The worst Premier League title defences in history - where do Liverpool rank?

A Premier League title win is always a memorable occasion, but like that difficult second album, defending it the following campaign is an altogether trickier task. 

Manchester City may have won a record-breaking four titles in a row in recent seasons, but other clubs haven't found retaining their crown as easy, as Liverpool are proving this campaign. 

• Read next I Could Mohamed Salah’s bitter stand-off with Liverpool be resolved before Saturday’s game against Brighton?

The Reds' defence has already gone up in flames following a dismal run this season, which has now culminated in a dramatic fallout with star player Mo Salah and boss Arne Slot, such is the pressure of trying to stay on top. 

As we look towards the halfway point of the season, the champions are down in 10th place, and if they continue on the same trajectory, they could find themselves added to this list of the league's worst-ever title defences. 

Chelsea 2017-18 

Antonio Conte's first season in charge at the Bridge had been a monumental success, as Chelsea ended up runaway winners of the Premier League, but it all came crashing down in the follow-up campaign. 

It began with the Italian involved in a public fallout with striker Diego Costa that saw him banned from the club and eventually sold in January. Then, on the pitch, the Blues kicked off with a shock 3-2 defeat to Burnley on the opening days, and things rarely improved after that. 

Heavy losses to Bournemouth and Watford saw their title face go out with a whimper as they eventually finished 5th and Conte was relieved off his duties, having endured a frustrating season both on and off the pitch with the club. 

Getty

Manchester United 2013-14 

Oh, how Manchester United fans can still get fuzzy over the Spring of 2013. Sir Alex Ferguson was still the boss, leading his side to their twentieth Premier League title, before handing over the reins to heir apparent David Moyes to continue the legacy the club had carved out. Unfortunately, it never worked out like that for anyone involved. 

Moyes' task of trying to follow Sir Alex was always going to be a challenge, but even though he had the rub from Fergie himself, the former Everton boss didn't even last the campaign as United became a shadow of their former selves. During the season, they lost heavily to Liverpool and Man City, as well as suffering shock defeats to West Brom and Stoke. 

Moyes was replaced by an interim role for Ryan Giggs and United ended the campaign in 7th place, their then-worst-ever Premier League placing. Who knew then, how worse it was set to become. 

Getty

Blackburn Rovers 1995-96 

Blackburn Rovers' title win in 1995 was one of the highlights of the Premier League's glorious early 90s haze, as Jack Walker built an unlikely foe to Manchester United's dominance with Kenny Dalglish leading the charge. 

That summer, though, Dalglish took a backseat as Director of Football, with Ray Harford stepping up as boss, and Rovers failed to find the same formula to challenge once again. In fact, for most of the first half of the season, there were genuine fears of relegation for the champions. 

Alan Shearer's 31 goals and a much-improved second half to the season did see them claw some credit back, eventually finishing 7th, but it was a far cry from the glory at Anfield twelve months before that saw them lift the league title. 

Getty

Chelsea 2015-16 

A complete anomaly of a season for Chelsea, who would win titles either side of this disastrous campaign during Jose Mourinho's second spell at the club. 

They'd won the title by eight points that Spring but failed to get going as they began again in August, winning just three of their opening 12 games and saw Mourinho involved in a very public spat with club physio Eva Carneiro. 

By the turn of the year, the Blues sat in 14th place and the former Special One had lost his job, with Guus Hiddink coming in to replace the Portuguese. 

Hiddink did manage to steady the ship and led the West Londoners to a 10th-place finish as Leicester memorably won the league, but they ended the season with 37 fewer points than they had achieved the previous year. 

Getty

Leicester City 2016-17 

All fairytales have happy endings, so you'd forgive any Leicester fan to forget what happened next after their Mission Impossible Premier League title win of 2016. 

While even fewer people believed the Foxes would be able to repeat the feat the following campaign, what wasn't expected was a scrap at the other end of the table - even if that was a return to the norm for the Midlands club.

Leicester became the first defending champion to lose its first game of the following season and then won only 5 of their first nineteen games. 

It was a run that saw the end of Claudio Ranieri's iconic time at the club, and it was left to Craig Shakespeare to rally the troops and steer them out of trouble to eventually finish 12th in the table. 

Watford

How to watch the Premier League in Canada on DAZN

DAZN is the home of soccer in Canada, with the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two, Carabao Cup, National League, Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Juliper Pro League, Saudi Pro League, Frauen Bundesliga, USL Super League, and Sports Direct Women's Premiership, club friendlies, and international friendlies are all available for Canadian fans.

For the 2025-26 season, Canadians will also be able to watch the Premier League and Serie A through Fubo Sports on DAZN, along with Serie A women, giving fans even more top-level soccer to consume.

How much does a DAZN subscription cost in Canada?

A DAZN subscription comes in three options, which include different sports packages, with two tiers in each option.