The last few weeks have proved to be an exceptional week for the Premiership. Two of its greatest stalwarts have returned from the abyss to aid their respective sides in times of need. Indeed most football fans were delighted to hear about the second comings of Paul Scholes and Thierry Henry.However, if looked at it in closer detail the arrivals of Scholes and Henry merely highlight just how the Premiership has declined over the last couple of seasons. Undoubtedly the aforementioned duo were sensational servants in their prime, but time has moved on and despite both men's recent goals, neither is the player he once was.
The fact that their fans have greeted their returns with so much adulation emphasises each team's respective decline though Man United have still managed to be more productive with Sir Alex Ferguson's mentality to the fore.
Indeed the Premiership is in somewhat of a transition period. That is not to say the state of football in the league is terrible but it was clearly at an extraordinary peak between the 03/04 season up to the 08/09 season when Ferguson's side expertly outlasted a gallant Liverpool team.
There are a myriad of aspects which highlight this peak. The first is the point's tally of the eventual champions of each year. In 2004 Arsenal recorded a tally of 90 points. However Chelsea surpassed this achievement twice in the following two years gaining 95 and 91 points in 2005 and 2006 respectively. In 2007 Man United managed a miserly 89 points and followed that up with 87 points and 90 points in the ensuing two seasons to claim a three in a row.
In 2010 however we began to witness the dip in form of the Premiership. In that season Chelsea accumulated 86 points. Certainly it is not a total to be frowned upon but nevertheless the last time a team had fewer points and won the league was in 2003. Last season United only won 80 points. That would not have even been good enough for third place in either 2008 or 2009.
Added to that both Chelsea and Manchester City who both finished 2nd and 3rd both finished up on 71 points in the 2010/11 season. Compare that to the 08/09 season where Liverpool came second and recorded a points total of 86 whilst Chelsea in the 07/08 season finished second on 85 points. The gulf is simply as wide as the grand canyon.
The number of losses the eventual champions suffered also emphasises the imperious form of the Premiership during this time. Arsenal went unbeaten in 2004 but as well as that Chelsea only lost six games in total on the way to their two successes in that period losing only once in 2005 whilst they also lost their two final games of 2006 after they had won the league.
Added to all of this is the performance of the Premierships elite in the Champions League during this time. Indeed both Liverpool and Man United both claimed the most prestigious trophy in club football. Man United would also go on to be foiled by a brilliant Barcelona side in the 2009 final whilst Liverpool also lost to Milan in the 2007 showpiece.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal could also consider themselves unlucky to be defeated in a final each. These achievements again highlight the prowess of the English sides without even discussing how regularly they all navigated their ways to semi-finals.
On the other hand the latter stages of this year's competition must do without both Manchester clubs whilst Chelsea only scrambled through. In last year's competition only United represented England after the last eight.
Of course some will say this decline makes the league more exciting and perhaps to a degree this is true. Yet in the Premierships glory years there was nothing better than watching Wengers Arsenal team in its pomp, pass a team to death and subsequently witness the magician Robert Pires or the lightning Henry efficiently execute the finish. Moreover they had an unbreakable steel in their side in the form of the inspirational Patrick Vieira and the rock solid Sol Campbell. These are qualities the current Arsenal team are crying out for.
Indeed the charismatic José Mourinho took the Premiership up another level also. No team had an answer for the exquisite triumvirate that was Duff, Robben and the powerhouse Didier Drogba whilst Frank Lampard scored goals for fun. Again like Arsenal they too had a great spine to their team. Their rear-guard of Terry and Carvalho were unshakable.
Inevitably Sir Alex Ferguson managed to regain power by getting the maximum out of messrs Rooney and Ronaldo. The veterans Scholes and Giggs remained as consistently excellent as ever whilst like the other great champions they had trojans in defence in the fashion of Rio Ferdinand and the tough as nails Nemanja Vidic.
It may take some time for the Premiership to reach such heights again. Man City may have extraordianry funds but it still seems as if something is missing from their armoury. They should be much further ahead of the chasing posse than they are. Meanwhile Chelsea and Liverpool are in varying stages of transition. Tottenham lack the depth and experience whilst Arsenal and Arsene Wenger must rediscover themselves. Anything could happen at Old Trafford where Ferguson will look to successfully go out on a high
Undoubtedly the Premiership is not as formidable as it once was and I do not think the winners of this year's title will be exceptional an one. We can only hope an innovator will come along and reignite a championship that is slowly on the slide. Mancini or Villas Boas may evolve their sides gradually; indeed Ferguson may produce one final wondrous side. Only time will tell.
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