Premier League’s Title Defense Curse: Are Champions Lazy, or Is the League Rigged Against Them?

The Premier League’s title defense paradox is one of football’s most perplexing phenomena: over the past 15 seasons, 9 defending champions have suffered a points drop of at least 10, with 6 crashing by 20 points or more. From Chelsea’s 37-point collapse in 2015-16 to Liverpool’s current free fall and Manchester City’s 20-point slump last season, the "curse" shows no signs of lifting. But is this failure rooted in player complacency— as Roy Keane claims—or is the Premier League’s ecosystem designed to destroy its own champions? Let’s dissect the controversy.

1. Mourinho’s "Nominal Champions": The 2015-16 Chelsea Meltdown That Shocked Football

The 2015-16 Premier League launch event in West London set the tone for a disastrous title defense. While Bournemouth and Swansea celebrated their campaigns with excitement, defending champions Chelsea, led by Jose Mourinho, exuded frustration. Three months after winning the title, Mourinho snapped at reporters asking about his squad: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Days later, he signed a four-year contract extension, claiming "great joy" at staying long-term—only to be sacked four months later. Chelsea had won just 4 of 16 league games, sitting 16th in the table, a mere point above relegation. A humiliating loss to Leicester City sealed his fate, with Mourinho blasting his players: “They don’t deserve to be called top players or superstars. They should look at Sunderland and Watford and realize they’re at the same level.”

The season descended into chaos: Mourinho’s ugly feud with team doctor Eva Carneiro, escalating tensions with Eden Hazard and other key players, and his infamous "I won’t comment" interviews that became viral memes. By the end, technical director Michael Emenalo cited "obvious discord" as the reason for dismissing the club legend. Mourinho later admitted: "We were only champions in name."

2. From Miracle to Misery: Leicester City’s 5000/1 Dream Turned Nightmare

Leicester City’s 2015-16 title win—at 5000/1 odds—was football’s greatest fairy tale. But the hangover was brutal. Just months into their title defense, the Foxes went on a five-game losing streak after the new year, dropping to 17th place, one point above relegation. Claudio Ranieri, the architect of their miracle, was sacked.

Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport summed it up: "Under Ranieri, the team was like a frog turned into a prince by magic—when the spell broke, it returned to its original form." Yet the story took a twist: interim manager Craig Shakespeare led them to five straight league wins and a Champions League comeback against Sevilla to reach the quarter-finals.

In two years, Leicester’s fate swung wildly: relegation battle under Nigel Pearson, title glory under Ranieri, relegation scare under the same Ranieri, and revival under Shakespeare. It was a stark lesson in momentum: a team can be unbeatable one moment and lifeless the next.

3. Liverpool’s Current Collapse: A Repeat of History or a New Kind of Disaster?

Liverpool’s recent form is eerily familiar to Premier League fans. In the past two months, they’ve lost 5 of 6 Premier League games and 7 of 9 across all competitions. Sitting 8th in the table, 8 points behind leaders Arsenal, they join a shameful list—only four defending champions have had fewer points after 11 games (Leeds 1992-93, Blackburn 1995-96, Chelsea 2015-16, Leicester 2016-17).

Their struggles mirror Manchester City’s last season: after four consecutive titles, City won their opening game but lost 6 of 8 league matches before Christmas, dropping 20 points from their title-winning total. Liverpool’s 2020-21 defense was equally dire—6 losses in 7 league games, 30 points down from their championship campaign.

But this time, Liverpool’s problem isn’t inaction in the transfer market—it’s the opposite. They spent £450 million on signings like Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremy Doku, while selling key players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez for £260 million. To make matters worse, Diogo Jota’s tragic death in a car crash left a psychological scar. "I couldn’t stop thinking about him before Scotland’s game," said vice-captain Andy Robertson, revealing the team’s lingering grief.

4. The Great Debate: Complacent Players or Systemic Failure?

Roy Keane, the fiery former Manchester United captain, doesn’t mince words. Labeling Liverpool a "bad champion" during their 2020-21 slump, he argued: "They got carried away with the hype, forgot what made them successful." He doubled down on this season’s struggles: “This defending champion looks weak—they lack hunger.”

