By Gabriel Sutton (@_FootballLab – http://www.thefootballab.co.uk )
For many decades, England’s top division has been dominated by the elite clubs.
There was a period during the 70s and 80s when Liverpool won ten out of a possible 15 league titles under Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish.
Manchester United then won 13 titles in 21 years, although their dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson was at times threatened by Arsenal’s Invincibles and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Since Ferguson’s retirement, we are seeing some of the most open top-flight seasons of all time.
Aside from Chelsea’s performances in the first half of their 14/15 title-winning campaign, there have always been lingering question marks about our ‘elite’ clubs.
Manchester United are playing dull football, Manchester City have recruited poorly, Arsenal have not been in an April title race for 12 years and Chelsea are in the middle of one of their worst seasons in their recent history. Many predicted that the increasing sums of TV money in the Premier League would cause a greater divide between the top clubs and the rest, but what we are seeing is the exact opposite.
The money has, in fact, attracted some of the most talented players from across Europe to come to the Premier League, even if that means joining a less-established club.
In the summer of 2015, we saw Yohan Cabaye go to Crystal Palace, Xherdan Shaqiri sign for Stoke and Dimitri Payet join West Ham.
All three of those players were good enough to pursue Champions League football elsewhere, but instead they sought a bigger wage in England.
While the sums of money involved in the game are 100 times bigger than they were in the 60s and early 70s, the landscape of English football is not dissimilar.
Back then, Leeds United, Derby County and Nottingham Forest all won promotion from the second tier and went on to become champions of England.
For decades, it looked as though those feats could never be matched. Now, as bizarre as it is wonderful to be able to make such a statement, it seems within the realms of possibility that that could happen again.
The up-and-coming, ‘cheeky-chappy’ type clubs are ruffling the old regulars, a trend highlighted by the emergence of Leicester City.
What that football club has done is incredible. A team predicted by many to go down this season, Leicester have defied all expectations to be competing at the top at a very advanced stage in the season.
Their star striker Jamie Vardy once plied his trade in the depths of Non-League with Stocksbridge Park Steels. Two of their best midfielders were, a couple of years ago, playing in Ligue 2, France’s second tier (Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante).
Indeed, some of their first team players have a career history based in the Football League. They are getting the neutrals to toy with reality, to question everything they thought they knew about what is possible in football.
That is not to say that Leicester will win the Premier League title, but the fact it is a commonly-held debate shows how exciting our top division has become.
Their success symbolizes what can be achieved through effort, desire and, of course, more than a sprinkling of quality. As neutrals, surely we should embrace this story? Surely we should love this incredible fairytale?
And yet, there are many pundits who are in some ways disappointed that Leicester are doing so well. They believe that it shows the Premier League’s regression and why English teams are failing in Europe.
On some level, we must acknowledge this. If we had a season similar to 2007-08, when Manchester United and Chelsea reached the Champions League final, it is unlikely that Leicester would be where they are now.
What it comes down to, therefore, is what the neutral finds more enjoyable to watch. We could see England’s top sides compete strongly in the Champions League, in a division dominated by one or two teams.
Alternatively, we could have a much more open, exciting league, where the top teams do not have the credentials to mix it with Europe’s elite.
The first option means that we will see a return of truly dominant teams, such as Manchester United’s treble-winners and Arsenal’s Invincibles.
It is understandable that, to some people, it would be satisfying to see more quality at the elite level.
However, football plays a role that goes beyond the intrinsic value of the technical ability on show.
Football is a sport that should capture the hearts and minds of its viewers. It is a sport that should provide the possibility of success and glory to as many teams as possible, not just a select few.
This has been one of the most exciting, unpredictable top flight seasons in our lifetime. Rather than pour scorn over the underachieving big clubs, let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride…
