As English clubs flounder yet again in the Champions League, one explanation offered frequently is the claim that the Premier League is more competitive than its rival European leagues. Is that claim true? Not really.
This column looked at the ten leagues ranked highest by Uefa (the others are those in Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands) and worked out the average points per game achieved by the top three clubs in each league for each season.
Why three clubs? Because those ten leagues send an average of three clubs to the Champions League each year. Broadly, their points-per-game figures show the gap between them and their domestic opponents. The higher the trio’s points-per-game figure, the less competitive the league.
Over the past five seasons teams finishing in the Premier League’s top three have averaged 2.11 points a match, which makes it only the sixth most competitive among the ten leagues surveyed.
France, Russia and Belgium (all between 1.99 and 2.04) are more competitive — in other words, there is a smaller gap between the top three and the rest; Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are similar to England (2.08 to 2.13) and Spain, Portugal and Ukraine (2.25 to 2.28) are the least competitive.
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Perhaps the sense that the Premier League is indeed competitive arises from the fact that the gap between the elite and the rest had previously been much greater in this country.
The top three clubs’ figure of 2.11 points per game over the past five years has dropped from 2.21 over the previous five seasons (2005 to 2010). The average points tally over a season for a top-three club has fallen from 84 to 80.
Over the same period England’s three main rivals have moved in the opposite direction, becoming less competitive: the Spanish league’s figure has risen from 2.06 to 2.28, the German league’s from 2.00 to 2.13 and the Italian league’s from 2.00 to 2.08.
Six shooters
Newcastle United had scored six times in the league before yesterday but then scored six goals in one game against Norwich City, including one in the 66th minute. In doing so they doubled their points tally to six. Norwich were beaten despite having six shots on target, six off target and six blocked.
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Newcastle are the first team in the Premier League era to have conceded six but then scored six in their next game (they lost 6-1 to Manchester City).
Dam bursts again on Tyne
Newcastle finally managed their first league win at the ninth attempt yesterday with their six goals against Norwich. In 1999, Newcastle finally managed their first league win at the eighth attempt by scoring eight against Sheffield Wednesday.
Date to remember
The past two cases of a player scoring exactly four in a Premier League game have come on October 18: Georginio Wijnaldum for Newcastle yesterday and Sergio Agüero for Manchester City against Tottenham Hotspur a year ago.
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Yellow but not mellow
Newcastle chose yesterday’s match at home to Norwich to give Cheik Tioté his first league start since January 1, presumably because they thought that he would be comforted by the sight of yellow, as worn by the visiting side. The midfielder duly received his 48th yellow card since he last scored for the club.
No learning lessons
Dwight Gayle, playing for Crystal Palace against West Ham United, prompted Yohan Cabaye’s successful penalty to be retaken because he had encroached into the area; a minute later he encroached again as Cabaye once more found the net — and was lucky another retake was not ordered. Just to prove his inability to learn a lesson, Gayle received a yellow card for a bad foul and then received another yellow card for a similar bad foul 12 minutes later, which led to his dismissal.
Rare treble
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Cabaye is the first player for 12 years to score a penalty in three successive Premier League games.
City’s non-level best
Manchester City’s past 28 games, in chronological order, have yielded these results: WWLLWLLWLLWWWWWWWWWWWLLWLWWW. Their 28 matches without a draw is a club record.
Ups and downs
In their past three league games, the two Manchester clubs, who meet on Sunday, have each won twice by at least three goals but lost the other match by a three-goal margin.
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World class
Manchester United, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion all won with goals in “World Cup Year” minutes. United’s three came in minutes 18 (hosts: Russia), 22 (Qatar) and 62 (Chile); Chelsea’s two goals were scored in 34 (Italy) and 54 (Switzerland); West Brom’s goal arrived in minute 54 (Switzerland again).
Defensive double
José Fonte and Virgil van Dijk, of Southampton, became the first pair of centre backs to score in the same Premier League game since Southampton conceded to John Terry and Gary Cahill, of Chelsea, in 2013.
All in the middle
At White Hart Lane, three midfielders had All in their name: Lallana, Allen and Alli.