Football is the most popular sport in the world. It’s watched by billions of people across the planet, from a huge range of different backgrounds and cultures. It’s called “The Beautiful Game” for many reasons, but perhaps most for its ability to break down borders and language barriers.

The Premier League is far and away football’s most popular and most lucrative competition, widely regarded as having some of the best teams, best players, and the best managers. However, in recent years there have been murmurings that the Premier League has fallen victim to its own success, and that the incredible wealth it brings in has created a disparity between teams at the top and those below. Does the Premier League have a competitiveness problem? Let’s find out.

What Do We Mean by Competitiveness?

Obviously, competitiveness is what football, and sport as a whole, is all about. There are few thrills like watching athletes at the top of their game battle it out to see who is the best, and these exciting moments are what keep fans tuning in week after week.

However, when we talk about competitiveness, we are essentially talking about fairness. Nobody wants to see a one-sided contest (except the fans of the winning side), an equal playing field makes for a more thrilling spectacle and a more unpredictable result.

In the past, the Premier League has been lauded as one of the world’s most competitive domestic competitions. In theory, any team could beat any other on any given day, with those fighting relegation perfectly capable of beating those competing for the title.

However, while such upsets are certainly not impossible; they’re less common than people may think, and are becoming increasingly rare as time goes on.

What’s more, while the odd upset here and there might suggest a degree of competitiveness, do they really matter in the grand scheme of things? Let’s take a look at some recent Premier League results to find out.

Manchester City’s Dominance

Manchester City were crowned as Premier League champions after Nottingham Forest defeated Arsenal, crushing the Gunner’s title dreams in the process.

While, at a glance, this may be a perfect example of competitiveness in the Premier League, given Arsenal were hotly tipped as Champions-in-waiting for most of the season and Nottingham Forest were narrowly avoiding relegation, it also speaks to a lack of competitiveness.

This is Manchester City’s third consecutive league title; they have been champions for five of the previous six seasons, often by some distance. This seems at odds with a league that is often viewed as a free-for-all where anything can happen, and anyone can win.

Led by the visionary Pep Guardiola and backed by significant overseas investment, Manchester City have exerted a grip over the Premier League that looks increasingly unbreakable. Only Liverpool have managed to beat them in six years, and given the Premier League is made up of 20 teams, this certainly doesn’t reflect a fair and competitive playing field where everyone has a chance to succeed.

Conclusion

Does the Premier League have a competitiveness problem? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. However, the problem isn’t just in England, almost all domestic leagues have stark financial disparity between the top and the bottom, with one or two teams dominating the league every year. It’s not just a Premier League problem, but a problem with football in general.