Liverpool somehow still matching one successful Premier League title defence | OneFootball

Eventual champions Manchester United were one point better off than 2025/26 Liverpool when defending their Premier League title in 1996/97.

That provides some hope that Liverpool’s season will not be a complete and utter failure, but the Red Devils ended up winning the title with a record-low points total.

Liverpool’s title defence: Telling tables

There is only one point between 25/26 Liverpool and 96/97 Manchester United after 12 games, so Arne Slot’s side are technically matching one successful Premier League title defence.

The bad thing? The 75 points that United won the title with is the lowest total for any Premier League champion.

The good thing? Seventy-five points were enough for second place in the Premier League last season. The caveat? Arsenal gave up in April, and Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur all had historically bad years.

History tells us that 75 points, or 74 in Liverpool’s case, is usually enough to qualify for the Champions League.

With 75 points, you would have finished fifth in 2016/17, 2013/14 and 2007/08, and joint-fourth in 2017/18. And in 96/97, it was obviously enough to finish first. But winning the title with only 75 points is a Premier League record that will never be broken.

Worst starts by Premier League champions (after 12 games)

The average points total in that group is 57.5. Fifty-eight would have finished ninth last season. So, will Liverpool fall towards the mean, or rise to the peak of United almost three decades ago?

Well, judging by Liverpool’s performances this season, and especially the 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, they have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League, let alone retaining their crown.

They were, once again, absolutely atrocious, and it could have been even worse than three after Igor Jesus’ controversial disallowed goal.

Liverpool: A historically bad title defence after spending £400m+

As we all know, Liverpool spent an absolute fortune in the summer transfer window, only to get significantly worse.

They broke their transfer record twice, signing Florian Wirtz for £100million and Alexander Isak on deadline day for an initial £125m. Neither player has scored in the Premier League this season, and Isak has the only assist between them.

On top of those two big-money flops, the Reds also paid £69m for Hugo Ekitike, £29.5m for Jeremie Frimpong, £40m for Milos Kerkez, and £26m for Geovanni Leoni. In total, they spent £414.5m, including the £25m addition of Giorgi Mamardashvili.

It was record-breaking transfer expenditure, and Liverpool made the three biggest signings of the 2025 summer transfer window.

Taking all of this into account, it is absolutely crazy that Liverpool’s title defence is among the worst in Premier League history.

For extra context, Manchester United spent £3.5m on two players, Teddy Sheringham and Karel Poborsky, and £11.1m in total.

In 1996, Alan Shearer cost Newcastle United £15m, which Planet Football says is equivalent to £207.7m today. So United’s entire summer outlay would now be under £200m, less than half of Liverpool’s 2025 spend. Their most expensive signing, Sheringham or Poborsky, would be around £47m today.

What next for lowly Liverpool?

Liverpool have a fairly favourable fixture list ahead. That favourable run was supposed to start with a bounce-back win over Forest after losing 3-0 to Manchester City before the international break.

PSV Eindhoven at home in the Champions League on Wednesday is another chance to rebuild some confidence, and that competition has been a happy place for struggling Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Newcastle, this season.

Before facing Arsenal at the Emirates on January 8, the Reds have West Ham (a), Sunderland (h), Leeds United (a), Brighton (h), Spurs (a), Wolves (h), Leeds (h), and Fulham (a).