EPL - Excellence Is A Good Thing
Remember all the prognostications that the sky was falling and the end of the EPL was in sight because Chelsea was just too good earlier in the season? Many, if not most of the soccer pundits in England were lambasting the Blues, their owner and manager saying their achieving excellence was destroying competition in the world's best pro league. It just wasn't fair that Chelsea had managed to win the title for the first time in 50 years, here they were letting everyone know they were out to do it again this time around.
Chelsea and Mourinho were blamed for everything including the poor attendance at Sunderland even when they weren't on the pitch because they got off to an unfair start by beating everyone handily over the first few months. It was said that the Blues were going to ruin Christmas because they would have wrapped up their 2nd title before the winter break at the rate they were going. The whiners were out in force claiming it just wasn't right, not good for the game and top among them was Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Man United's Sir Alex Ferguson with their crocodile tears and proclamations that they just couldn't compete with Chelsea and darn it, it just wasn't fair.
Everyone joined in claiming that even with their deep pockets they just couldn't compete with Chelsea and it would be the ruination of the game. Worse, with Chelsea dominating everyone in sight and the dark clouds above Manchester with the new ownership by the dastardly American Malcolm Glazer, the EPL was surely on the brink of disaster.
It was all absurd. As I said back then Chelsea's success on the pitch would be a good thing for the game and the quality on display. Look what has happened and you'll see that competition is almost always a good thing and like John Kennedy said back in 1961 “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This time around that turned out to be the case with the possible exception of the dour Black Cats of Sunderland.
Wenger and Ferguson were simply whining about their loss of the stranglehold on the EPL title and didn't like the competition for the top of the class of players that Chelsea had brought to the game with Roman's billions.
And what has been the result of that competition at the top of the table? See for yourself; Chelsea did not manage the first ever 100 point season in the EPL. Man United turned their early poor results at Old Trafford around and are holding a strong 2nd. Even Liverpool, who were firing blanks so often it had become their trademark in the early going have taken 3rd and in doing so closed the gap on Chelsea dramatically from their finish last year a full 35 points behind the Blues.
Tottenham, despite a dip in form that saw them lose a few and get only a draw in several others that they should have won will finish 4th, for their best ever season in the EPL.
Arsenal, falling all the way to 5th is deemed a disaster in London, but the truth is, their fortunate to have managed to hang on to that position. Of course, for the Gunners a top 3 spot is supposed to be their birthright I suppose but the team they have put on the pitch this year just wasn't up to par. Recall, they didn't win a match on the road until November when they started Wigan's slide with a victory at the JJB. Despite all the hype about their youngsters, and they are terrific, this was surely a rebuilding year for Arsenal. To me its a success too with them being able to hangon to 5th. The loss of Vieira, with Campbell not able to play for much of the season and their often questionable back line exposed frequently their very fortunate if you ask me to have finished where they are.
Thirty points behind Chelsea is about what they earned on the season and their fans should be honest with themselves and thankful too for that matter. Without Henri this Arsenal side would have probably been in the lower half of the table.
And, my guys at Blackburn Rovers started paying attention to Mark Hughes and have earned themselves a UEFA Cup spot. That might not be such a good thing in the end because of the load it puts on a slim side like Rovers, but its another of the real improvements seen this year in the league.
You see, like I said back then, the big guys just didn't take it kindly that the new kids on the block at Chelsea were making their job harder. The upstarts at Stamford Bridge were making life difficult for SAF and Wenger and those two just couldn't stand the heat. They wanted things the way it had been for a decade where it was either one of them that claimed the EPL title year after year and all they had to do was drop a hint in the press about their interest in so-and-so and presto, he'd be signing a contract (remember how SAF got Rooney from Everton)?
For sure, life is very different in the EPL these days. And for that you can thank Chelsea and their manager too. Oh, in case you didn't notice, the sky hasn't fallen either.
Competition is a good thing whether SAF and Wenger like it or not and the entire EPL is better off because of it.
