How have teams’ end of season form fared after being crowned Champions?

When teams often win the league with games to spare, it is common that their standards decrease as they have obtained their objective.

Liverpool won their first league title in thirty years with seven games to spare. Since being champions, the Reds have lost two games out of the five they have played so far. They lost their first game as champions away at Manchester City 4-0 and then lost to Arsenal 2-1 in midweek.

We analysed previous Premier League champions to see if this trend has been in play before Liverpool’s current struggles.

Manchester United 2000-2001 – Five games left

Manchester United won the league with five games left after beating Coventry City 4-2 aided by Middlesbrough’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal.

However, with the second leg of the Champions League against Bayern Munich on the horizon, United’s form dropped. They lost three of their last five games, the losses coming against Derby, Southampton and Tottenham.

Manchester City 2017/18 – Five games left

Manchester City won their first Premier League under Pep Guardiola by beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 away at Wembley.

Their title was confirmed after Manchester United lost to West Brom 1-0. With the points record still attainable, City won four out of their last five games to finish the season with a record 100 points.

Manchester United 1999/00 – Four games left

Manchester United retained their Premier League title by winning 3-1 away at Southampton.

United were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Real Madrid a few days prior the the Southampton game. United won all of their four of their remaining games to finish the season with 91 points.

Arsenal 2003/04 – Four games left

Arsenal won the 2003/04 Premier league with four games to spare following a 2-2 draw away at arch-rivals Tottenham.

Arsenal drew the following two games after their win at White Hart Lane, but then defeated Fulham and Leicester in their last two, meaning the Gunners went the season undefeated.

Manchester United 2012/13 – Four games left

Manchester United won their 13th Premier League and the final under Sir Alex Ferguson upon his retirement in 2012/13. United secured the league with a 3-0 win at home against Aston Villa, a famous Robin Van Persie volley the pick of the goals.

A defeat to Chelsea, a 1-1 draw at Arsenal and a spectacular 5-5 draw with West Brom on the final day followed

Fergie would only pick up just one more win as United’s boss – a 2-1 win over Swansea in his last home game.

Chelsea 2004/05 – Three games left

Chelsea won their first ever Premier League title with a 2-0 win away at Bolton Wanderers in Jose Mourinho’s first ever season in England.

Chelsea finished their last three games with wins over Charlton and Manchester United, as well as a draw at Newcastle.

It helped them to 95 points, the best defensive record in the league (15 goals conceded) and helped them achieve the most clean sheets ever in a season (25).

Chelsea 2014/15 – Three games left

Chelsea won their fourth Premier League and their third under Jose Mourinho in 2014/15, who came back for a second stint at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues beat Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to an Eden Hazard penalty to secure the league.

With their three games remaining, Chelsea drew against Liverpool, lost 3-0 to West Brom and would beat Sunderland 3-1. Jose Mourinho claimed their rivals ‘let them win the title so easily’.

What does it all mean?

With two more games for Liverpool to play until the end of the season, it is clear that there is a pattern of decreased level of performance with no records to attain.

Guardiola’s City are in defiance of this by claiming their 100-point haul in 2016/17 but without European competitions to worry about, this may have eased the workload for the Cityzens.

To be regarded in the same bracket as that great City side, Jurgen Klopp will be desperate for two wins to finish the season. Chelsea and Newcastle currently stand between them and a 99-point season.