It’s a similar story around Europe. The six highest point tallies in Bundesliga history were all reached in the past 11 years, while seven of the eight highest in Serie A occurred in the past decade.
What stops this from being a Max Verstappen-like procession is the nature of the sport. It’s low-scoring, weird things happen, there’s variance and even with the overwhelming advantages afforded to the elite clubs, upsets do happen. And yeah, taking the 2021-22 season from which the Swiss Ramble’s data is drawn, you’ll note that Brentford only finished six positions lower than Manchester United, Spezia avoided relegation while Juve finished fourth, Rayo were mid-table and Clermont avoided the drop. That’s what prevents these leagues from being numbingly predictable, but the direction of travel is obvious, and there’s no reason to think it’s going to get better.
Rich clubs aren’t just rich; they’re powerful, too. Maybe not powerful enough to set up a breakaway Super League, but more than powerful enough to not only maintain the status quo, but also exacerbate the gap. Given the globalized game, the flow of money and the very notion of superstars who attract eyeballs, those who believe that football needs to have superclubs and punching bags to maximize revenue may have a point.
This fact may or may not depress you. As for me? I’d be grateful if we reminded ourselves every so often that what we’re watching — one team with five, 10 and even 40 times the resources of their opponents — isn’t just unfair. It’s also out of keeping with the history of the sport.
