BluessinceHydeRoad
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 26 Mar 2012
- Messages
- 2,562
Just more fake news. If the league is so poor how did media darlings United lose 20 points to teams outside the top six? How did the team in fourth place reach a Champions League final but also lose 19 points to teams outside the top six?
This is just the latest false narrative to try and undermine City.
Yes, I think ESPN should think carefully about who it gets to write its analyses next season because the author of that article clearly watched a different season to the rest of us. This season has been at least as competitive as any other PL season in all but one respect and that is, of course, that the champions are the greatest English top flight team ever. The gap of 19 points to second is the greatest ever and the champions total of 100 points is a clear record, but from second down to bottom there is less of a gap than there was, in for instance the 2016-17 season. United got 81 points to WBA's 31: in 2016-7 Spurs were second with 86 points while Sunderland were bottom with only 24. The gap between 6th and 17th this season was 27 (63 to 36) compared to 29 last season (69 to 40). The lower number of points amassed shows a more even competition since no side (apart from the champions) is winning all the time. And an analysis of results in detail confirms this: United lost away to all three promoted sides, one of which finished in 15th place and one in 16th, they could only manage a draw at relegated Stoke and Southampton took a point away from OT and would have had 3 but for some dubious refereeing. The team of the year for many, Liverpool, lost at relegated Swansea and drew both matches against bottom team WBA (and lost at Anfield to them in the FA cup). So, at least as interesting as any other PL season and anyone who can describe a season in which one team breaks the record for ... (enter any record which comes to mind) ... "as amongst the most forgettable in the 26 editions of the Premier League" really has to be a knuckle head who deserves a very special form of certification.