Welcome back to In The Mixer! This week we’re looking at how the Premier League has become more competitive this season and why. Sign up to receive this, plus exclusive analysis, insights and transfer talk straight to your inbox every week.
What’s going on here, then?
The Premier League table is as tight as it gets. Six points separate Manchester City in second and Brentford in thirteenth.
And while it is early in the season yet, after eight games newly promoted Sunderland already have two more points than Southampton managed overall last year.
Is that a good thing?
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Of course. The Best League in the World™ has been quietly getting less competitive over the past decade.
Teams at the top of the table have been getting more points than usual while those fighting to stay in the league no longer have to aim for 40 points, when 26 or 27 would have kept them up in the past two seasons.
However, that looks like it is set to change this year with only Arsenal looking capable of going on a long unbeaten run.
Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley have all shown they can compete at this level, while Manchester United and Tottenham are much improved too.
Wolves and West Ham have benefitted from promoted sides doing poorly in recent years and look shocked at the fact they actually have to fight to stay up this season.
Most sides now have the ability to beat anyone and an away trip to the likes of Crystal Palace or Bournemouth are no longer easy games for the top six.
Why is this happening?
We can all blame (or thank) Brentford. The Bees have been punching above their weight in the Premier League for five seasons now and despite losing their talismanic manager, two best players in Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa, first-choice goalkeeper and their captain during the summer, have had a good start with results against Chelsea and Man United in recent weeks.
Whether it’s scoring goals almost directly from kick-off, utilising the long throw before it came back into fashion or deploying clever tactics to destabilise their opponents, Brentford have become the league’s best at finding marginal gains.
Do you enjoy seeing a more competitive Premier League season?
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Yes, it’s more exciting.
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No, I prefer when there are clear top teams.
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I’m indifferent to the league’s competitiveness.
It’s no wonder their methods have become so popular, with Arsenal last season and now most of the rest of the league adopting a more direct and manufactured approach.
More long throws than ever, defenders going up front for the last five minutes of the game, kick-offs that are lumped into touch rugby-style – it’s not pretty, but it works.
And it’s levelling the playing field.