The GOAT in the Premier League?
In the last 28 years, the Premier League has seen some amazing teams to take grace on the pitch, accomplishing record breaking achievements along the way.
From being unbeaten, accumulating record points and/or being treble winners, the list goes on.
These are what split apart good teams from great teams.
But with so many sides achieving different records and accolades - which is the best?
I take a look at some incredible teams from the past and what made them so great:
Manchester United Treble Winners 98-99
Considerably one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most successful seasons during his 27-year reign with the Red Devils.
The ability to be champions of England and Europe in one season is a honour for clubs to achieve and something that Manchester United have done so twice (1999 and 2008).
But they still remain the only team to claim ‘the treble’ of top prizes of England’s league, The Champions League and the oldest cup competition in the world, the FA Cup.
The calibre of players possessed by United included the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane to name just a few.
It was the only time where we have ever seen an English team complete such an established treble (excluding Manchester City’s ‘domestic’ treble’) and managed to complete a long, hard season with three top trophies come the end.
This would be the beginning of Manchester United’s dominance of the Premier League for years to come, winning eight of them between 2000 to 2013 and taking their total tally to 13 since the start of the Premier League.
Perhaps without this achievement under Fergie, could it have changed United’s prospect of becoming the most successful English club of all time?
Arsenal Invincibles of 03/04
The ONLY team to have gone a whole season unbeaten and win the golden trophy.
Going through an entire season recording 26 wins and 12 draws just doesn’t show how strong this team was.
Eventually, the unbeaten run would carry on into the season after as they reached up to 49 games before being defeated by Manchester United.
However, this is a feat that is still yet to be repeated 17 years on.
The talent possessed by Arsène Wenger were superstars including; Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Patrick Viera - players at a level that most clubs could only dream of having.
The fact of the matter is that it has taken 17 years for a team to have a proper challenge at this record, with Liverpool this season looking like they could have repeated the North London’s club antics, before a trip to Watford changed all that.
This shows just how difficult it is to reach such a target and with the closest chance of it happening again taking nearly two decades just emphasises how good Arsenal were in the early days of Arsène Wegner’s reign.
Without this record in English football, it may be uncertain as to whether this achievement would have ever been fulfilled and that because of Arsenal’s accomplishment, it may have impacted their rivals wanting to become more determined to challenge them for the season after.
With this being the only time in the history of the Premier League, is there a chance we will see it repeated? It’s highly doubtful.
Chelsea 04/05
Perhaps one of the most memorable entries to a new manager we will ever see.
A young José Mourinho deemed to be ‘the special one.’ A phrase that has stuck with him ever since and rightly so.
In his first season for Chelsea, the Portuguese manager made a real statement in the summer window signing players; Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Arjen Robben, players who have now become icons in the game.
The original record breakers of claiming 95 points in a single season, but perhaps the most remarkable stat of the team is they only conceded 15 goals in the entire season!
This just proved how much of a tactical genius Mourinho was against his rivals and how to shut them out, but the strength of the firepower his team possessed with their highest scorer being midfielder Frank Lampard with 13, with strikers Eidur Gudjohnsen on 12 and Didier Drogba on 10.
Compared to today’s title winning sides these goal stats don’t suggest that this could win a Premiership title, yet Chelsea scored an impressive 72 goals throughout the league campaign and lost only once in the whole season.
They also did the double by winning the League Cup earlier on beating Liverpool in the final.
It is regarded as one of the most solid teams to have ever graced the Premier League, this team was so strong, it went and defended its title the season after.
A feat in itself that has been done but not by many teams.
Manchester City hundred points of 17/18 and domestic treble 18/19
On the blue side of Manchester, Pep Guardiola has taken the Sky Blues up to another level.
Though it must be said he struggled for his first season in charge, not winning any silverware at all. Then in one summer, he completely rehauled his squad and blew the competition away.
His team could score goals galore with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling up top with a world class midfielder in Kevin De Bruyne playing them in.
In this one season they scored 106 goals which is the highest record in a single season, having the best goal difference as well with 79 and becoming the first side to reach 100 points in the league.
This was all achieved in one season and surpassing many records, and it is hard to deny Pep’s team as one of the latest greats that we have seen.
However, in the 18/19 season the Spaniard out did himself and his team took home the first ever domestic treble of the League and FA Cup with the Premier League as well.
They became the first side to win back to back titles since Manchester United last did it in 2009.
Managing to accomplish such achievements in little time shows just how much Pep has studied English football since he began back in 2017 and how he has managed to dominate it over the last few years.
Conclusion:
All in all, these teams have shown in different ways what makes their team special and unique compared to the rest of the others.
It is hard to split them in so many ways as they have all accomplished something no other team has done.
The Premier League should be grateful that we have seen so many glorious teams in the past - let’s hope there is more to come!
In your opinion, which side is the greatest Premier League side of all time?
Have your say in the comments section below.
Article by: Matthew Bannister
Edited/formatted by: Samuel Slaney
Thumbnail by: Samuel Slaney
Images interpreted from: Getty Images