Great quote from the guardian on the Classico today:
This is a kind of footballing chaos theory. In a league where the points totals are so high, the tiniest mistake, the flutter of a butterfly's wing, has a huge impact. Draws are the new defeats; defeats are the new disasters
And that is very true. The league is meant to decide which team is better. Many people simply say "the team that wins the league is the best" and then stick their fingers in their ears and hum. But in a league were two giants win all the other 36 games and it simply comes down to the two matches against each other, then the league isn't a league at all; it's a two-legged cup match. And in the cup, anyone can win.
Of course it isn't just high points leagues that are decided on butterflies, but any league where their isn't much between the teams. In 2010 the Premier League seemed to be decided on several butterflies, most noticeable perhaps because it finished so close. Last year was almost the same, had the referee gifted the Chelsea-United game to either team, they would have been undeserved champions whoever they where. At least the eyes of the opposition.
This season has been strange, make no mistake. You could twice play Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle teams that look strong enough for the Champions League; all 5 of those teams have looked like they could both qualify and do well in it at some point in time. Or you could play those 5 teams when they are in free fall, and could not find a point for love or money. That is a hypothetical 30 point swing depending on when you played them.
In the end it was pretty even between City and United. Both played Tottenham at the start of the season when they where rubbish, and then at the peak of going from title contenders to relegation form. United played Liverpool during their swan dive to mid-table but then a game between the two clubs is never easy anyway. City had to play Chelsea after their resurgence, although they didn't bother showing up on the day, but also had to play Arsenal during their good run of form too.
None of this matters however, the league champion is the league champion. People who claim they are undeserved can be waived away with a word of "bitter" and it will likely be true. But the true truth of who is the better team; United or City, Barcelona or Real, Dortmund or Bayern, Reading or Southampton... is a little more unclear.
