Mind the gap: ‘Big six’ get bigger as the rest flounder

The Premier League prides itself on being the most competitive in the world and points to Leicester’s 2016 title triumph at preseason odds of 5,000-1 as the ultimate evidence.

It might be time to revisit that opinion.

The end-of-season Premier League positions show a worrying development: The chasm between the ‘big six’ — Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal — and the rest is bigger than ever.