After Man City lose again, what are the worst Premier League title defences ever?

Manchester City’s Struggles: A Look at Premier League Title Defenses

Manchester City, the reigning champions of the Premier League, faced another setback on Saturday. The team suffered a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, a defeat that not only added to their woes but also allowed Villa to leapfrog them in the league standings. This loss marks a challenging period for City, who are striving for a fifth consecutive title under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

Currently, City has managed to secure just one victory in their last eight league games, a streak that extends to one win in 12 matches across all competitions. With 17 league games played, City finds themselves in sixth place with 27 points, trailing nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand. As we approach the Christmas period and the halfway mark of the season, City fans might be feeling a bit anxious.

However, there’s a silver lining for the dejected City supporters. At the same point last season, City was in fourth place, five points behind leaders Arsenal. Yet, they managed to rally and clinch the title. Moreover, their current struggles are far from being the worst title defenses in Premier League history.

Over the years, there have been some lackluster title defenses, such as Manchester United in 2013-14 and Blackburn Rovers in 1995-96. However, the most notable disasters were staged by Chelsea in 2015-16 and Leicester City in the following season. These two campaigns are often cited as the worst title defenses in Premier League history.

Full Seasons

Let’s delve into the criteria that define the worst-ever Premier League title defenses, starting with full seasons:

• Defending champions with lowest finish by table position: Leicester City (2016-17): 12th

Leicester City holds the record for the lowest finish by a defending champion. After their miraculous title win in 2015-16, with preseason odds as long as 5000-1, they finished 12th the following season. At one point, they were as low as 17th, leading to the sacking of manager Claudio Ranieri. A late-season surge helped them avoid relegation.

• Defending champions with biggest points gap to new champions: Leicester City (2016-17): 49 points

In the 2016-17 season, Chelsea returned to the top under Antonio Conte, finishing with 93 points, nearly double Leicester’s tally. This marked a 49-point gap between the new champions and the faltering Foxes.

• Biggest drop-off in points total from title-winning season: Chelsea (2015-16) and Leicester City (2016-17): minus-37 points

Chelsea and Leicester both experienced a significant drop in points, losing 37 points each compared to their title-winning seasons.

• Biggest drop-off in goals scored from title-winning season: Chelsea (2010-11): minus-34

Chelsea’s goal-scoring prowess diminished significantly after their 2009-10 title win, with a 34-goal drop the following season.

• Biggest drop-off in overall goal difference from title-winning season: Leicester City (2016-17): minus-47

Leicester’s goal difference swung dramatically from plus-32 in their title-winning season to minus-15 the next year.

After 17 Games

After their sixth league defeat of the season, City is now just four points above midtable after 17 matches. Compared to last season, they are significantly off the pace. Last year, they were fourth, trailing five points behind Arsenal at this stage. However, they managed to rally in the second half of the season, ultimately winning the title.

Here’s a comparison of City’s performance after 17 games in their title-winning season and their current campaign:

• Man City 2023-24 title-winning season after 17 games:
  Position: 4th
  Points: 34
  Gap to leaders: 5 points (Arsenal top with 39)
  Goals scored: 40
  GD: 20

• Man City 2024-25 title defense after 17 games:
  Position: 6th
  Points: 27
  Gap to leaders: 9 (Liverpool top with 36, with two games in hand as of Dec. 21)
  Points drop off from last season: minus-7
  Goals scored drop off from last season: minus-11
  GD drop off from last season: minus-16

When it comes to the worst title-defending records after 17 games, Chelsea in 2015-16 and Leicester City in 2016-17 stand out:

• Defending champions with lowest table position after 17 games: Leicester City (2016-17): 15th, 17 points
• Defending champions with biggest points gap to leaders after 17 games: Leicester City (2016-17): 26 points
• Biggest drop-off in points total from title-winning season after 17 games: Chelsea (2015-16): -24 points
• Biggest drop-off in goals scored from title-winning season after 17 games: Chelsea (2015-16): -17 goals
• Biggest drop-off in goal difference from title-winning season after 17 games: Chelsea (2015-16): -31 swing in overall GD