Football news - Manchester City and Chelsea triumphs underline widening gap in the Premier League
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Updated 05/11/2018 at 07:34 GMT
It’s only the first week of November, but there’s now a very familiar feel to the top six. After Manchester United’s win at sixth-placed Bournemouth, it will soon read the big six, writes Ben Grounds.
Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates with teammates
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There were one or two moments when Crystal Palace threatened another scalp at Stamford Bridge following two wins in their last three visits, but Chelsea’s superiority shone through as expected in the end.
Maurizio Sarri’s side were far from their best, and for an hour it was a contest – but second spot had been secured long before Alvaro Morata was denied his hat-trick for his outrageous attempt to chip a 6ft 5in goalkeeper.
It wasn’t a clean catch from Wayne Hennessey, but the sign of unnecessary showboating typifies the current gulf between the elite and the rest of the Premier League.
Does the widening gap lend itself to a Super League?
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Southampton were hit for six as City went through the gears
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A European Super League is back on the agenda according to a report from the German magazine Der Spiegel based on leaked documents.
It has been claimed that Charlie Stillitano, an American entrepreneur, has been driving talks with representatives of Europe's elite about a Super League worth annual revenues of up to £500m.
The reported clandestine meetings that have involved Manchester City and Chelsea represents something of a betrayal towards the less prestigious names of English football.
But if Bournemouth's brave efforts against United on Saturday revealed why such money-driven plans should be shelved, Sunday was the ultimate one-two combination for those in favour of a breakaway league.
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Alvaro Morata celebrates the first of his two goals for Chelsea on Sunday
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"We were never able to get a foothold in the game," said Southampton manager Mark Hughes following his side's 6-1 humbling at Manchester City. "We didn't have an opportunity to clear our heads."
He's not alone in lamenting another easy win for the haves against the have-nots at the top table of English football.
Chelsea were struggling to break a resolute Crystal Palace side when Sarri looked to his bench and signalled to Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic to get ready for action.
His side then eased through the gears and won a fourth straight game, the Italian remains unbeaten after 16 matches in all competitions. By avoiding defeat, Sarri equalled Frank Clark's record unbeaten run for a new Premier League manager.
Do the stats show the gap is getting wider?
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David Silva celebrates scoring City's third goal in the first-half on Sunday
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After 48 Premier League games last season, the traditional big six had lost five games and drawn seven, scoring 122 goals and conceding 38.
That win percentage of 75% has risen to 85% after the same number of games this season, with the big six winning 41 of a possible 48 matches, drawing four times and losing on three occasions against the remaining 14 clubs. Remarkably, the big six have scored the same number of goals (122), but conceded one fewer.
Watford came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 in September while United account for the other two defeats – the 3-2 loss at Brighton and 3-1 reverse at West Ham.
This is the first time since the 1978-79 season that three top-flight teams have gone unbeaten in their opening 11 games of a league campaign.
Are managers taking a different approach against big teams?
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Roy Hodgson saw a spirited first hour from his side but left with a familiar feeling at Chelsea
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Chelsea were responding to City’s thrashing of a sorry Southampton side earlier in the day, a game which was played out more like an exhibition game than a competitive fixture from the moment David Silva made it 3-0 after just 18 minutes.
City then switched off for 25 minutes, allowing Saints to pull a goal back before flicking the on-switch again and scoring another three goals.
Twelve months ago, Pep Guardiola’s side needed a 96th-minute winner from Raheem Sterling to beat the same opposition. But here he had three options to his right in stoppage time before he set up Leroy Sane for goal number six.
Hughes said in the build-up to this game: "Manchester City get into winning positions very quickly which we can't let happen."
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Mark Hughes saw his Southampton side produce another wretched display at City
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But the team-talk went out of the window. City were in the mood to make a statement after Liverpool went top with a 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Saturday evening. City have now scored five goals or more in 21 Premier League games since the start of the 2013/14 season.
"I'm disappointed with the opening period," added Hughes. "Clearly, that's when the game was lost. We're a little bit 'milky' in terms of our defensive work and there's times when you've got to be really aggressive in both ends of the box."
Southampton left Hughes frothing at the mouth, but City had all the shots. Huddersfield battled to a point against City at the end of last season, but they - like Southampton - were beaten by the same 6-1 scoreline earlier this campaign. There's always the chance of catching a top side cold in the early stages of a season, but the chasm appears to only be getting bigger.
Why are the rest struggling to pull off as many scalps?
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Bernardo Silva congratulates Raheem Sterling after his second strike against Southampton
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Southampton lost by just the odd goal on both occasions they faced City last season, with Guardiola’s men often leaving it late to win games en route to their incredible 100-point haul in winning the title.
Having set a very high benchmark to eclipse, City strengthened with the club-record signing of Riyad Mahrez, seen by some at the time as an extortionate luxury signing to keep fans happy. But the manner in which those with realistic title aspirations have all improved vindicates Guardiola’s decision to strengthen further.
Tottenham have enjoyed their finest start to a Premier League season under Mauricio Pochettino, taking 24 points from their opening 11 games, while Arsenal have shown themselves to be a far more resolute outfit under new manager Unai Emery.
The calibre of Guardiola’s City has effectively created a two-tier league with those inside the big six acutely aware of the pitfalls of dropping points against each other.
Those outside the elite have never seen trips to the Etihad, the Emirates and Anfield as such a free swing, and the concertinaed nature of the bottom half was illustrated by Newcastle moving out of the bottom three despite winning for the first time at the 11th attempt.
The guaranteed £100m for the team that finishes bottom of the Premier League underlines the importance to struggling sides to remain in it, and that crosses the minds of managers as they prepare to face those with an embarrassment of riches.
Will the current trend continue throughout the season?
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Virgil van Dijk's arrival at Liverpool has helped eradicate slip-ups against lesser opposition
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The law of averages would point to a bump in the road somewhere along the way for all three of the current unbeaten sides. The accumulation of matches is bound to catch up at some point, but complacency would appear the biggest threat.
The likelihood is that any positive result against the big six will come at home. In 23 away matches, the rest of the Premier League has lost 22 and drawn just once (Wolves’ 1-1 draw at Manchester United). But Southampton's expansive approach is unlikely to form the blueprint to any unlikely success.
Sarri, Guardiola and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp are waiting to see who blinks first, all three seemingly spurred on by the ruthlessness shown by each other with every passing weekend.
Klopp’s Liverpool have shrugged off their tendency to drop points against teams who would go on to be relegated, as witnessed last season against Swansea, and the year before against Hull.
Spending world-record fees for Virgil van Dijk and (at the time) Alisson Becker has gone a long way to ironing out that apparent weakness.
Guardiola is a manager who forever sets his players new targets, and despite his side scoring six on Sunday, the one goal conceded will have irked him to no end - a fourth goal conceded this season and one closer to the record low of 15 held by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the 2004/05 season.
But even though Southampton had six days to rest in the time City played three games, keeping up with Guardiola’s side looks a problem for all 19 of the sides beneath them.
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