safer goalies around. Now he’s run away from the circus to join Man City where he’s being just as brilliant. Apologies to Mark Schwarzer and Tim Howard who just miss out.
Right Back: Glen Johnson – Portsmouth 

An exceptional talent at West Ham and a decent start at Chelsea soon gave way to a few years of struggle for Johnson. This season he seems to have grown up. His performances have improved, he has played with greater responsibility and under Paul Hart he has shown willingness to adapt to a new role further up the pitch. The England right back slot was up for grabs a few months ago. Now he’s nailed it.
Left Back: Herita Ilunga – West Ham 

The rumour was that when Alan Curbishley lost George McCartney to Sunderland his solution was to sign Ben Thatcher. Relations with his Board continued to dwindle. Ilunga came in on loan from Toulouse and has been superb all season for Zola, part of a defence that looks extremely tight, especially since the arrival of coach Steve Clarke.
Centre Back: Brede Hangeland – Fulham
The 27-year-old Norwegian cost Roy Hodgson just £2.5m this time last year. Arsene Wenger must be sick because this is exactly the sort of dominating giant he needs at the heart of his porous defence. Hangeland has been outstanding in a mean Fulham back five that has conceded just 28 goals in 34 games this season.
Centre Back: Phil Jagielka – Everton
Poor Jags. He had the stones to step up and take a crucial penalty against Man Utd in the FA Cup semi-final after missing one in a previous UEFA Cup tie. He scored. If anyone deserved that glory it was him. Always a solid player, now, like so many at Everton, Jagielka has progressed enormously under David Moyes. It was sad news to see that an injury will keep him out of the Cup Final.&nbsp; Being in this prestigious team of the season will be little consolation.
Right Midfield: Antonio Valencia 

You have to sympathise with Wigan. Every time they discover a decent player (Palacios, Chimbonda) or rediscover an underappreciated talent (Heskey) it’s only a matter of time before they’re nabbed by a bigger club. Or by Spurs. Wigan fans must be wondering what colour shirt Valencia will be wearing next season. Steve Bruce rates him almost as highly as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Left Midfield: Ashley Young – Aston Villa
Ash should, of course, have been given more of a chance in the England squad, although his form in the last third of the season has not been as electric as the first two-thirds. Reached a zenith in December with those two goals away at Everton in a thrilling game that resulted in Martin O’Neill branding him a genius.
Centre Midfield: Stephen Ireland – Man City
Now it starts becoming really difficult. There are great central midfielders all over the shop in the Premier League these days. But I really like Stephen Ireland. Limitless stamina, he manages to be unselfish yet still score plenty of goals himself (13 in all competitions this season). A real talent and only 22 years old.
Centre Midfield: Gareth Barry – Aston Villa
It’s an obvious one, I know, but he deserves it. The chaos surrounding his transfer to Liverpool last summer was upsetting for Villa fans, but eventually he stayed and had the professionalism to get on with his job. You couldn’t say that about every footballer in the land.
Striker: Carlton Cole – West Ham 

It’s been a low scoring year for strikers in the Premier League. With a few games left, Ronaldo has scored the most with 17 and Anelka is the only other player to reach 15. Until his injury, however, Carlton Cole was in the form of his life, proving plenty of doubters wrong and helping Zola to turn around West Ham’s fortunes. He even grabbed himself an England cap. Next season will be a big one for him.
Striker: Djibril Cisse – Sunderland
This was a real struggle. I almost stuck Tim Cahill up front as he was excellent there for Everton and Robinho has a case too, but I think his overall form has been too patchy. Robbie Keane had a tough time at Liverpool, Defoe has been injured a lot, Benni McCarthy has blown hot and cold, I like Tuncay but he hasn’t scored enough goals and Agbonlahor’s form has fallen away at times. Old warhorse Kevin Davies has had a tremendous season, but for me Djibril Cisse just about gets the nod, if only to have some variety in hairstyles in the team.
So there we have it. My No-Big-Four-Allowed EPL Team of the Season. Would it challenge the top four? I’d like to think so. Take your pick from David Moyes or Martin O’Neill to lead them into battle and I think you’d see some silverware. Please feel free to let me know where I’ve gone horribly wrong…

