Everton and West Brom’s respective starts to the Premier League campaign prove that the division appears to be cut in two.
When it comes to figuring out who are the elite sides in the top flight, it does not take too long. In that block of six at the top of the league you have Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United with the gap between them and the rest of the bunch growing with each passing week.
But that is not to say the rest of the league are failing miserably – in fact, quite the contrary. While Everton have slipped away following a bright start to the campaign they are still firmly positioned in the top 10, meanwhile West Brom are producing one of their best seasons in years under Tony Pulis.
Yet both teams find themselves nine and 10 points behind sixth place Manchester United respectively. Last year Leicester City certainly proved that anyone can break into that boundary, but perhaps a summer of building by the big sides has eliminated that possibility once again.
Everton have always been the outsider team that occasionally break into the fold. The problem is, given how constantly their situation seems to change on and off the pitch since David Moyes departed they cannot maintain that charge.
There has always been the thought process that it comes down to money, but perhaps it is a mentality deeply embedded into the club. After all, their one and only Champions League venture of recent times was short and sweet.
When it comes to West Bromwich Albion, we have come to expect this kind of thing from Pulis. As he did with Stoke, the Welshman does just enough to create a feeling of success among the fan base while simultaneously never pushing for more. After the Potters had a taste of Europe a few years back, the Baggies will want the same thing but the question remains as to where the manager’s passion begins and ends.
The Premier League can certainly throw up surprise results at a moment’s notice, but maybe the big players are just too good for anyone else to even think about competing with them. It is certainly refreshing to see so many sides in with a chance of the title in comparison to other top European leagues, but the gulf in quality is staggering.
While the FA would likely never dream of replicating the SPL when it comes to literally dividing the league in two, it appears as if the teams atop the division are doing it for them.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis before the match
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