Premier League Fans Fume As Allegedly Corrupt, 4-Time Defending Champs Man City Gifted Easiest End-Of-Season Schedule

Manchester City has essentially broken the Premier League, if not the entire world of soccer on the whole.

To make this as digestible as possible, let’s put it in American football terms. Let’s say a historically subpar franchise that’s lived in the shadows of its major city crosstown rivals for decades was purchased by a Middle Eastern oil state. For the sake of the example, we’ll use the New York Jets and Iran.

And let’s say those Iranian-owned Jets were then allowed to spend as much money as they wanted and bought all of the world’s best players, effectively giving them enough talent to field two starting line-ups, despite the money coming from questionable sources. They also pluck some of the best players from other teams in the league, only to often let them rot on the bench.

In being allowed to do this, it’s only taken them about 15 years to break the balance of power in the NFL, with the Jets winning eight Super Bowls in the last 13 seasons, including six of the last seven, and four straight. Only a team similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers has stopped them from winning SEVEN STRAIGHT SUPER BOWLS.

Now, imagine the Jets were charged 115 times in relation to where their money came from and how they made it, and the Jets responded by suing the NFL, claiming that they’re the “tyranny of the majority” and that the Jets should be allowed to do whatever they please financially, competitive spirit be damnd.

That’s the Man City saga, Americanized. And now, following the release of the 2024/25 Premier League schedule on June 18, they’ve also been gifted the league’s easiest schedule in what’s known as the “run-in,” which OptaAnalyst defines as the final 10 games of the season.

Their last 11 matches will see City take on Brighton & Hove Albion (home), Leicester City (newly promoted, home), Manchester United (coming off their worst-ever PL season, away), Crystal Palace (home), Everton (away), Aston Villa (home), Wolverhampton Wanderers (home), Southampton (newly promoted, away), Bournemouth (home), and Fulham (away).

This, according to OptaAnalyst’s data, is the easiest of all the teams in the league.

“City’s end of season run-in is absolutely laughable,” tweeted one footy fan.

“They’re not beating the corruption allegations. Every season easy games in the run-in,” suggested another.

While there’s an argument to be made that the Premier League’s format of each team playing each other home and away brings parity to any perceived scheduling advantages, the fact is that — like most things in life — being at the right place in the right time matters. A lot.

Not only are there more things at stake towards the end of the season — winning the title, European qualification, and relegation — but City’s aforementioned depth is a particular advantage during this window, as virtually all the league’s other teams, especially the bottom half ones, are dealing with depth issues due to fatigue and injuries.

Suggesting that Man City influences the Premier League’s scheduling is a conspiracy theory of the highest order — that’s true. But that’s also where Man City’s behavior has pushed the Premier League, as it’s now become Manchester City’s League.