Manchester City officially won the 2017-18 Premier League title on Sunday thanks to a Manchester United defeat. The club’s league win never looked in doubt post-Christmas and Manchester City claimed the trophy with five games to go. Manchester City now have a possible 15 points to play for. If Manchester City can secure all 15 points, and why shouldn’t they with the season they have had, then the team will break the 100-point barrier. Now, with the title race over and Manchester City’s dominance being praised by pundits far and wide, the question of how Guardiola’s team stacks up against previous Premier League winners comes to the forefront.
Ranked: Previous Premier League winners
Manchester City are the 26th champions of the Premier League era. The competition has not had a repeat champion since 2007-08 and 2008-09, when Manchester United’s dynasty ended. Now with Manchester City ready to push on, FantasySports.co.uk ranks the top Premier League winners against Manchester City.
Hear what FantasySports.co.uk’s writers think of this year’s Manchester City or click here. Scroll below to continue reading.
The big question with FantasySport.co.uk writers Drew Farmer and Mark Rowbottom.
Posted by SportsWeek on Sunday, 15 April 2018
1. Arsenal 2003-04
Arsenal’s Invincibles went through the entire Premier League season without a single defeat. The historic title win proved to be Arsene Wenger’s last, at least to this point, as the Gunners collected 90 points. In the preseason, Wenger’s only signing was goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who conceded just 26 goals during the term. Arsenal tallied 73 goals of their own on the way to becoming the first – and only – Premier League team to go undefeated.
2. Chelsea 2004-05
In the wake of Arsenal’s 90 point, undefeated season, Chelsea hired Jose Mourinho as manager. The Portuguese boss came off of success at Porto and unleashed fury onto the Premier League. Chelsea lost just once during the season while collecting 95 points. The team’s defence was even better than Arsenal’s the year prior, as the Blues allowed just 15 goals. Frank Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen led the way in goals scored with 14 and 12, respectively. Although Chelsea may have collected more points and conceded fewer goals than the Arsenal of a year before, the one blemish puts them just behind the Gunners.
3. Manchester United 1999-2000
The Manchester United of the late 1990s were the perfect advertisement for the Premier League outside of England. The team’s wins and dominance in England turned millions of fans onto the game and to English football. This title was Manchester United’s second in a three-season period of league championships. It also followed on from the glorious treble winning season of 1998-99 and solidified the Red Devils as THE team of the 1990s. Suffering just three defeats all season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team pummelled teams with 97 goals scored. Dwight Yorke led the way with 20 goals for the club.
4. Chelsea 2016-17
Chelsea tend to do well in a manger’s first year at the club, only to fall off in the second season. Under Antonio Conte in 2016-17, Chelsea thrashed opponents and romped to the title by seven points. Conte’s style of play was a breath of fresh air in the Premier League and at Stamford Bridge. The club was just off of an ill-fated season under Jose Mourinho and Conte’s presence in the dugout transformed the team and supporters. He also got the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa back in-form as the Blues secured 93 points.
5. Leicester 2015-16
Leicester were not the best or most dominant Premier League champions. However, the Foxes’ title under Claudio Ranieri was magical and just what the Premier League needed to keep from becoming stale. Leicester secured just 81 points, 10 more than second place Arsenal, as the rest of the Premier League struggled. Ranieri’s tactics played to Leicester’s strengths as the team counter attacked opponents with pace and defended in numbers. The club suffered just three losses during the season, and it made the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez household names. But the club’s success was just as much about the manager and his tactics as it was the players on the pitch. Unfortunately, Ranieri was sack halfway through the following season.