Liverpool Football Club has achieved an unwanted and historic distinction in English football, being statistically confirmed as the worst defending champion in Premier League history.
The Reds' disastrous 2024/25 campaign has seen them plummet down the table following their title triumph last season, setting new records for underperformance by a reigning champion.
The Shocking Statistics Behind Liverpool's Collapse
After 13 matches of the current Premier League season, Liverpool have managed just 14 points - the lowest total ever recorded by a defending champion at this stage of the competition.
This represents a catastrophic decline from their championship-winning form. The previous record was held by Leicester City, who had 17 points after 13 games during their 2016/17 title defence.
Liverpool's current position of 16th in the table marks another grim milestone. No previous Premier League champion has ever been this low in the standings during their title defence, with Chelsea's 15th place in 2015/16 being the previous worst.
How Liverpool Compare to Previous Failed Defences
The scale of Liverpool's collapse becomes even more apparent when comparing their performance to other famously poor title defences in Premier League history.
Leicester City's 2016/17 season saw them finish 12th after their miraculous 2015/16 triumph. Blackburn Rovers dropped to seventh in 1995/96 after winning the title. Chelsea's 2015/16 campaign under Jose Mourinho ended with them 10th.
Yet none of these teams sank as low as Liverpool have this season. The Reds' points-per-game average of just over one represents a dramatic fall from grace for a team that dominated the league so recently.
What This Means for Liverpool's Future
This historic underperformance raises serious questions about the direction of the club under manager Jurgen Klopp, who previously led the team to such heights.
The statistics suggest this isn't merely a temporary dip in form but represents the most severe collapse by any Premier League champion in the competition's 33-year history.
With the team showing little sign of immediate recovery, Liverpool fans face the sobering reality that their title defence has already entered the record books for all the wrong reasons, setting a new benchmark for championship hangovers in English football.
