Certainly, if ourselves, City and Chelsea improve next season (and in all likelihood, we all will) then the competition will be stiffer. If Liverpool win it this year and fail to win it the next, a myth will start to generate that there was a lack of competition this year. I have no problems with that as I despise them, but in future years it will be exaggerated.
Had SAF been around, we'd have won the league. No doubt people will pull up our away record this season, and then use our good home record under Fergie to complete this point. Liverpool have done well but I fully expect them to be fighting with ourselves and Arsenal for a top four spot next season. They've done well but this wont last.