Since 1992, the concept of football has vividly changed. It has taken the shape of an era wrapped around the conviviality of excellence and why wouldn’t it? The 28 years of heritage preserved in the name of “Premier League” has come to be something that has suffered many changes for the better.

Driven by commercial needs and consumer demand, the story of the teams monopolizes the domestic league altogether. Those teams which fall under the category of “elite teams” can assess their own headspace between the aristocracies and the rest of the groups in the league. The changes, however, became apparent in the mid-20s.

The demand to become creme de la creme of Premier League requires the teams to be groomed by the overseas coaches. Apart from that, the complimentary support teams would account for their tactics, strategy, and measure up their fitness-centric schedule. The error for margin becomes tight as the team nears the stage of perfection.

That is why it can be said that a fast opening ensured by wins and heavy scores is deemed to be crucial in the Premier League. In other words, which team will be successful in the term is solely driven by their opening and the recorded score.

The Point Where Everything Changed:

When consulted with Alex Ferguson about the changes that occurred over the ages, he tries to pinpoint the position where the advent of history was taking place.

“If you go back 12 years, our norm was to start the season slowly and build up to the second half,” Ferguson explained, further he added. “That changed when Chelsea won the title two years in a row. We had to change our pre-season approach.”

Up until 2003, the method to win the leagues was quite easy compared to the latest imposition of rules by the authority. The first 11 Premier League campaigns consist of teams that were the eventual winner of the 3 games out of the ten campaigns.

Manchester United won the game consequently in 1993/94 and 2000/01, and Arsenal in 1997/98. Their percentage of winning the game peaked high as their winning streak landed them with 75% of the higher rate. The below graphic from Betway really showcases the importance of a rapid start.

How Does It Affect The Game?

Ferguson further commented that it was the inclusion of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea that came out to be the turning point. However, it would be unjustified if the introduction of Arsenal’s Invincibles would not be included in the list of history-changing events. 

Not only Chelsea but the Gunners also were leading the front line in the year 2003/04 as they made a tally of 10-game points against the tally of 24 which led to the final points tally of 90. It was recorded as the second-highest in Premier League chronology at that time.

However, the change was first noticed by Mourinho as he realizes that the tactics and effort should go towards making the start more fast-paced. This could be the turning point for the game. For example, in the 2014/15 season, Chelsea scored 26 grades on the board after playing 10 matches however it dropped consequently.

The intermediate league position of any champions after playing 10 matches has shifted from 2.45 to 2. But their points, due to a fast-paced opening, are differently counted as their points increase from 20.8 to 24. For example, Manchester and Leicester scored badly in the consecutive year because of their lack of incentive towards achieving a fast-paced opening. They could not get more points on the board resulting in their failure.

The Hunt Begins:

Ever since the move has been explored, the team of the premier league has been focusing hard to score well in the opening of the league. The race to be in the top four seems to be tough however it follows a certain pattern that can be found diligently.

The faster the opening is, the faster that particular team reaches the top four spots. In 2001/02 the four-team reached the top four for the first time meanwhile in 2009/10, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Bolton (twice) and Aston Villa were all in the top four after being in the 10 matches of a Premier League season.

However, it kept slipping as far as the 10th in 2003/04. But an abnormal system has been noticed as from 2010/11 when all the ‘Top Four’ teams were slacking off, no other team has been fourth after 10 games have finished downward than sixth.

It can be said that the driving force to make the team turn into a winner depends on how much effort a team puts into their opening. Data exhibitions reveal that even after the slacking off of the team at a certain point, can be picked up. However, a huge gap is seen between the teams at the top and those in the bottom. Some seem to vanish meanwhile others remain as a mark of negligence.