Sport

Premier League competitive again but population makes Dublin unkillable

Kenny Archer

Kenny Archer

Kenny is the deputy sports editor and a Liverpool FC fan.

Tottenham Hotspur, under the wily Jose Mourinho are in title contention along with big-spending Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur, under the wily Jose Mourinho are in title contention along with big-spending Chelsea. Tottenham Hotspur, under the wily Jose Mourinho are in title contention along with big-spending Chelsea.

Remember when we thought, scratch that, KNEW that finishing above Manchester United virtually guaranteed winning the English Premier League?

Remember when up to half a dozen counties truly had a good chance of winning the Sam Maguire – and Dublin weren't one of them?

Those scenarios were within the past 15 years, but while the wheel can always turn in professional soccer it won't in semi-professional Gaelic football.

For one reason.

Not money.

Population.

The only way to make inter-county Gaelic football competitive again is to take the sort of radical measures which won't ever be agreed.

'Population control' may sound altogether too scary and fascistic but even to term it 're-drawing boundaries', in order to re-balance the conveyor belt of talent driving Dublin on, won't be countenanced by many.

Yet without such serious change, all talk of success going in 'cycles' in Gaelic football is merely spin.

Even the richest soccer club cannot accumulate the depth and range of talent available to Dublin, due to more and more of its ever-increasing population being brilliantly coached in Gaelic games.

Even if 'financial fair play' were to be done away with completely, rather than just for this season (which was a stupid enough decision), there still wouldn't be one utterly dominant soccer side.

The spread of soccer talent isn't massively influenced by where you're born. Nor is there only one gargantuan force in that game.

Of course, in Gaelic football Mayo are a shining example of maximising what's available to them and, who knows?, they just might pull off the miracle on December 19th - but it won't matter much in the overall scheme of things.

The Leinster SFC is finished as a competition and the All-Ireland SFC is heading for the same fate.

Even if they do lose at last, Dublin will be back, and they'll keep on winning the majority of senior football championships for the foreseeable future.

Rather than banging my head against a brick wall which too many lickspittles still pretend they can't even see, this column would rather look at the prospect of a genuine competition – the Premier League.

From 2004 onwards, Chelsea muscled in to overtake Arsenal as Manchester United's main rivals, then Manchester City stepped onto the big stage, and Liverpool have re-emerged at last.

It's not competitive every year, but five teams can win it this term, and that's not counting two of the current top five.

Sure, no vaccine was required to end the delirium prompting claims from the blue quarter of Liverpool that Everton could actually win the League. Nor the similar hysteria suggesting that Leicester might repeat their astonishing feat of five seasons ago.

Yet there remain five serious contenders for the title, and Manchester United are among them.

The Red Devils are the longest shot, of course, but they can't be ruled out at this stage, when you factor in their away form and their (counter-)attacking talent. After all, win their game in hand and they're only two points behind the leaders.

The fact that their former boss's Tottenham Hotspur team occupy that position isn't another aspect of this year's craziness, although it is partly a consequence of Covid-19 and the condensed season.

Clearly Spurs – Champions League finalists in 2019, don't forget – underperformed badly last season, at least when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge.

Yet Jose Mourinho has continued his improvement of them more than most would have expected. Being 'only' in the Europa League aids them against all their real rivals, although a lengthy injury absence for either Kane or Son would seriously set them back (as would the loss of Bruno Fernandes for ManU).

For now, though, Mourinho is talking pony again when playing down his team's chances.

Another of Mourinho's former clubs, Chelsea, really 'should' win the title, certainly if most pundits were consistent in their logic.

After all, that was the claim in the summer of 2018 when Liverpool spent big – more than £160m – in bringing in Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Never mind that Manchester City's squad was still far more expensive, and that Pep Guardiola's men had collected a record-breaking 100 points and won the league by a margin of 19.

So, after spending £220m, obviously Chelsea 'should' win the league. Strangely, though, those same pundits have been suggesting that such a massive squad boost was actually a burden on poor Frank Lampard (having, er, spent last season saying how tough it was for Frankie NOT to be able to sign players).

Go figure – and ask Burnley's Sean Dyche what he reckons while you're at it.

Clearly Chelsea are strongly in contention because of the depth of their squad, as are Manchester City.

Yet they'll all have to finish ahead of football's equivalent of 'The Black Knight' from Monty Python, shrugging off serious blow after serious blow as 'merely a flesh wound.'

Among all the 'luck' Liverpool apparently enjoyed en route to their apparently unimpressive total of 99 points last season was having apparently hardly any injuries. Apparently that was nothing to do with smart management of players.

The doubters have definitely had their wishes granted this season.

'Let's see what they're like without Virgil van Dijk, eh?'

'And one of the world's best creative midfielders…'

'And their other first choice centre half…'

'And their top defensive midfielder…'

'And their leading assist creator…'

'And their inspirational captain…'

'And their top scorer…'

'And their pricey 'keeper…'

Soon some will surely be suggesting that Liverpool should only be allowed to start with 10 players. Then nine…

Sarcasm aside, the Reds' recent performances have been remarkable.

At full strength they are the best team in England.

However, another side who don't get the credit they deserve either are also fairly awesome.

Within the past month some were writing off Manchester City's title hopes, on the back of more points dropped, even though they were against Liverpool and Spurs.

Four clean sheets later, perhaps such fools will think again.

There's little certainty around at the moment, but a defensively stronger City are sure to challenge Liverpool much more closely this season.

Those two most recent title-winners must still be considered the best bets, but in all, five are live contenders.

It will be a long time before we can say the same about the battle for the Sam Maguire.

Take out half the Dublin team and similar talent will step up, eager to show their worth, with more coming behind them.

The Blue Knight is unkillable.