Apparently recovering from previous league campaigns marred by disappointment, both Arsenal and Manchester United look poised to finish third and fourth respectively in the Barclays Premier League this May.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Manchester City look set to dominate the domestic stage for years to come. Money talks, it seems, in politics just as much as it does in football.

As good as a result this may seem for both Man Utd and Arsenal, the verdict that they are simply benefiting from poor opposition and big short-term spending may be more appropriate than a narrative of genuine resurgence.

The same can also be said of the state of US politics, where Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton look set to battle for the US presidency in 2016. On the brink of the ascendancy, both families have dominated US public life in some shape of form throughout the majority of the past three decades.

During earlier stages of this year’s Premier League campaign, had the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham played to the potential they showed last season they would sit above Man Utd in the table. Had the general quality of league opposition not plummeted so far and so quickly, certainly Arsenal would not be sitting above their usual fourth spot.

This lack of star quality is visible in US politics. Few individuals look likely to offer much different than Bush or Clinton ideologically, or stand a realistic chance of seriously financially challenging the big two’s campaign machines.

Unless other potential presidential nominees manage to raise more funds than Bush or Clinton – or these two perform so badly that they are forced to abort their campaigns – without a new narrative or pledge to present, like Barack Obama promised change nearly a decade ago, they might as well pursue other endeavours.

Leeds United, Nottingham Forrest and Glasgow Rangers have come to embody the old cliché that nothing lasts forever in football. In politics, the same rule should apply; successive politicians should see themselves as part of a chain, and established institutions as cogs in a wheel.

Man Utd look destined for a return to the top 4, Arsenal for 3rd place; soon Bush and Clinton could return to the top 2. Yet, whether they have a better offering than their rivals other than financial prowess – and a neck for being in the right place and getting the right results at the right time – remains to be seen.