Liverpool's decline and their worst title defense seasons.
Six defeats in 12 matches, 20 goals conceded, and a rare run of heavy losses have pushed Liverpool into the worst group of title defenders since Leicester 2016–17 and Chelsea 2015–16.
Six defeats in 12 matches, 20 goals conceded, and 12th place. That's the reality for the reigning Premier League champions and also the worst start for a champion since Leicester in the 2016–17 season. With such a heavy losing streak, the question arises: Where does Liverpool stand on the list of the worst title defenses in the league history?
A warning sign at the start: Leicester 2016–17 and Chelsea 2015–16 serve as cautionary examples.
Liverpool became the champions with the worst start since Leicester in 2016–17: six defeats in 12 games, placing them 12th. At that time, Claudio Ranieri was sacked mid-season. A year earlier, Chelsea in 2015–16 fared even worse, losing seven of their first 12 games and Jose Mourinho leaving just before Christmas. These precedents serve as an unwelcome reminder for Slot.
Ironically, just six months earlier, Slot had been hailed as a record-breaker: winning the Premier League in his first season, becoming the third youngest manager ever to win the title, and leading Liverpool to victory with four games remaining. The feeling of a new era was high — then collapsed after only a few months.
A summer of £450 million and a gap on the scoreboard.
This past summer, Liverpool spent around £450 million on a host of new signings: Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike, Kerkez, Frimpong, Leoni, and Mamardashvili. The expectation was a boost to defend their title. In reality, this massive influx of players has actually dragged the team down.
The attack has been ineffective, while the defense has conceded 20 goals in 12 matches — the worst record in 33 years. Even worse, the two most expensive signings, Isak and Wirtz (a combined cost of £241 million), have yet to score a single Premier League goal.
Defense collapses: a rare and disastrous run of form.
A series of dismal statistics unfolded. For the first time since 1965, Liverpool lost two consecutive matches by three goals. The 1-4 defeat against PSV opened the door to an even worse scenario: three consecutive defeats by three goals or more — the first time in 77 years. All of this happened shortly after they had won all five of their opening matches of the season.
Liverpool are not alone: seasons defending their title have been in freefall.
The history of the Premier League has seen many champions plummet in the following season. Leicester, after their peak in 2016, dropped to 12th place, losing 37 points compared to the previous season. Chelsea in 2015–16 also lost 37 points and fell into disarray. Liverpool themselves experienced a 30-point drop in the 2020–21 season, losing six consecutive home games, but still managed to return to the top four by the end of the season. Further back, Blackburn in 1995–96 finished only 7th despite Shearer scoring 31 goals.
| The champion team | Protection season | Key to decline |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 2016–17 | Finished 12th; lost 37 points; Ranieri sacked mid-season. |
| Chelsea | 2015–16 | Having lost 7 of their first 12 matches and dropped 37 points, Mourinho was sacked before Christmas. |
| Liverpool | 2020–21 | Lost 30 points; six consecutive home defeats; finished in the top 4. |
| Blackburn | 1995–96 | Shearer only finished 7th despite scoring 31 goals. |
The harsh reality of the next season
Data shows that 9 out of the last 15 champions dropped at least 10 points in the following season. Except for the stable eras of Ferguson and Guardiola, most teams only experienced moments of peak performance followed by a decline.
For Liverpool, the question is no longer "what happened" — the numbers speak for themselves. The remaining question is where they will stop their freefall, and whether this slide can be controlled in the same way they returned to the top four race in the 2020-21 season.
