Why is the Premier League so close this season? | OneFootball

16 games of the Premier League season have taken place, and only six points currently separate fifth place Crystal Palace and 15th place Brentford.

Palace have 26 points while Brentford have 20 points, yet they sit in very different league positions. Keith Andrews’ side are seven points above 18th place West Ham but are also only eight points off fourth place Chelsea.

So why is the Premier League so close this season and how does it compare to previous years? We’ve taken a look.

Just how close is the league this year?

After 16 games had been played last season, it was Palace who were in 15th place on 16 points. They were four points above 18th place Ipswich Town but 12 points off fourth place Nottingham Forest.

At the same stage in 2023/24, Bournemouth were in 15th place and on 19 points. They were 10 points above 18th place Luton Town and a much larger 14 points off fourth place Manchester City.

The 2022/23 season saw Bournemouth again in 15th place after 16 games played and on 16 points. They were three points above 18th place Wolves and 16 points off fourth place Manchester United.

In the 2021//22 campaign, it was Leeds who were in 15th place, and they were on 16 points. They were five points above 18th place Burnley and 12 points off fourth place West Ham.

And back in 2020/21, Newcastle were in 15th place on 19 points. They were eight points above 18th place Fulham and 10 points off fourth place Leicester City.

Clearly, the league is much closer this season than it has been in recent years. Especially at the top end of the table. The 15th place team being only eight points off the fourth place team is a smaller gap than it has been in any of the past five years.

So why is the league so close this year?

Every team (apart from Wolves) are competitive this year

The teams who came up from the Championship this season look far better equipped to deal with the challenges of Premier League football than they have done in previous years.

For the past two seasons, all three promoted teams that came up went straight back down, but it does not seem as though that will be the case this season.

Sunderland, who are currently eighth and only two points behind Chelsea after 16 games, are having an unexpectedly strong season.

They have 26 points, and have lost just four times. They have beaten Chelsea and Newcastle, and also managed draws against Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa.

They recruited very smartly in the summer, and that was the launchpad for their so-far brilliant campaign. They brought in Bertrand Traore, Brian Brobbey, Nordi Mukiele, Arthur Masuaku, Granit Xhaka, and Simon Adingra, amongst others.

Sunderland defender Reinildo (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

They spent over £150 million in the summer, which is not unusual for a promoted team, but they spent it wisely.

The Premier League’s reputation and money is making even the smaller teams more desirable

The attraction of the Premier League is only growing bigger, given its global reach and the finances on offer too. Despite only just winning promotion, Sunderland could attract Mukiele and Xhaka, Burnley snapped up Manchester City legend Kyle Walker, while Leeds brought in top talents from other leagues such as Noah Okafor from AC Milan.

Lower Premier League clubs are now becoming more appealing than playing for a top European side.

Busy schedule is helping teams outside the big six

With more football than ever, some clubs are getting next to no rest or time on the training pitch, whilst other clubs are getting a full week to prepare for games.

There are two more games in the Champions League and Europa League group stage than there were two years ago, and the Conference League is a recent concept, meaning an additional Premier League team is also now playing more football.

This season there are nine Premier League teams playing in Europe, which is the most there have ever been.

Naturally, the 11 teams who are not playing in European competitions have an advantage when it comes to domestic football, and some are really making it count.

Neither Sunderland nor Everton are in Europe, and they are eighth and ninth in the league, respectively, for example.

Rise in injuries is levelling the playing field

Due to the increase in football and lack of rest, more injuries are occurring than ever before, and, to no surprise, the teams playing in Europe are being heavily impacted.

Sky Sports report that while Leeds, who are not in Europe, have had the most injuries this season, Arsenal and Aston Villa follow closely in second. Following them are Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, and Spurs, all of whom are also in European competitions.

Clubs outside of Europe being able to keep players healthier, on the whole, is no doubt a contributing factor to the closeness of the league.

Christhian Mosquera goes off injured (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

What has the closeness of the Premier League led to?

It now seems as though any team can have a great run, or a great season. Villa are currently third, Palace are fifth, and Everton are ninth.

Simultaneously, Liverpool are seventh, Tottenham are 11th, and Newcastle are 12th. Since 2018/19, the ‘Big Six’ (Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham), have only finished as the top six teams in the league once.

Any team can beat any other team, and it is difficult for even the top teams to get an advantage.

Arsenal have had a brilliant season and only lost once in all competitions since August, but are only two points clear at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City are only two points behind, and Villa are three points behind.

Mikel Arteta spoke about how close the gap between the top teams is after Aston Villa beat Arsenal, saying: “We’ve been 18 games unbeaten and still we are there, very close to each other. That’s the level of the league and we know that.”

The points total needed to win the league is no longer as high as it used to be

Between 2016/17 and 2023/24, the points tally needed to win the league was abnormally high. The lowest number of points that won the league was 86 for Man City in 2020/21. Other totals in that period included City reaching 100 in 2017/18, reaching 98 the year after, and Liverpool getting to 99 the year after that.

Those three years in particular, were completely unprecedented, and seem unlikely to return. Liverpool won the league last season with 84 points, which is much closer to the usual total.

The Liverpool trophy parade (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

That was the lowest total since Leicester City won their maiden title in 2015/16. They only needed 81 points.

In the late nineties, point tallies were a lot lower. Manchester United won the Premier League in 1996/97 with 75 points, the year after the winners were Arsenal with 78 points, and the year after it was United again, this time with 79 points.

A closer league is a good thing

The numbers paint the picture clearly. The league is closer than it has been for a long time, and league winners do not have to be as good as they had to be a few years ago.

But this is a good thing. There have only been two different title winners since 2017/18, Manchester City and Liverpool.

If Arsenal can win the title this year, their first since 2003/04, that would only be an encouraging sign of a competitive league. As is the fact that so many teams are in contention to qualify for Europe.