The Premier League began in 1992 with an aim of delivering entertaining and high quality football to the world. Fast forward three decades, the Premier League is by far the most popular football league in the world, with the best players and best managers fighting it out on a weekly basis. The sheer drama at offer has captivated worldwide audiences and is unrivalled across the world.
The last 30 years of the Premier League has seen some of the best teams the beautiful game has ever produced. A team's greatness can be defined by a myriad of tangible and intangible factors ; the points it accrues, the football it plays and the legacy it leaves behind. The most important, however, is the trophies a team lifts at the end of the season!
Naturally, the debate of which one is the greatest has raged on for decades, let us try and answer this age old question and rank the top 5 greatest teams of the Premier League era.
#5 Liverpool 2019-2020
- Matches won: 32
- Matches lost: 3
- Matches drawn: 3
- Points total: 99
In the 2018-19 season, Liverpool amassed a massive 97 points yet finished second to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City team by just a single point. Showing great charecter and determination, Liverpool started the following season at break-neck speed and won their first eight games in a row, setting a new club record for the best start to a league campaign. They finished the season with 32 wins and with 99 points, finishing a massive 18 points a ahead of second place.
Liverpool's famous front three of Mohamed Salah-Sadio Mane-Roberto Firmino were on fire in that year and together, scored 46 goals and provided 27 assists in the 2019-20 Premier League season. Virgin van Dijk and Alisson had steller seasons at the back and kept 13 clean sheets, providing a solid defensive structure for the team.
Jurgen Klopp's reds played irresistable high-tempo football with their gegenpress causing havoc in the Premier League. The 2019-20 season was part of Klopp's dominant Liverpool teams who also won the UEFA Champions League the year before and won the Club World Cup as well.
#4 Chelsea 2004-2005
- Matches won: 29
- Matches lost: 1
- Matches drawn: 8
- Points total: 95
Jose Mourinho famously dubbed himself as 'The Special One' when he joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004. He had won the Champions League with Porto the year before and was touted as the new manager to challenger for the Premier League title. The Portuguese did not dissapoint and his Chelsea team broke multiple records, winninig the Premier League with a then record, 95 points.
Chelsea's title win was built off of their incredible defense. They conceded just 15 goals in the whole season, a record which is still standing and is unlikely to ever be broken.
The Blues also won the League Cup that year and emerged as new challengers to Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, wininng the league again the following season.
#3 Manchester City 2017-2018
- Matches won: 32
- Matches lost: 2
- Matches drawn: 4
- Points total: 100
Nicknamed the 'Centurions', Manchester City's 2017-18 team will go down in history as the first team to ever reach 100 points in the Premier League era. Their season was one of the most dominant in Premier League history. Under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, City set a number of records and won the title 19 points ahaed of local rivals, Manchester United.
One of the key factors in City's success that season was their attacking firepower. City scored a staggering 106 goals in the Premier League, which is also a record for the most goals scored in a single season. The team's attacking trio of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane played a crucial role in this, scoring a combined total of 49 goals and providing 36 assists.
Overall, Manchester City's 2017-18 season was a testament to the tactical brilliance of Pep Guardiola, the quality of the team's players, and their ability to dominate the Premier League like no team before them.
#2 Arsenal 2003-2004
- Matches won: 26
- Matches lost: 0
- Matches drawn: 12
- Points total: 90
Arsenal's 2003-04 season is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of English football. Under the guidance of manager Arsene Wenger, the team won the Premier League title without losing a single game, going on to be known as 'The Invincibles'. Their record of going the entire season unbeaten is a remarkable achievement which has not been repeated since.
Their attack was spearheaded by Thierry Henry who scored 30 goals in the league. Henry is arguably the best player to ever have played in the league and was the lynchpin for Arsene Wenger. The attack also featured Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires who dominated Premier League defenses throughout the season.
The team's achievement of going unbeaten for an entire Premier League season is a feat that has not been matched since, and it is part of Arsene Wenger's incredible legacy in the English football.
#1 Manchester United 1998-1999
- Matches won: 22
- Matches lost: 3
- Matches drawn: 13
- Points total: 79
The all conquring Manchester United team of 1998-1999 who won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League is unarguably the greatest team that England has ever seen.
Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils showed incredible fight and desire to come back from adversity and emerge victorious. The embodiment of their never-say-die attitude was the Champions League final agaisnt Bayern Munich. United was trailing 1-0 in the 90th minute, however in true Manchester United fashion scored two late goals to win the final and complete the historic treble.
The class of 92' (United's youth academy products) were the backbone of the team, including David Bekham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke were the attacking firepower with Roy Keane at the base of their midfield, a true all-time great team. The treble winners are undoubtedly the crown jewel of English football's history.
