Every August, the same six names get recycled as the automatic ceiling of what's possible in the Premier League — and every season, that framing gets a little more disconnected from what actually happens on the pitch.
The phrase made more sense a decade ago, when the financial gap between the top six and everyone else was wide enough to be functionally decisive. That gap still exists, but it's narrower than the narrative admits, and clubs outside that group have shown repeatedly that a good transfer window and a clear tactical identity can close it for a season, sometimes longer.
None of this means the traditional powers aren't still favourites — they usually are, and for good reason. But treating "Big Six" as a fixed, permanent category rather than a rough historical pattern does a disservice to how genuinely competitive the division has become outside that group.