The end of the year is coming closer and closer. This means the matches will come thick and fast in the English Premier League. Boxing day is awaiting for all the fans. The end of the year is this time also the end of a decade. Within a few days we’re starting a new decade. Here at the Soccerage HQ we thought it would be nice to see how the Premier League changed. In this article we talk about the biggest differences between the Premier League in 2010 and the current Premier League. Some Canadian sports betting websites showed us how the league has changed in a decade.
Premier League 2010 vs 2019 almost 50% difference
The first thing that we noticed when watching the 2010 Premier League table is a change of almost 50% in terms of teams. The big six (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur) together with Aston Villa, Burnley, Everton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are the only teams that are still in the Premier League at the start of 2010 that are there now too. The likes of Leicester City, Sheffield United, Watford, Norwich City, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bournemouth and Southampton where all in leagues below the top level. A change of almost 50% in a decade is huge compared to other big leagues.
The rise of Leicester City
The fairytale story of this decade is the rise of Leicester City. The Foxes played at the start of 2010 in the Championship after getting promoted from the League One in the summer of 2009. After five seasons in the Championship they got promoted to the Premier League, which they won in their second season after getting back on the highest level. This was such a huge surprise, that many top UK online casinos lost money on people who had a bet on Leicester City to win the league.
The fall of Bolton Wanderers
Two teams who played in the EPL at the start of this decade, dropped all the way back to League One. Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers, who finished 13th and 14th in the 2009/2010 Premier League season, are now two levels lower. The fall of Bolton is the biggest one. They are currently dead last in League One with only 5 points, 15 points below the safe zone. A miracle must happen for the Trotters to stay away from League Two.
Title race changed in the Premier League
Chelsea was the first EPL champion of this decade. After a long battle with Manchester United, the Blues won the trophy with 1 point more than their competitors. Arsenal finished in 3rd position with 11 points below the champions. The last couple of years the title race has become a 2-horse race again, but the contenders changed. Liverpool, who finished 7th in 2009-2010 and Manchester City (5th in 2009-2010) are now the main contenders. Leicester City is currently their biggest threat. Arsenal dropped from third all the way to 11th.