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It’s been over two decades since the top-tier of English football was renamed the Premier League and it has been contested by 20 clubs from the start of the 1995/96 season. Before its inception, 46 clubs have tried their hand at the country’s most prestigious title.There have been some fantastic sides in the Premier League’s relatively short history and for teams like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, the new name has ushered in a new era of prosperity. Who could forget ‘The Invincibles’ of Arsenal in the 2003/04 season, the dominant, record-breaking Chelsea side of the 2004/05 campaign and the incredible United treble winning team of the 1998/99 season? However, for teams like Liverpool, nothing has quite been the same since the change but they have managed to remain ever-present in the league.But it is important to know that all of these so-called ‘big guns’ of England’s top-flight have had their shortcomings and have suffered disappointing, trophyless campaigns in the recent years. Here’s a look at the top-five teams of the Premier League and their worst season records.Note: The teams have been solely judged on the number of defeats they have suffered and the total points secured in that particular season.
#1 Arsenal - 11 losses
The 2005/06 campaign marked the final season in which Arsenal’s home matches were played at the Highbury Stadium after 93 years before moving half a mile to the newly built Emirates Stadium. The Gunners left their previous home ground on a bad note as they endured a run of three consecutive defeats in the month of December which was enough to rule them out of title contention.
But they still eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal on their road to final of UEFA Champions League and becoming the first London club to reach the final of the competition as Arsene Wenger focused on the continental competition. Unfortunately, Wenger’s side suffered a 2-1 loss to Barcelona in Paris. The sending off of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann changed the whole complexion of the game and goals from Samuel Eto’ o and Juliano Belletti were enough to shatter their European dreams.
They didn’t fare well well in the domestic cup competitions either as they were knocked out by Wigan Athletic in the League Cup semi-final and made an early exit in the FA Cup after losing out to Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers.
It was a nightmare season for Wenger and his men, a season which will be remembered in the years to come, not for the good reasons, but for registering the worst season record in the club’s history since the Premier League’s inception under Wenger as they ended the campaign trophyless and fourth in the league table with just 67 points.
They also suffered their worst Premier League campaign under the Frenchman with a total of 11 defeats.
#2 Manchester United - 12 losses
Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement after 26 years of service, having just won his 13th Premier League title that season and United’s 20th overall. The Scot named his compatriot David Moyes as his successor at Old Trafford and, for the latter, it was always going to be an uphill task of filling in the shoes of the club’s greatest manager.
Despite winning the annual curtain raiser at Wembley Stadium and taking over Ferguson’s title-winning team, the 20-time English champions struggled in the domestic league and endured some their worst results since the end of the 1980s under Moyes.
Pressure began to mount on the former Everton manager when the Red Devils were languishing 6th in the league table on New Year’s day. And in less than a week's time, they were knocked out of the two domestic cup competitions – eliminated from the FA Cup by Swansea City and losing out on penalties against Sunderland in the semi-final of the League Cup.
In the Champions League, their luck eventually ran out against the German powerhouse Bayern Munich who beat them 4-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the competition. Moyes just couldn’t handle the pressure and meet the expectations set at Old Trafford. With just four games remaining in the league and no chance of qualifying for the Champions League, the Scot was given the sack – less than a year into his six-year contract.
Club legend Ryan Giggs took over as United’s interim manager till the end of the season. The Red Devils finished seventh in the league, securing a total of 64 points along with 12 losses. The stats were a stark contrast to that of the previous title-winning season when United, under Ferguson, suffered just 5 defeats.
It marked the club’s lowest finish since 1990 and it also meant that they had missed out on European qualification for the first time since 1989/90.
#3 Liverpool - 14 losses
Liverpool suffered their worst season in the Premier League during the 2011/12 campaign under Kenny Dalglish where the club had mixed fortunes during the season. Although the club legend led his side to a League Cup triumph for a record eighth time – their first trophy since 2006 – their league form was disastrous.
The Merseyside club came close to winning the FA Cup but lost out to Chelsea in the final. In the Premier League, they eventually finished 8th in the table with 52 points and 14 defeats, their joint lowest Premier League finish since finishing 8th in 1994.
From the month of February to April, Dalglish’s red army suffered 6 losses out of 7 games, their only victory during that period came against Everton in the Merseyside Derby. Liverpool qualified for the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League only by the virtue of winning the League Cup.
#4 Chelsea - 15 losses
Before Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, the club never were never really considered among the top-four teams in the Premier League. They were a mid-table club and the club’s most successful era or rather the ‘golden era’ took off from 2004 onwards under Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho who led the club to their first domestic league title in 50 years.
Last season, Mourinho stormed the Blues to their third Premier League title under him and their achievement was complemented with a Capital One Cup triumph as well. However, Chelsea are suffering their worst start to the season in 37 years, having lost 7 from their opening 12 games and languishing 16th in the league table. It has not gone according to the script and not the way they intended to start a season, despite winning the title in fine fashion last term.
If they continue to go at this rate they could well be setting a new record by the end of this campaign. In 1997/98 season the West London registered their worst season record in club’s history.
The Blues suffered 15 league defeats, including four back-to-back defeats between February and March. After parting company with Dutch manager Ruud Gullit, the Blues galvanised under the guidance of 33-year-old player-manager Gianluca Vialli, who lead them to UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup triumphs and a fourth-place finish in the Premier League with 63 points.
#5 Manchester City - 21 losses
Not many of us are aware of this fact, but the current table toppers of the Premier League Manchester City have been relegated from the division five times ever since its inception. Just like in Chelsea’s case, City were never among the top teams to have competed in England’s top-flight.
But the club’s fortunes turned around as soon as it was purchased in 2008 by Abu Dhabi United Group. Since then it has become one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. In 2012, the club won their first Premier League title in 44 years and it marked the beginning of a new era in the city of Manchester.
But it was their 2005/06 campaign which was a complete disaster as they salvaged just three points and lost 9 matches from their last 10 fixtures in the league under manager Stuart Pearce. City ended 15th in the league table, securing 43 points and 21 losses.
