Is Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League making the world’s most popular league boring?
Manchester City’s fourth consecutive Premier League title ends an unprecedented period of dominance by one club in English football.
A sixth title in seven seasons underscores City’s dominance in what is considered the most competitive – and certainly the most popular – league in world football.
But is there a risk that City’s dominance will cause the rest of the world to become bored with England’s top flight?
Pep Guardiola does not agree with this.
Bored? This is wrong. “It’s very tough,” the City manager said last week as his side battled for another title.
City’s success is a far cry from what happened in Germany, where Bayern Munich achieved and crushed the Bundesliga before its 11-year reign was ended by Bayer Leverkusen this season. Paris Saint-Germain have won 10 of the last 12 titles in France. Celtic have won 12 of their last 13 matches in Scotland.
None of these leagues compare to the Premier League in popularity and this is due to the lack of competition.
It’s not City’s fault. But if four matches in a row turns into five, six, seven, it could be a problem for all the big clubs in England as it affects the revenue generated from global audiovisual rights sales.
Parity is what makes the prime minister attractive. And at the moment there is competition.
City had to beat West Ham on the final day to avoid being ousted by Arsenal, winning by just two points.
It was the third time Guardiola’s team had gone to the final day of the season to become champions, with Liverpool pushing them to the brink twice.
While the headlines point to City being almost indomitable over the past seven seasons, a closer look reveals they must have been sweating a lot. Liverpool missed out on the title in 2019 and 2022 by just one point.
Liverpool scored 97 and 92 points in those campaigns, more than any other team that failed to win. Just 97 points would be enough to secure the title in all but two other Premier League seasons: 2018, when City set a record of 100 points, and 2022, when Liverpool ended a 30-year drought without became a champion when he turned 99 years old.
It shows just how high City had to climb to stay above the rest. Just last season they had to beat Arsenal, who topped the table for 248 days, the longest for a team that ultimately failed to win the title.
Arsenal have managed to set new club records for wins (28) and goals (91) in the Premier League this season, even eclipsing the campaign of the team that won their last title in 2004, in which they went unbeaten.
“Liverpool used to push us to the limit, but now Arsenal,” Guardiola commented. “We have received a message from Mikel (Arteta) and his players. They will be there for many years. “We have to make the right decisions because they are here to stay.”
The city’s dominance is largely due to the enormous wealth of its owners, which was acquired by the Abu Dhabi royal family in 2008.
Some of the world’s best footballers arrived at the Etihad Stadium, lured by a $2 billion investment and led by Guardiola, considered the most outstanding coach of his generation.
But some others spent money lavishly in the Prime Minister.
“They have spent more than us in the last five years. “They should be here, but they are not,” Guardiola said.
Such is the case with Manchester United, which has tried to dethrone City by spending $1.5 billion since Guardiola landed in England in 2016.
Liverpool set records for a defender with Virgil van Dijk and for a goalkeeper with Alisson Becker.
Chelsea has spent around $1 billion over the past two seasons after being acquired by US investor Todd Boeli and Clearlake Capital. Previously, this depended on the generous investment of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
And last summer, Arsenal were able to sign midfielder Declan Rice, making a record purchase for a British player for $138 million.
United and Chelsea are examples of what can happen if you don’t spend money wisely. Both teams have very expensive squads that disappointed.
It has been 11 years since United last won the Premier League, having been eliminated from the Champions League on multiple occasions.
It remains to be seen how City will react when Guardiola decides to leave. United have been in disarray since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Arsenal also suffered without Arsene Wenger. And now Liverpool face an uncertain future following the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
While City have the talent on the pitch, the money and the brilliant minds in the office, Guardiola is essential to staying on top.
“If you put any other manager in this club, they won’t win the league four times in a row. It’s a credit to him and his team,” Klopp said last week.
Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the season and he is reluctant about his future.
“The truth is that I am closer to leaving than staying,” Guardiola said. “Right now I can’t know what my motivation will be for next season because sometimes it’s hard to find when everything has already been achieved.”