Each season, a team is crowned Premier League champions. While each of those teams can claim to be the best from that year, how do we know which team is the best ever?
Opinions on this are easy to come by, but an objective answer is more difficult to find.
To find out, I’ve collected both defending and attacking data to calculate how Premier League teams from 1992/93 to 2020/21 compared to the “average” champion over those specific seasons. From this model, we’re able to find an attacking score, a defensive score, and an overall score.
These scores normalise a team’s performance, removing any factors during that season that may skew its numbers.
The below graphic shows the top five Premier League champions by overall score.
5. 2008/09 Manchester United: 5.89
This United team racked up 90 points on the way to a third title in a row. Edwin van der Sar only conceded 24 goals all season, keeping 21 clean sheets, including a record 11 in a row between November and January. It’s therefore no surprise that this team has the highest adjusted defensive score of all the Premier League champions (7.49).
4. 2007/08 Manchester United: 6.14
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 31 goals in this season, 11 more than Derby County (who have a strong claim to being the worst side in Premier League history) managed all together. This team dominated, scoring the most goals, winning the most games, and conceding the fewest in the league. It took this dominance into Europe, winning the first all-English Champions League final on a memorable night in Moscow.
3. 2009/10 Chelsea: 6.24
Chelsea went into the last game of this season needing a win to secure the title. It battered Wigan Athletic 8-0. Remarkably, this was only one of four games in which this team scored seven or more. It also finished the season with a then record goal difference of +71. Coincidence?
2. 2018/19 Manchester City: 6.62
The second placed team in this season only lost one game. The team that beat them? Manchester City. 97 points wasn’t enough for Liverpool, who arguably lost the title by just over a centimetre. The ball was 1.12 cm from being over the line when it was cleared in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City. Ironically, this Manchester City side is runner-up on this list.
1. 2017/18 Manchester City: 6.79
Attacking records dropped like flies for this Manchester City team. The most goals (106), most wins (32, including 18 in a row, another record), and highest goal difference (+79) means that this side has the highest adjusted attacking score of all Premier League winners (9.36). Defensively sound as well, conceding a league-low of 27 goals, this City team is a worthy holder of the best side to win the Premier League.
2021/22: ?
Will any team challenge Manchester City’s dominance at the top of this table? It’ll have to be a pretty special outfit to do so. Check back in at the end of the season to find out where this year’s champions come in.
Methodology
Attacking and defending statistics for each champion from 1992/93 to 2020/21 were collected from the Premier League’s official website. These statistics were normalised, weighted, and averaged to give an adjusted attacking score and an adjusted defensive score. The average of both scores gave the adjusted overall score.