Football is at its best when it is unpredictable. The notion that any team can beat any other side in their league or cup competition is what brings the magic out of the game. All clubs should go into a weekend fully believing that they can win their respective match.
However, it has not been the case in many of the top leagues around Europe of late as Manchester City have dominated the Premier League outside of Liverpool’s title win in the 2019/20 season. In France, Paris Saint-Germain is by far and away the top outfit when their minds are clearly focused, while Bayern Munich has been unstoppable in the Bundesliga.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Man City 4-0 Bournemouth<br><br>City go top of the PL by beating their absolute favourite opponents <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCIBOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MCIBOU</a> <a href=”https://t.co/uPpiMOFJQ3″>pic.twitter.com/uPpiMOFJQ3</a></p>— The Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) <a href=”https://twitter.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1558485856817659908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
City is already the odds-on favourites in the Premier League betting odds after the opening two weeks of the campaign with clinical performances to see off West Ham and Bournemouth. The Premier League tips have already backed them to run away with the title amid Liverpool’s stuttering start to the new campaign. Having a one-horse race for the title is good for business for City, but not so for the Premier League as interest in the top side in England may waver if they’re too clinical.
The strength of the Premier League has been built around the parity and the calibre of the top six sides in England that are all capable of challenging for the crown at one time or another. Manchester United enjoyed their run under the tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson, while Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal was a constant thorn in their side and swept up three titles of their own. Chelsea was next on the scene to rival United with Jose Mourinho and a slew of other managers winning the title on five occasions.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Manchester City have now won more Premier League titles than Chelsea 👀 <a href=”https://t.co/WEzIYbNENi”>pic.twitter.com/WEzIYbNENi</a></p>— GOAL (@goal) <a href=”https://twitter.com/goal/status/1528471590454841345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
City has now emerged as the dominant force in English football over the last six seasons, winning four out of the six crowns since the arrival of Pep Guardiola and a fifth could be in offing. But, whether that will benefit the Premier League and those that tune in every week to watch is another matter.
The Bundesliga is very predictable, and Bayern’s incredible start to the season where they trounced Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt 6-1 on the road was not greeted with a great deal of surprise. PSG have also swept aside outfits in their opening forays of the term, highlighting the issues with competitive football in France and Germany, although it has not affected their national team’s performances.
Serie A has come to life after a spell of dominance for Juve, who won the Scudetto nine times in a row. But the decline of the Bianconeri, and the rise of the Milan clubs, Inter and AC, has brought greater interest back to the league, and the presence of Jose Mourinho with Roma provides further intrigue. It is a prime example of why a league that has open competition for the title and the top four places is better than one that can be bought out by the two superpowers, potentially three in the form of Manchester City.
The Premier League should be wary about heading down a road where one team has a monopoly on the title.