Keane’s philosophy is rooted in his own career: "After winning, I thought ‘can we do it again?’ Not about Rolexes or mansions." But sports psychologist Dan Abraham, who has worked with multiple Premier League clubs, disagrees. "Complacency is a symptom, not the root cause," he said. “Collapses are chain reactions: outdated tactics, key injuries, new signings failing to integrate, or opponents figuring out your weaknesses.”

Abraham calls it "emotional contagion": losing breeds negative media coverage, which erodes team morale, sparks locker room conflicts, and damages training quality. "Players are humans," he added, referencing Jota’s death. "External shocks destroy team cohesion—you can’t separate grief from performance."

5. Transfer Nightmares: Spend Too Little, Spend Too Much—No Win for Defenders

For many clubs, title defense fails because of flawed transfer strategies. Chelsea’s 2015 and 2017 collapses stemmed from unmet transfer demands: Mourinho wanted John Stones but got Papy Djilobodji (who never played a league game); Antonio Conte begged for Virgil van Dijk and Romelu Lukaku, only to see them join Liverpool and Manchester United. Chelsea hasn’t come close to a title since.

Manchester City’s 2012 defense failed after Roberto Mancini’s transfer plans were derailed: he targeted Daniel Agger, Javi Martinez, and Eden Hazard but ended up with Jack Rodwell and last-minute signings like Maicon. City’s 2024 slump? They neglected squad renewal, only turning it around with a mid-season £300 million rebuild.

Liverpool’s 2025 spending spree proves overspending is just as risky. New manager Arne Slot is stuck between preserving Liverpool’s historic style and integrating new signings: Wirtz is adapting to the Premier League’s physicality, Isak missed pre-season to complete his £130 million move, and Doku has been injured. "Building a winning culture is hard—losing it is easy," Abraham warned.

6. Managers as Scapegoats: When Clubs Fire Coaches for Systemic Failures

Mourinho, Conte, Brendan Rodgers—all were sacked after title defense collapses. But are managers to blame, or convenient scapegoats? Mourinho’s 2015 dismissal was blamed on "discord," but Chelsea’s board failed to refresh an aging squad. Conte’s 2018 exit followed a transfer window that left him without a center-back or striker.

Even Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest managers of all time, struggled: City’s 2019 and 2022 titles were decided on the final day, and their 2024 slump required two transfer windows to fix. "Clubs want instant success," Abraham said. “But title defense needs patience—and patience is rare in modern football.”

7. The Data Doesn’t Lie: The Premier League’s Defending Curse by the Numbers

Since 2010-11, 9 defending champions have dropped at least 10 points:

Chelsea 2015-16: -37 points (87 to 50)

• Leicester 2016-17: -37 points (81 to 44)
• Liverpool 2020-21: -30 points (99 to 69)
• Manchester United 2012-13: -25 points (89 to 64)
• Chelsea 2017-18: -23 points (93 to 70)
• Manchester City 2023-24: -20 points (91 to 71)
• Only two managers have successfully defended the Premier League title since 2009: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) and Guardiola (Manchester City). For everyone else, the curse holds.

Conclusion: Is the Premier League Unwinnable for Defenders?

Keane’s "bad champions" narrative makes for dramatic soundbites, but it ignores the Premier League’s unique pressures: 38 grueling games, brutal physicality, and six to eight teams capable of beating anyone. Defending champions aren’t just fighting their own complacency—they’re fighting a system that rewards rivals’ spending and punishes even minor mistakes.

Liverpool’s current struggles, like Chelsea’s 2015 collapse and City’s 2024 slump, are proof that title defense is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires squad balance, mental resilience, and club-wide patience—commodities in short supply in modern football.

So the debate rages on: are defending Premier League champions lazy, or is the league rigged against them? One thing is clear: until clubs stop prioritizing short-term results over long-term planning, the curse will continue to haunt England’s top flight.