Liverpool are champions-elect of UK Premier League soccer and should claim the English top-flight crown for the first time since 1989.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have been imperious on the field and will go down as one of the greatest teams in the history of the league, such is their advantage over the chasing pack.
However, where do they stack up in the history of Premier League winners? We’ll now look back at three of the best teams to have won the title since the league was formed in 1992.
1. Arsenal 2003/04
The Invincibles will go down as one of the greatest teams of all time. Arsene Wenger’s men surged through the entire season unbeaten – a record that has not been matched since. The Gunners won 26 of their 38 matches and ended the campaign with 90 points – 11 more than their nearest rivals Chelsea. The title was never in doubt as players such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell were operating at the peak of their powers. Henry was sensational, notching 30 goals in 37 matches. The defense was solid as a rock, conceding only 26 goals.
Other title-winning teams have accumulated more points than Arsenal’s Invincibles, but the crown was never in doubt for Wenger’s side. They perhaps should have broken the 100-point barrier, conceding late goals against Tottenham, Leicester City, Bolton and Manchester United. It’s a testament to their greatness that their record is still revered by the elite teams in the league. Arsenal are clamoring for the days of old at the moment and are now struggling to compete for a top-four place, being backed at +333 in the odds on the Premiership to finish in a Champions League spot. The days of Wenger’s greats are well and truly over.
2. Manchester City 2017/18
Pep Guardiola arrived to much fanfare in the Premier League in the 2016/17 season, but his first term at Manchester City was underwhelming, placing third in the table. There were claims that Pep’s system was not suited to English soccer. How wrong people were. In his second campaign, the Spaniard’s side delivered the style and flair that brought success to Barcelona and Bayern Munich in his previous managerial positions.
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City were downright imperious as Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne thrived in the final third. They swept the rest of the Premier League aside with ease, becoming the first team in the history of the division to reach the 100-point mark, scoring 106 goals in the process. It was a complete domination, although defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United prevented them from matching Arsenal’s Invincibles. For sheer entertainment value, they might have been the most eye-catching team since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.
3. Chelsea 2004/05
Whereas it took Guardiola a year to settle into English soccer, Jose Mourinho hit the ground running with Chelsea in 2004. The Portuguese manager took to the Premier League like a duck to water. His style was uncompromising and ultimately very successful. The Blues had the challenge of dethroning the Invincibles and a Manchester United team featuring blossoming talents Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
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However, the Blues crushed all comers with a dominant defense – conceding only 15 goals in the entirety of the campaign, a truly incredible feat. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were rocks in the middle of the line, while Petr Cech was a machine between the sticks. Frank Lampard, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba took care of matters in the final third. The Blues mustered 95 points from their 38 matches, notching 29 victories and only one defeat – which came at the hands of Manchester City.
While none of these three teams are playing their best soccer right now, anything could happen next season!