IN the modern game, league champions go very close to retaining their title. The elite in almost every country are strong enough to keep their place at the summit, so unless there is some form of financial collapse or a series of very bad decisions, champions have a very good chance of repeating their triumph. This doesn’t necessarily make for a very healthy or very interesting title race, but it’s a fact of life.
When a league champion fails to live up to their reputation, it is something of a shock, not just for the supporters of the club, but also for the rest of the football community. Liverpool, this season, are finding it is certainly “after the Lord Mayor’s Show” although there are a number of considerations, such as the tragic death of Diogo Jota, the loss of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich and Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, the Mo Salah affair and the influx of new talent struggling to settle. Liverpool spent £ 450 million on new players, including two £ 100 million-plus signings, offset by £ 195 million of sales. Such a spree of spending was quite uncharacteristic of the modern Liverpool and it was a brave move, but perhaps it was too much in one roll of the dice?
The Liverpool team that kicked off the season against Bournemouth included four major signings, including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Miloš Kerkez. Alexander Isak was soon to follow, a sought-after striker who, like Wirtz, cost well over £ 100 million. The most costliest players in the summer window have arguably been the most difficult to incorporate into Slot’s system.
Some might argue Arne Slot inherited an accomplished team from Jürgen Klopp and won the Premier League with it, but any reconstruction job needs time to work even if some of the results this season have been very hard to swallow. But perhaps 2024-25’s title win was, in effect, the end of an era, the culmination of the Klopp empire?
Liverpool’s 20th title, at this stage, looks like it will be followed by a disappointing final placing in 2025-26. They are currently seventh. In the past, 68% of their titles have been defended well, with five retentions, seven runners-up spots and a third place. In general, Premier League champions have made a good stab at maintaining momentum, with 85% finishing in the top three. Liverpool have the squad to overcome their current difficulties and work their way into the Champions League slots.
All over Europe, most of last season’s champions are still in a dominant position. Bayern Munich’s record is better than 2024-25; they are unbeaten in the Bundesliga and have scored 51 goals in 14 games. In Spain, Barcelona are back on top with a similar output to their first 17 games last season. PSV Eindhoven are also in pole position once more in the Netherlands, averaging over three goals per game.
In France, Paris Saint-Germain are finding they have stronger opposition this season, with Lens top of Ligue 1 and Lille and Marseille breathing down their necks. PSG have lost twice in the league but in 2024-25, they were unbeaten after 16 games. They have scored less, but their defence remains strong.
The Italian title race looks to be more competitive with Inter, Milan, Napoli and Roma all tightly-packed at the top of Serie A. Napoli, last season’s champions, have been on top at times but are in third position at the moment. Interestingly, Napoli have conceded 13 goals versus three in 2024-25, but their output is more or less the same.
Portugal could also see an interesting second half of the season. Reigning champions Sporting are in second place, five points behind Porto, the undefeated leaders. Their only defeat was against Porto at home. Benfica, meanwhile, are in third place, eight points off Porto and also undefeated. The three fixtures between the clubs will be pivotal in the destination of the title; Porto host Sporting on February 8, Benfica are at home to Porto on March 8 and the Lisbon derby, Sporting versus Benfica, is on April 19.
Elsewhere, the champions who find themselves in familiar territory include Russia’s Krasnodar, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium, Olympiacos of Greece and Czech Republic champions Slavia Prague.
As for Liverpool, their title defence is far from being the worst; Leicester City (2016-17) and Chelsea (2015-16) both had worse records, and if you go back further in history, Leeds United in 1992-93, Ipswich Town 1962-63, Chelsea in 1955-56, Sheffield United in 1898-99, Manchester City in 1937-38 and Everton in 1928-29 had dreadful campaigns after hitting the heights the previous year. It could be so much worse, but how much patience have Liverpool got with their coach?
Game of the People was founded in 2012 and is ranked among the 100 best football websites by various sources. The site consistently wins awards for its work, across a broad range of subjects. [View all posts by Neil Fredrik Jensen](https://gameofthepeople.com/author/georgefjord/)