Commentary: Has the EPL turned into a boring snooze fest?

SEOUL: Manchester City’s win over Chelsea on Jan 15 was their 12th successive English Premier League victory and moved the team 11 points clear of Liverpool in second that weekend.

Usually, with 17 games remaining, one more than the leaders, the challengers would still be seen to be in the race.

But few think that anything will happen this season to stop City claiming a fourth title in five years, even after their subsequent draw against Southampton allowed their rivals to inch to within nine points.

The club have come a long way since Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family took over in 2008.

There has since been a huge investment in players, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that the club spent £1.42 billion (US$1.9 billion) on new players in the previous decade to become the top team in England.

In 2016, perhaps the most important deal was made as Pep Guardiola, regarded by some as the best coach in the world, was hired. The Spaniard has developed a team with a style of play that sweeps others aside.

Nobody questions the quality of the Sky Blues, but games are often so one-sided as to be called “boring”. In that 12-game winning streak, City scored 34 goals and conceded just seven.

With Guardiola’s philosophy to deprive the other team of the ball, games are rarely end-to-end roller-coasters full of drama.

Ken Early of The Irish Times was left cold by the win against Chelsea, despite the tactical masterclass displayed by Guardiola.

“Most of us don’t watch football for technical quality or tactical intrigue,” he wrote. “We’re watching because we want to feel something – and the risk of defeat adds savour to the joy of victory.

“(Guardiola’s) teams are designed to exert the maximum of control… Partly it’s the style