Premier League: Bored of the Big Four

So here we are again, it's barely the middle of November and the Premier League table already has a depressingly familiar look.

Some of you will be looking at the league table and thinking something along the lines of "Only nine points separating fifth place to 20th, this is going to be a hell of a season!" But is it really?

Sure, the signs are that the relegation scrap is going to go down to the wire (which it usually does anyway) and the UEFA Cup spots will only be decided at the end of the season (which they usually are anyway). But what about closing the gap between the big four and the rest?

This was supposed to be the season where the likes of Aston Villa, Spurs, Everton, and Man City made in-roads towards the promised land of the Champions League. Liverpool and Arsenal were vulnerable, we were told.

Well so far, the big four have lost seven games between them out of 47 (around 15 percent). The other four supposed contenders have lost 21 out of 48 (around 44 percent). Note that out of those seven big four defeats, three came in games against each other.

Only Arsenal have looked anything remotely resembling vulnerable, with surprising defeats against Fulham, Stoke, and Hull, yet they still sit three points in front of fifth placed Villa already, who themselves have lost poorly to Stoke, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle.

With the likely confidence boost from Saturday's win over Manchester United, Arsenal should step up their game in the next month or so and are likely to increase that gap, while the other three members of the dominant four are unlikely to slip up too often themselves.

Manchester United may only be one point ahead of Aston Villa, but the gulf between the sides has already been apparent across the opening months, and United have a game in hand.

It's looking safe to assume that the challenge to the big four will be over before it even really began this term, with Man City struggling, Everton and Spurs already playing catch up, and Villa still prone to feeble defeats against teams they should beat on paper.

Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United have been beaten just once by non-big four opposition so far this season, in a total of 28 games. Yes, anyone CAN beat anyone, but the chance of an also-ran beating a big four team is becoming less likely with every season.

Anyone can win the lottery if they buy a ticket, but it doesn't mean the chances of it happening are high.

The big four have a positive goal difference of plus 58. The rest of the Premier League has a negative goal difference of minus 58, with only Manchester City and Aston Villa in the black after 12 games, and Fulham at zero.

Much was made of Hull City's start to the season, and there is no doubt it was both glorious and surprising (partly glorious because it was so surprising, and there lies the rub), but after three defeats on the bounce, albeit with two of those coming against big four opposition, they have sunk back into the relegation-haunted/UEFA Cup chasing pack.

Englishmen have often taken great delight in mocking the fact that the league north of the border is dominated by Rangers and Celtic, with the rest in a league of their own. But what's the difference between a 12-team league dominated by two teams, and a 20-team league dominated by four? I am struggling to see a profound one.

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