Manchester City have been champions of England a record-breaking four times in a row but their latest title defence has started terribly.
Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat by Manchester United was City’s 10th winless game in 11 across all competitions.
It left Pep Guardiola’s men fifth in the Premier League after 16 rounds of fixtures – nine points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
City now have 27 points from a possible 48 this season.
If their recent form does not improve significantly then this could go on to be one of the worst title defences in Premier League history.
But what have been the worst to date? Here Mail Sport looks back at some of the least impressive reigning champions of the Premier League era.
Manchester City lost 2-1 at home to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday
Pep Guardiola’s City side have won the Premier League in each of the previous four seasons
However, Guardiola’s men now look highly unlikely to retain their title and make it five in a row
Blackburn Rovers 1995-96
Blackburn Rovers wrote the Premier League’s original fairytale title story when the Lancashire town club dethroned Manchester United in May 1995.
Rovers had only been promoted from the old Division 2 during the 1991-92 campaign.
But fuelled by 34 goals from Alan Shearer, Blackburn pipped United on the final day of the season to win the title with 89 points from 42 matches.
However, Rovers had just 21 points after 16 games of the following season and would end up with only 61 at the end of the Premier League’s first ever 38-game campaign.
That tally saw them finish seventh – 21 points behind champions United.
Blackburn caused a shock in 1995 by pipping Manchester United to the Premier League title
But, under the management of Ray Harford, Rovers finished seventh in the following season
Man United 2013-14
Despite their current title drought, Manchester United are still the most successful club in Premier League history.
The Red Devils have been Premier League champions 13 times and have defended their title on six occasions.
But United have not finished in top spot since legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013.
Ferguson called time on his managerial career after leading United to 89 points in his final Premier League campaign.
His replacement David Moyes could only deliver 25 points from his first 16 Premier League games in the following season before eventually being sacked.
United went on to finish seventh with 64 points – 22 fewer than champions Manchester City.
Sir Alex Ferguson lifted the Premier League trophy in his last ever season before retirement
But Ferguson’s replacement, David Moyes, was unable to retain the title for Manchester United
Chelsea 2015-16
Jose Mourinho led Chelsea to a Premier League and EFL Cup double in 2014-15.
His Blues side – containing the likes of John Terry, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and a returning Didier Drogba – lost just three games en route to winning the title with 87 points.
But Mourinho would be sacked midway through the 2015-16 campaign, after Chelsea had taken just 15 points from their first 16 league fixtures.
Chelsea were 16th when Mourinho left and went on to finish 10th with 50 points – 31 below shock champions Leicester.
However, after appointing Antonio Conte in July 2016, Chelsea went on to make a full recovery by winning the league with a whopping 93 points in the following season.
Jose Mourinho won his third Premier League title as manager of Chelsea in the 2014-15 season
But Mourinho was sacked after just 16 games of the 2015-16 campaign following an awful start
Leicester City 2016-17
Leicester City shocked the football world in the 2015-16 season when they won the Premier League, having narrowly avoided relegation in the previous campaign.
N’Golo Kante was everywhere, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were rock solid, Riyad Mahrez was on fire and Jamie Vardy was famously having a party.
But after losing just three games to rack up a title-winning points total of 81, everyone wanted to know if the Foxes could repeat the feat.
They couldn’t. In fact – despite reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League – Leicester finished the 2016-17 season much closer to the bottom of the Premier League than the top.
After taking just 16 points from their first 16 games, the Foxes ended with 44 and a goal difference of minus-15. The Vardy party was over.
Leicester stunned everyone by becoming the most unlikely Premier League champions in 2016
But Leicester’s time at the top was short-lived and they finished 12th in the 2016-17 campaign
Liverpool 2020-21
Liverpool’s only title-winning Premier League campaign to date was spectacular.
Jurgen Klopp’s men earned 99 points in 2019-20 after becoming only the second team in Premier League history to win 32 games in one season.
The season was notably disrupted by the COVID pandemic, which also resulted in most of the following campaign being played behind closed doors.
Liverpool seemingly missed their fans a lot. After 16 games of the 2020-21 season they had just 33 points – not a terrible tally but 13 fewer than they had at the same stage of their title-winning run.
The Reds would end up third with 69 points – five fewer than Manchester United and 17 short of champions Manchester City.
Liverpool won the Premier League with 99 points in the COVID-disrupted 2019-20 season
The Reds were unable to defend their crown though and they only won 69 points in 2020-21
Liverpool currently appear to be well on course to win only their second title of the Premier League era.
Now under the management of Arne Slot, the Reds have only lost one of their first 15 league games this season.
Liverpool have already beaten Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Manchester United, with their only defeat so far coming against fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.
If Slot’s men stay the course then the Dutchman will become the 12th manager to win the Premier League – after Ferguson (13), Guardiola (6), Mourinho (3), Arsene Wenger (3), Conte, Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri, Kenny Dalglish, Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini.
