Manchester City slumped to one more defeat on Saturday because the defending Premier League champions fell to a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa that, simply to rub salt into the wound, noticed their opponents leapfrog them within the desk.
The four-time reigning champions of England are discovering their bid for a fifth consecutive crown robust going. Pep Guardiola’s facet have gained simply one among their previous eight league video games, that run extending to at least one in 12 matches in all competitions. Having performed 17 league video games, City are sixth within the desk with 27 factors (9 behind leaders Liverpool, who play one among their two video games in hand on the champions on Sunday) as we head into the Christmas interval and towards the midway mark of the marketing campaign.
However, dejected City followers would possibly have the ability to take coronary heart in the truth that, on the identical level of final season, they had been in fourth place and 5 factors behind leaders Arsenal, they usually nonetheless roared again to win the title. And their 2024-25 travails aren’t even near being the among the many worst Premier League title defences on file.
There have been some underwhelming Premier League defences over time (Manchester United in 2013-14 and Blackburn Rovers in 1995-96, for instance) however the twin disasters staged by Chelsea as reigning champs in 2015-16 and Leicester City‘s the next season should rank as the 2 worst.
Here we have a look at numerous completely different standards by which you could possibly verify are the worst-ever Premier League title defence — first by taking complete seasons into consideration, after which by judging the culprits on their data after their 17 league video games, the purpose the place City are of their present marketing campaign.
Full seasons
Defending champions with lowest end by desk place
Leicester City (2016-17): twelfth
Still the low-water mark on the subject of Premier League title defences, Leicester went from the euphoria of profitable the title in 2015-16 despite preseason odds as long as 5000-1, solely to lodge the worst-ever ending place for a defending champion the season after. The Foxes may need completed twelfth, however they fell as little as seventeenth in February — ensuing within the sacking of heroic supervisor Claudio Ranieri — just for a flurry of 5 consecutive wins by means of March and April to haul them up and out of the relegation mire.
Defending champions with largest factors hole to new champions
Leicester City (2016-17): 49 factors
After struggling their very own annus horribilis as defending champions in 2015-16, Chelsea returned to the summit the next marketing campaign as Antonio Conte marshalled them again to the highest. The Blues completed with 93 factors on the board, virtually double the tally of the faltering Foxes.
Biggest drop-off in factors whole from title-winning season
Chelsea (2015-16): minus-37 factors (87 to 50) Leicester City (2016-17): minus-37 factors (81 to 44)
Chelsea and Leicester are neck-and-neck on the subject of the discount of their post-title factors tallies, with either side in some way managing to haemorrhage 37 factors down in the course of the fallow seasons their adopted their respective league triumphs.
Biggest drop-off in objectives scored from title-winning season
Chelsea (2010-11): minus-34 (from 103 to 69)
This is the one stat level that does not come from the interval between 2015 and 2017, although Chelsea are nonetheless answerable for registering the most important drop-off in objectives scored after profitable the title the earlier season. It’s a bit harsh, however the Blues’ failure to re-create their large three-figure tally on the way in which to claiming the 2009-10 Premier League title (by “solely” scoring 69 objectives and ending as runners-up behind Manchester United the next yr) goes down as the biggest post-title purpose deficit on file.
Biggest drop-off in total purpose distinction from title-winning season
Leicester City (2016-17): minus-47 (from plus-32 to minus-15)
Once once more, Leicester win the picket spoon for the most important swing in purpose distinction after their 2015-16 title run noticed them end with plus-32 (which is the slimmest purpose differential of any Premier League champion) solely to plummet spectacularly down into adverse fairness the next yr.
After 17 video games
After falling to their sixth league defeat of the season (and their fifth of their previous seven league video games), City are actually simply 4 factors above midtable after 17 matches.
Compared with final season’s file on the identical juncture, Pep Guardiola’s facet are considerably off the tempo — which can be barely regarding seeing as they had been solely fourth and trailing 5 factors behind league leaders Arsenal at this level final yr.
City had been capable of rally from the flip of the yr, and an unbeaten second half of the season was sufficient for them to claw again into competition. They beat West Ham United on the ultimate day of the marketing campaign to pip the Gunners to the prize and seal their fourth title on the bounce, the primary time that feat has been achieved within the English high flight.
Man City 2023-24 title-winning season after 17 video games
Position: 4th
Points: 34
Gap to leaders: 5 factors (Arsenal high with 39)
Goals scored: 40
GD: 20
Man City 2024-25 title defence after 17 video games
Position: sixth
Points: 27
Gap to leaders: 9 (Liverpool high with 36, with two video games in hand as of Dec. 21)
Points drop off from final season: minus-7
Goals scored drop off from final season: minus-11
GD drop off from final season: minus-16
When it involves the worst title-defending data after 17 video games of the season, the identical two culprits re-emerge: Chelsea in 2015-16 and Leicester City in 2016-17.
Defending champions with lowest desk place after 17 video games
Leicester City (2016-17): fifteenth, 17 factors
Chelsea (2015-16) had been additionally fifteenth after 17 video games however had amassed 18 factors by the identical juncture — yet one more level than Leicester
Defending champions with largest factors hole to leaders after 17 video games
Leicester City (2016-17): 26 factors
Biggest drop-off in factors whole from title-winning season after 17 video games
Chelsea (2015-16): -24 factors (+42 all the way down to +18)
Biggest drop-off in objectives scored from title-winning season after 17 video games
Chelsea (2015-16): -17 objectives (+38 all the way down to +21)
Biggest drop-off in purpose distinction from title-winning season after 17 video games
Chelsea (2015-16): -31 swing in total GD (from +25 to -6)