The No-Big-Four-Allowed EPL Team Of The Season - World Soccer Talk

The No-Big-Four-Allowed EPL Team Of The Season

<div id="attachment_5018" style="width: 385px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Set in Stone</div>
Those of us round long enough to remember the Ipswichs, Blackburns and QPRs of old running rampant in the early days of the Premier League may have winced listening to Setanta’s commentators gag with delight as Dossena’s lobbed long ball made it Liverpool 4, Manchester United 1.&nbsp; “This is why this is the greatest league in Europe, and quite possibly the world,” they gargled, screaming like a pair of bible thumpers who, after praying for sunshine, point to the cloudless sky and shout, “See?!”
Except Liverpool’s win, like the odd sunny day, doesn’t prove a damn thing.&nbsp; Today Tottenham, who lagged behind in every meaningful stat minus the goal tally, kicked Villa out of the top four.&nbsp; Of course, our friends supporting any one of the Big Four clubs will say, “It’s down to O’Neill innit?&nbsp; He just didn’t buy right, he got his tactics wrong, not like our Fergie or our Wenger or our Rafa” as if the Premier League exists in a monetary vacuum where things like geographical advantage, historical popularity, immense television broadcast fees and sponsorship support don’t exist and even if they did, certainly don’t play a part on the pitch.
At the end of the day, it’s an eleven-a-side game, innit?
Perhaps if you’re Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United and playing each other.&nbsp; Take Saturday for example; Sir Alex was right—United were the better team on the day, but Liverpool scored the goals.&nbsp; It was probably for this very reason the Setanta crew were practically convulsing with delight—”Take that, doubters!&nbsp; Our league is an awesome league because the shit club won, and the race is back on!”&nbsp; Yes, a lot of topsy-turvy for the clubs near the 55 to 65 point range.
But the rest of the league is either in one massive relegation fight (ten clubs are within six points or less from the drop) or holding off faint hopes (and I use the word ‘hopes’ guardedly) for the Europa League.&nbsp; Villa were the only club who even managed to get pundits to talk about breaking the Top Four, let alone the league title, for more than one news cycle.&nbsp; Their loss means it’s normal service resumed, with only the unlikely possibility of a Liverpool title pip providing any narrative tension.
The Premier League is the not best the league in Europe (though the Big Four are certainly the best European clubs at the moment) because it’s not a “league.” A proper league, as the name implies, features a number of clubs who each has a chance at winning the league trophy.&nbsp; The odds don’t have to be equal; there may be dominant clubs and shit clubs. But when money creates a feedback loop to the extent that we’ve seen in England, when the same top four clubs ride the crest of historical popularity, ever-increasing broadcast fees and significant geographical advantage, the idea of a “league” dissolves completely.

The Premier League is Not, in Fact, a League - World Soccer Talk

The Premier League is Not, in Fact, a League

<div id="attachment_4940" style="width: 343px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Just try and take this from us. I dare you...</div>
Jonathan Wilson, the inimitable scholar of tactical mechanics with his recent Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics (a book I included in a piece on <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/tactics-and-the-modern-game-the-perils-of-overstating-the-case/4729">tactical reductionism</a> for this website) <a href="http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/mar/10/the-question-champions-league-premier">has made a very convincing argument</a> why English Premier League clubs have come to dominate the Champions League in the last four seasons.&nbsp; And while he doesn’t come out and say it—probably because he didn’t want to get accused of trotting out that old canard—the devil is in Wilson’s meticulously researched details: Top Four Dominance.
Here we go again, you’re forgivably thinking.&nbsp; Wilson says there are three interrelated reasons why English clubs have run rampant in the Champions League: money, relative competitiveness, and “domestic hegemony.”&nbsp; Of the first, he argues one of the reasons England has come to dominate Europe is the annual CL qualification of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, and the regular allotment of Champions League TV fees between them. &nbsp; But while that point may seem obvious, Wilson believes that money is most important not in balance sheets or debt-to-asset ratios, but in the one area of business Big Four supporters have never been comfortable with crediting for their success: record-breaking transfer deals.
So, if buying the best players with the most money is essential to success in Europe, what then is Wilson on about with the importance of “relative competitiveness”?&nbsp; He’s not speaking of Everton or Villa’s ability to challenge the big boys in the Premier League, but rather the ability of Big Four clubs to maintain a healthy balance between European and domestic demands, contrary to “the commonly expressed belief that it is beneficial for sides to be either so far ahead or so far behind in their domestic title race that they can concentrate on the Champions League.”
Wilson notes that in six out of the last ten Champions League finals, winning sides kept up their domestic title chases right up to the end of the season (so I guess whether or not Liverpool can win in Europe while challenging for that league title may be the only sort of “competitiveness” EPL watchers will get to “enjoy” for the next few years).&nbsp; This sort of competition is good because it keeps Top Four clubs versatile and balanced without threatening their domestic hegemony, what Wilson defines as the gap in points between the Big Four and the rest of league and the third important factor in European dominance.
So, in short, the ugly truth is the Premier League is tops in Europe not because it’s the “Best League in the World™” but because it has four sides that regularly qualify for the Champions League, spend a lot in transfer deals to get the best players, manage to push for both the CL and the league in a balanced way without compromising their competitive edge, and regularly increase the relative gap in points between themselves and the rest of the league because they regularly qualify for the Champions League, can buy the best players and etc. etc. etc.
It’s basically the league equivalent of <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_yDWQsrajA">Groundhog Day</a>; all Wilson’s done is give us the itinerary.

Premiership's Big Four Dominate Europe Because They're the Big Four: News? - World Soccer Talk

Premiership's Big Four Dominate Europe Because They're the Big Four: News?

