Currently positioned 11th in the league.
In his debut season as the manager of Liverpool, Arne Slot surpassed expectations. There were doubts about whether anyone could effectively fill the shoes of club legend Jürgen Klopp, yet Slot took charge without any significant new signings and led the team to their second-ever Premier League title. This was followed by an eventful summer where the champions set two Premier League transfer records by acquiring Florian Wirtz for €125 million and Alexander Isak for €145 million, totaling €483 million in spending. From this, they emerged as strong favorites to defend their title, but few could have anticipated the challenges that awaited in the early stages of the new season.
Just 12 games into this season, it already seems like winning the league is out of reach for Slot’s side. This past Saturday, Liverpool suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, a team battling relegation, marking their sixth loss in the last seven Premier League matches. As shown in the graphic above, since September 27, when they lost to Crystal Palace, no team from the top five leagues has incurred more losses than Liverpool in all competitions. Their title defense appears nearly finished, but how does their performance after 12 games stack up against past Premier League champions? Could they potentially be the worst reigning champions? Let’s explore.
The Worst Reigning Premier League Champions
Despite Liverpool’s rough start, there have been three other Premier League champions in history who reported a lower points total after 12 games in the following season since the league began in 1992/93. Chelsea, who claimed the title in 2014/15 under José Mourinho, had only 11 points 12 matches into the 2015/16 season, sitting 16th in the standings, ultimately finishing the season in 10th place. Leicester City, who defied the odds to win the league as 5000/1 outsiders in the 2015/16 season, managed only 12 points in their subsequent campaign, landing 14th after 12 matches.
In the 1994/95 season, Blackburn Rovers became the second club to win the Premier League, yet they captured just 14 points from the first 12 matches of their title defense, ranking 11th. Liverpool’s current record, with 18 points after 12 games, places them fourth on this list. Had they not salvaged some late goals earlier in the season, they might have found themselves even lower.
Fifth on this list is Manchester United from the 1996/97 season. However, in what might be a silver lining for Liverpool, despite the Red Devils earning only 19 points after 12 matches and sitting sixth, they successfully retained their title that year. Manchester United appears multiple times in the top ten, having similarly struggled in the 2013/14, 2001/02, and 1999/00 seasons. Arsenal and Manchester City also feature in this discussion as poorly performing reigning champions.
