What The Hell Has Happened to the Premier League?
As fanatics of the modern game in England, we, as supporters, have taken pride in labelling the Premier League as the most competitive, unpredictable and enthralling footballing division in the world. In its 28 year existence, there have been moments that are indescribable to the average person. Leicester’s miraculous fairy-tale 2015/16 season and Liverpool's slip-up in the 2013/14 campaign are just a couple of the most extraordinary moments in sporting history.
Oh, and who could forget, "Balotelli….Aguerooooooooo!” Moments like this genuinely encapsulate the sheer elation or heartbreak that one can feel during 90 minutes of people kicking a ball. However, in the aftermath of Tottenham performing one of their most 'Spursy’ performances against rivals, West Ham, it seems illogical to not just discuss this capitulation specifically, but this season as a whole. In only five/six game weeks, we are experiencing a season we all could scarcely have imagined, so what the hell has happened to the Premier League?
It goes without saying that the unprecedented emergence of COVID-19 has undoubtedly had a significant effect on the footballing world. Still, it seems as though some teams have been more affected than others as the absence of fans has taken its toll on the pitch. Both Manchester clubs have been on the receiving ends of humiliations on their home turf. Tottenham and Arsenal are in inconsistent form. Even Chelsea have yet to solve their defensive woes even though they splashed over £70,000,000 on four new defenders. Thiago Silva, signed by Chelsea in the summer transfer window, has remarkably won more silverware than the Blues have in their 115-year existence. Without fans, defenders must find it increasingly difficult to maintain concentration throughout the match.
This alien atmosphere could be somewhat likened to a training match – where there is undoubtedly a plethora of goals. Fans give players an adrenaline rush which, in turn, increases their concentration levels resulting in far fewer defensive errors. The utter thought of 50,000 supporters mocking and blasting you in the stadium surely gives the players another incentive to raise their game. Could this be why this mysterious season has seen a meteoric rise in average goals per game (3.78) and the number of penalties is projected to TREBLE the average number in previous seasons?
As a young, aspiring sports journalist, I should be encouraged to delve into the fine details of everything relating to this topic. However, despite the simplicity of this factor, I believe it to be crucial in relation to the number of goals this season: how many good defenders are there in the Premier League nowadays? Now I know this seems rather vague, but I have grown up in a period where the likes of Vidic, Ferdinand, Kompany and Terry (just to name a few) dominated attackers, providing a strong base for the rest of the team to build from. They struck genuine fear into the opposition, and their leadership qualities also cannot be ignored.
Fast forward to today and displays of Manchester United defenders wrestling each other in the 6-yard box proves to be embarrassing by comparison. Even ‘Mr Park-the-bus’ Jose Mourinho seems to have lost his defensive edge, conceding THREE goals in TWELVE minutes against a team managed by David Moyes. To put that into perspective, Mourinho’s Chelsea let in just 12 more goals in the entirety of the 2004-05 season as they did in that calamitous display in North London. We have witnessed a Premier League season like no other in these early stages, but what’s there to say it won’t get weirder?
This era in the Premier League is like no other. There is such a vast disparity in quality between defence and attack. Every 'Big Six' side has world-class finishers in their arsenal, as well as Jimenez, Vardy, Calvert-Lewin and Ings all showing signs breaking into this threshold. However, if these strikers were placed into the Premier League 10 years ago, would they still be considered to be elite? And is there even a ‘Big Six’ anymore? Remarkably, 71% of errors leading to goals have come from players from this set of clubs (although 20% have come from Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Kepa – a somewhat ironic name considering his abysmal form), which further proves that there truly is a significant shortage incompetent defenders in the Premier League, even at the highest level. In van Dijk's absence, I believe that currently, Aymeric Laporte is the only world-class defender playing in the Premier League. As a result, this vast shortage in quality nowadays enhances the strikers who, realistically, would not be nearly as prolific 10 years ago.
Liverpool’s inexcusable defensive showing against Aston Villa truly epitomised the naïve mentality which circulates around the Premier League. As Villa’s relentless onslaught continued, Klopp's men refused to revert back to a traditional set-up and instead, they played a high line. They attempted an offside trap throughout the game – which ultimately resulted in a complete demolition as they leaked 7 goals against a side struggling for survival just 3 months ago. This naivety is not only relevant to Liverpool but also Pep Guardiola's men. City was left on the receiving end of a 5-2 drubbing against Leicester. Likewise, to Klopp, Pep's side refused to stick to the basics and was left exposed on multiple occasions. "I loathe all that passing for the sake of it, all that tiki-taka. It’s so much rubbish and has no purpose. You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition’s goal.” This is what Guardiola said in 2014, but this is when he was in charge of a ferocious Bayern Munich. Due to his discernibly naïve mentality, Manchester City has been left stranded on multiple occasions this season and have shipped 7 goals already. His failure to notice the blatant lack of footballing quality in Benjamin Mendy exemplifies this idea. Yet, he is simply too naïve to change his ways.
So what the hell has happened to the Premier League? In essence, the absence of fans and decent defenders coupled with offensively ambitious managers play a significant role in the number of goals this season. Perhaps we really do miss the likes of Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis, huh? It surely can’t be too long until panic stations kick in and they are eventually recruited by strugglers to rectify the defensive abominations which have been on show. But as it stands, this season has indeed been like no other, and it may just continue…
Written by Olly Howard
I am currently studying English Language and English Literature as an undergraduate and am planning to study Sports Journalism at university. I am an avid watcher of all sports and a big Tottenham Hotspur fan