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>This is my first submission to EPL Talk, so I would like to extend a big thanks and cheers to the Gaffer for inviting me to join the team.&nbsp; I’m excited to be a member of a top notch network of football enthusiasts and commentators.&nbsp; I hope I can help maintain the high standards set at this site.
The English Premier League was founded in 1992 and has now completed 16 seasons.&nbsp; Since the inception of the EPL, it has developed into the biggest and widely televised annual competition in the world.&nbsp; With matches broadcast throughout the globe its attraction and popularity to a worldwide audience is immeasurable.
As a lifelong fan of the English league, I watch many matches and devote several hours a week researching and reading commentaries and perspectives on the beautiful game.&nbsp; On any given week, the football experts will inevitably tell us fans that the EPL is the most competitive league in the world – depending on the announcer you might hear this a hundred or so times in a given game….we get it already!
As an unknowing fan, I guess I should just accept this as gospel from the media anointed experts of the sport and be happy watching the latest product from the most “competitive” league.&nbsp; You know what though…that depends on your view and if we peel back the numbers we might revisit the definition of “competitive.”
At the heart of this discussion is the establishment and membership of the English “Big Four,” the globalization of the English game, and the accelerated riches of the European Champions League.&nbsp; Success in the domestic league results in qualification for the Champions League – actually partial success is all that is required&nbsp;as it’s really the Champions League plus a load of runners-up, but you get the point.&nbsp; This, in turn, results in even greater revenues for the elite group of ECL participants.&nbsp; Bigger revenues, bigger salaries, players demanding European football and the divide between the “Big Four” and the rest of the league grows larger each year.
Now we don’t need a calculator to get through this stuff but when we crunch some numbers the domination of the elite few is astounding.
A few notes:
<ul>
<li>42 clubs have graced the top flight since the breakout of the Premier League</li>
<li>Only 11 of the 42 have managed a top 4 finish in 16 years</li>
<li>4 clubs have won the title in the 16 seasons of competition</li>
<li>15 of the 16 titles have been won by Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea</li>
<li>10 of the 16 titles have been won by Manchester United</li>
<li>Blackburn Rovers won the other one in 1994/95</li>
<li>No English manager has&nbsp;guided a team to the English Premier League title</li>
<li>In the past 5 seasons on only one occasion has a member of the “Big Four” failed to finish in the top&nbsp;four (Liverpool finished 5th in 2004-05)</li>
<li>Manchester United have never finished lower than 3rd</li>
</ul>
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/epl-top-4-finishes.png" title="EPL Top 4 Finishes by Team"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/epl-top-4-finishes.png" title="EPL Top 4 Finishes by Team"><img src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20081112_WST_3722_epl-top-4-finishes.webp&amp;width=500&amp;height=310" alt="EPL Top 4 Finishes by Team"></a></figure></div>
Competitive?&nbsp; You sure about that?&nbsp; Don’t get me wrong, I am a fervent follower of the English game but the powers that be are getting a bit carried away by delivering the constant mantra of EPL competitiveness.&nbsp; The top English clubs are now massive sports franchises that dominate the global game.&nbsp; Top players are lured to the Premier league by riches that no other league can rival.
I have no issue with the best talent in the world earning their paycheck in England (or can at least save it for another review) as I’m all for the EPL being the finest in the world, but the problem is, until very recently; these top players have all been recruited by the same elite football country club known as the “Big Four.”
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/epltop4.png" title="EPL Top 4"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/epltop4.png" title="EPL Top 4"><img src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20081112_WST_3722_epltop4.webp&amp;width=500&amp;height=310" alt="EPL Top 4"></a></figure></div><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/epltop4_1.png" title="EPL Top 4"></a>
A quick look at the above chart shows that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool have consistently occupied the top four positions&nbsp;with complete domination&nbsp;in four of the past five seasons with the sides taking the top places on 19 out of 20 opportunities.&nbsp; Liverpool slipped to 5th in 2004-05 – the year they had to plead to be included in the Champions League so they could defend their European title.
Could things change this year?&nbsp; History tells me I’m certainly not betting against the EPL silverware going anywhere outside of the usual trophy cabinets.
However, as we approach the 1/3 mark in the top flight of English football (give or take a decimal point or two), a strange phenomenon could be developing.&nbsp; The most competitive league in the world seems to be, well… competitive.&nbsp; After 12 rounds of Premiership&nbsp;action just 9 points separate the fifth placed UEFA Cup qualifying spot currently held by Villa from foot of the table West Brom.&nbsp; Although two of the usual suspects are setting the early pace with Chelsea and Liverpool at the top, there is enough early evidence to suggest that this year we could continue to see the kind of fluctuations in the standings that are usually reserved for the Championship tier.&nbsp; This development might just lead us to&nbsp;believe that maybe the Premier League is finally becoming competitive after 16 years.
In a future article, as a follow-up, I’ll take a look at comparisons to other top flight European leagues.
So, until then enjoy the “competition” and Cheers!

English Premier League - Most Competitive in the World? - World Soccer Talk

English Premier League – Most Competitive in the World?

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