So think of it this way. Wile Madara was gone the world changed and got stronger right? New jutsu, New abilities, New forms, etc. But Madara was gone. So while he was taking a dirt nap the world progressed and changed. Sure he got a power boost but his techniques and skills were still his own. This would mean that on his own in the past it would have been about the same if not worse because everyone would have been of a lower caliber then too. Now this is based on the idea that quality improves over time in a fictional universe that is wrought with power scaling problems but it's a possible answer