Winning a Premier League title is one thing, defending it is another.
Liverpool are more than familiar with that sentiment. After failing to reclaim their crown in 2021, they look set to relinquish again after a poor start to this season.
They are not the only club in recent years to struggle the year after finishing top of the table. Indeed, it seems to be becoming more and more common. But how do the Reds compare to the slowest title defences in the Premier League era?
Fewest points after 12 games by defending Premier League champions:
5. Man Utd – 1996/97
Points: 19
Final position: 1st
Manchester United are first up, but you may be surprised to find that it is not the David Moyes side that performed so badly in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. No, in fact it was Ferguson’s team from the mid-nineties that got off to a very slow start after winning their third title under the Scot.
The Red Devils drew three of their opening four matches, but remained unbeaten until late October. Newcastle United inflicted an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at St. James’ Park, which was followed by consecutive losses to Southampton and Chelsea.
But just as they did the year before, United recovered to reel in the Magpies and beat them to first place, losing just twice more across the rest of the campaign.
Read –Â The heaviest defeats suffered by Premier League champions
4. Liverpool – 2025/26
Points: 18
Final position: TBD
After winning their opening five matches, Liverpool could not have started their Premier League title defence any better. But they were far from flawless in that first month, requiring late goals on each occasion to save them.
The Reds subsequently went on to lose six of their next seven outings, while they were also beaten by Galatasaray in the Champions League and Crystal Palace in the League Cup. Successive victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid offered hope they had turned a corner, but they shipped six goals without reply to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest to bring them back down to Earth again.
Read –Â Isak breaks unwanted record after latest Liverpool loss
3. Blackburn Rovers – 1995/96
Points: 14
Final position: 7th
After doing the impossible and dethroning Manchester United, Blackburn never got close to repeating that marvellous feat despite possessing a wealth of talent.
Rovers began the following campaign with a narrow win over QPR, but had to wait over a month for the next victory, losing to Sheffield Wednesday, newly promoted Bolton Wanderers, United and Liverpool.
Their form did pick up after that point, but after 12 games they had won just four games and sat 11th in the Premier League table.
Read – Salad cream, dog piss and an infected pimple – football’s weirdest injuries
2. Leicester City – 2016/17
Points: 12
Final position: 12th
The greatest miracle in Premier League history was followed up with the worst title defence since the division’s rebrand in 1992.
Leicester City shocked the world in 2016 when they lost just three games to clinch the title. They lost that many matches by the end of September the following season as things unravelled at a rapid pace at the King Power Stadium.
With just three wins from their opening 12 matches, relegation became a genuine concern. Claudio Ranieri was sacked just nine months after leading the Foxes to glory and was replaced by Craig Shakespeare.
Leicester did eventually manage to turn things around to avoid the drop and they remarkably reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Read – Every Premier League champion to lose four games in a row
1. Chelsea – 2015/16
Points: 11
Final position: 10th
A large part of Leicester’s unlikely triumph can be put down to Chelsea‘s wretched title defence.
Jose Mourinho’s men cantered to the title the season beforehand and should have been primed to retain it. Instead, they completely collapsed as the Special One descended into madness.
In their opening day clash with Swansea City, team doctor Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn ran onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard. Mourinho was apoplectic as it meant the Belgian would have to leave the pitch momentarily.
Carneiro, who was later sacked, would take the club to court and eventually win a £5 million settlement. Chelsea, meanwhile, unravelled.
By the end of October they were 15th in the table, hovering above the relegation zone. Mourinho was sacked in December and replaced by familiar face Guus Hiddink. The veteran Dutch coach stabilised things and even brought them to the FA Cup final, but they still suffered their worst league finish in 20 years.
Read –Â Premier League clubs approve major rules change ahead of next season
See Also – The Premier League teams set to be most impacted by AFCON
