So that’s that for anyone hoping to see a team other than Manchester City winning the Premier League.
After teaching Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal that you can’t make schoolboy mistakes in the huge title deciders on Wednesday night, it will be three in a row for Pep Guardiola and five titles from the last six seasons.
City are back on top of the league on goal difference, and even with the Gunners having a game in hand, it feels like the momentum has shifted behind the holders.
The Gunners are looking to snap a four-game winless streak and up next is Unai Emery's Villa tomorrow 🍿
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 17, 2023
With 15 or 16 games left to play, it’s might still be tight. But City have the experience and they showed that they definitely have the hunger and ruthlessness.
All of the highlights from our huge win against Arsenal! 😍 pic.twitter.com/0ZtDndq7gj
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 16, 2023
And it will all go down with the backdrop of a club mired in accusations of what former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger dubbed “financial doping” back when Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea were spending money like there the world was ending at lunchtime, nevermind Saturday.
Which reminds me of that old Wu-Tang Clan song C.R.E.A.M. If cream rises to the top, it’s because Cash Rules Everything Around Me. Cream. Get the money.. Dollar, Dollar bills yo.
But City and Chelsea under new owner Todd Boehly were not the first and, if the rules don’t change, will not be the last.
Chelsea’s record spend on transfers this season dwarfs pretty much anyone’s spending in the last 20 years - except that first season under Abramovich.
According to sports finance expert Kieran Maguire, adjusted for inflation, that 2003/04 campaign saw Chelsea spend a whopping 692m, compared to the 550m they splashed out over the two most recent windows.
The Blues has also been top spenders in seven seasons since Abramovich’s arrival, with them also having the top-four spots in Maguire’s study on spending in the Premier League era.
Other clubs who have made the biggest splashes in the market over the years, include Manchester United, Liverpool, Leeds, Blackburn, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
And if we look at the trend, the big spenders end up winning - almost all of the time.
Even before the Premier League and it’s money-making partnership with Sky in the early 1990s blew up the game, the richest clubs have always dominated the sport.
So how is this all different?
Well, it’s not.
But rules must change about what resources clubs are able to use or else we’ll be seeing more and more battles between Uefa and clubs looking to break away to establish rival bodies like the European Super League.
Money, or the inequality of resources, is breaking football.
And it’s not just in Europe.
Here in South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns have been accused of harming Mzansi football.
The Brazilians are 23 points clear with eight games to play.
With their closest rivals only able to add a maximum of 33 points, it’s just a matter of time before the league is officially over as a contest.
A truncated weekend of #DStvPrem action is set to be headlined by Pirates and Chiefs looking to make up ground in the race for second place.
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 16, 2023
Weekend preview 👇
A few weeks ago, the debate was about whether Downs’ resources have skewed the league.
Of course it has. Their defenders say Masandawana have created a winning mentality while playing the best brand of football, which attracts winners.
But it helps when the owners have bottomless pockets and you can get the best coaches and players by flashing your credit card.