Is this a temporary change or something more permanent?

No, not recent political events, but the weird goings on with the big beasts of the Premier League.

Arsenal have won two points from the past 12 while losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League. This was mirrored by Manchester City losing four games in a row after only scraping past Wolves and Southampton.

I warned here a few weeks ago here that I thought City were creaking. So what is going on?

It might just be bad luck but it is more likely to be the over-working of a small number of crucial players finally taking its toll.

The injuries are obvious causes but asking the leftover squad to play three games a week, while fitting in national team fixtures, after the summer’s gruelling international tournaments has had an effect.

The players have gone through these stresses before, but it is the cumulative effect of this year after year, season after season that has had the profound effect – just as many players and coaches predicted.

Suddenly the behemoth squads are looking a little threadbare, which is incredible when you consider their combined costs.

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