Has Football Died: Was the Premier League Really Better Twenty Years Ago?
British sports media, premier league fans, and football personalities like Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane have all begun to denounce modern football culture and play. The extortionist prices of players now, the financial integrity of teams, and the seeming loss of talent across the league, are all significant factors in the evolution of the Premier League. Many have claimed it is the beginning of the end for what was once considered the world’s top football league. Others, however, still maintain that it is just a different era, and there is no need to fret as football evolves and changes naturally and people need to stop standing up for nostalgia. Is it only nostalgia or has the growing voice of the old days got a point?
The premier league in 2004 went by a different name altogether, still being sponsored by Barclays. Only thirteen of the teams in the topflight in 2004 are in the league today, with Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs having finished near the bottom of the table in 16th and 14th, respectively. However, similar to today, Everton was just above the relegation zone, and Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea all sat in the top four. Hernán Crespo became the league’s highest-paid player after transferring to Chelsea from Inter Milan, making close to £100,000 a week which pails compared to Kevin De Bruyne, who is on £400,000 a week currently at Manchester City.
But what of the level of competition? Arsenal won the 03-04 season in question with talents like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Cambell, Ashley Cole, and Patrick Vieira to name the biggest stars. Not only was this team star-studded, but they also became the first and only team to win the league undefeated, with twenty-six wins and twelve draws. These players and their team would strike fear into most of the league today not only based on their titles but just their names alone. Arsenal was not the only team stacked with legends this season, but it does paint a picture of the powerhouse of a league it was back then. However, the current generation thrives in Europe compared to their predecessors. The premier league currently has three of the four teams to win a Champions League outside of Real Madrid since the 15-16 season when even the Invincibles at Arsenal did not win the Champions League that year.
Most of the records set by players of the past era have been broken with players likeErling Haalandshattering goal-scoring records seemingly every week. Even some of the league records for teams, like most points in a season which was broken by Manchester City in the 17-18 season where they also became the first team in the premier league era to reach 100 points in a season. The year after Liverpool would win the league with 99 points to Manchester City’s 98. Manchester City’s dominance with six titles in the past seven years is a clear demonstration of the current power dynamics in the Premier League. However, one must acknowledge Manchester United having thirteen of the twenty-five total league titles since the premier league era began. While it’s undeniable that the league has transformed, the belief that one’s own era was the best remains a constant, regardless of differing opinions on the current state of the league.
