Here’s a stat for you (and after all, who doesn’t like a good football stat!?), have a look at the current Premier League table and take everyone from 4th place and below. They are ALL closer to bottom of the league QPR than they are to top of the league Chelsea. There, let that digest for a moment.
What this says to me is that there is one team at the top, running away with it. Chelsea have been truly phenomenal. After just 12 games it is too soon to claim that they will match that famous Arsenal side who went a season unbeaten, but they certainly stand a chance and are far away favourites to win the league. Then after that, below them, what will happen is anyone’s guess. Could this be the closest Premier League season ever?
It’s crazy to think that a team in 4th (Manchester United in this case) should be looking closer at the bottom of the league than they are at the top, but that’s what their points tally would suggest. Bottom QPR are just 11 points off of a Champions League place. A few wins and they could be right up the other end of the table. 11 points, that’s nothing. In years gone by it wouldn’t be unthinkable for the team in 5th of 6th to be that far behind 4th, such was the dominance of the top 4.
It always used to be that the top four of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea seemed impenetrable. Then there were a couple of extra teams in the hunt. Spurs made it once, Man City broke the top 4, Everton were challenging. Now things have gone a step further. Those much sought after Champions League places, that are worth so much money and for so long were monopolised by the nation’s biggest clubs, seem up for grabs.
Now I’m not suggesting that QPR will make a late push for Europe but the facts are that their points total means it’s not an unassailable lead they have to make up. It does sound ridiculous, but then Newcastle United were in crisis not so long ago. There was unrest in the stands, mass protest against the manager and the team were suffering. Now they’ve managed to put a run of form together and they sit 5th, outside of the Champions League places on goal difference.
It’s this that got me to thinking that if this is the way that our league will be from now on (hopefully it will be), wide open and not just a minute group who can achieve real success, maybe we need to reassess exactly what the term ‘crisis’ means in football circles. After all, Newcastle were in a real crisis, weren’t they?
A few clubs around the league have been labelled as crisis clubs by the doom-mongering press. Spurs, for example, we’re told that they’re in a permanent state of crisis. Performances have been poor, key players aren’t living up to their potential, yet another manager is faced with the sack if things don’t improve.
Are you crazy? Spurs are just two points (JUST TWO POINTS!!) off of one of those Champions League places that they have sought for years. Sure, Spurs do have issues that need to be addressed, but this is the kind of crisis that the White Hart Lane faithful would have killed for in years gone by.
Level on points with Spurs are their North London rivals Arsenal, who of course are in the midst of their own crisis. This will be the year they finally miss out on Europe, this will be the year that they finally lose patience with Arsène Wenger. That’s what you hear. They’ve only got 2 points to make up, let’s not push the panic button just yet.
I guess the point of all of this is to call for calm. Don’t worry, your team is in the hunt. They have a chance of survival, or Europe, or whatever it is their main aim was this season. Newcastle were in crisis, they’re now 5th having won their last 5 games. Southampton were in (alleged) turmoil not long before that, they’re now second.
Are West Ham in crisis now that they’re without a win in their last 3? No, they’re 6th. Maybe the league is changing and the press need to catch up. Because the chairmen are catching up, we’re nearly into December and (shock horror) we haven’t even had a manager sacked yet!