One of the great things about football is that every season brings new emerging talent, players who shift momentum, change the dynamic and force teams to rethink their strategy.

This summer has been no different, with a fresh crop of high-profile signings by Premier League clubs.

Liverpool have signed German midfielder Florian Wirtz, Arsenal have snapped up Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres and Chelsea have landed Brazilian forward João Pedro.

New signings are accompanied by big ambitions. But as any good manager will tell you, a football team isn’t just about signing the most expensive striker. You need balance. A reliable defence, a composed midfield and attacking talent who can adapt to the opponent in front of them. That’s how titles are won.

This week’s chart shows the league tables for performance by asset classes and regions over the past five years, highlighting how things change. It shows very clearly that what’s at the top of the table one year can be at the bottom the next.

A well-diversified portfolio is like a well-balanced team, combining the safety of defensive assets (think cash and bonds) with the creativity of midfielders (alternatives and income strategies) and the high-octane potential of forwards (equities and other risk assets). Each season (or year), the star player is likely to change, sometimes it may be US equities, sometimes commodities, and so far this year it’s been European equities. No single style goes on winning forever.

Key takeaway

Build your team for the long term, not just the next match. Diversification might not make the headlines, but it’s designed to help your portfolio perform over time.

While we’re on a footballing theme, do you think you can outscore the Marlborough portfolio managers (and our highly competitive sales team)? To find out, you can join our Marlborough Fantasy Football League on the Premier League Fantasy Football app and see how your team stacks up.

Just use these details:

League name: Marlborough Fantasy Football

League PIN: fkuajw (all lowercase)

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This article is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as personal financial advice to invest in any fund or product. These are the investment manager’s views at the time of writing and should not be construed as investment advice. The opinions expressed are correct at time of writing and may be subject to change. Capital is at risk. The value and income from investments can go down as well as up and are not guaranteed. An investor may get back significantly less than they invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future performance and should not be the sole factor considered when selecting funds.