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One only has to take a glimpse at the Premier League record books to find the domination Manchester United had under Sir Alex Ferguson. He was appointed the club's manager in 1986 and became the longest-serving United manager after he retired in 2013, breaking Sir Matt Busby's record of managing United for 25 years over two spells.
Sir Alex was the heart and soul of Manchester United and his departure left a void that, despite all attempts, remains unfilled. During his tenure, the Old Trafford side won every honor there was to win and have a grand total of 38 trophies to show for.
Manchester United won the Premier League a record 13 times under the Scot
They last held the bragging rights in the English top-flight in the 2012-13 campaign, which was the Scot's final year in management. Since then, the Red Devils have starved for trophies and have only tasted triumph on three occasions, namely, the Europa League (2017), EFL Cup (2017) and the FA Cup (2016).
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Ralf Ragnick is the seventh manager (caretaker included) to take charge of the proceedings at Manchester United since Alex Ferguson's retirement. The likes of David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all failed to deliver the Premier League title.
While Manchester United were losing ground in the English top flight, their rivals were quick to latch onto an opportunity and close the gap with the Red Devils. This is evidently visible in the number of points the famed 'Big-Six' of the Premier League have collected since the retirement of the Scottish manager.
Here are the five clubs with the most Premier League points since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
#5 Manchester United - 603 points, 332 games
It is a shocker to see Manchester United fifth on this list. Overall, since the drafting of the Premier League in 1992, no team has collected more points than them. Yet all that momentum, supremacy, grip and the fear they instilled in the opposition has evaporated since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Successful managers like Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have both tried their luck at making Manchester United title contenders, but ended up losing their jobs. The club have spent a total of €1.35 billion on transfers, having signed the likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Maguire, Angel Di Maria and others.
Yet, the Old Trafford outfit have struggled to challenge for the title in the Premier League. Moreover, the club hierarchy have been regularly criticized for their manner of running the club. Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, the club have struggled for stability and have lacked a proper structure to move forward with.
The Red Devils have finished outside the top-four in four seasons since their last crowning as the English top-flight champions in 2013. The 2017-18 campaign was their best in terms of points collected, having managed 81 points in 38 games, which earned them a second-place finish.
Manchester United may fail to secure Champions League football for next season, as their chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League are highly uncertain. Their campaign has been plagued with inconsistencies and new manager Ralf Rangnick's tactics haven't helped them to get the required points.
The club's fanbase is desperate and wants to see a capable coach chosen in the summer of 2022 who can restore the reputation of the side.
#4 Tottenham Hotspur - 603 points, 330 games
As far as major silverware is concerned, Tottenham Hotspur are the most barren club in the English top-flight's Big-Six. They last won a trophy back in 2008, lifting the EFL Cup by beating Chelsea 2-1. They have contested the final of the tournament thrice more since but failed to reclaim the trophy.
This is not the most positive thing to celebrate. But Spurs could be happy that after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure they have been the fourth most efficient team in the Premier League. They have collected 603 points to this day and they have Mauricio Pochettino to thank for the majority of those.
He became the Lilywhites' boss back in 2014, taking over from former Tottenham player Tim Sherwood, who managed the club for the second half of the 2013-14 season. Under the Argentine, Spurs finished in the top-four in four consecutive campaigns between 2015 and 2019.
Pochettino is one of the favorites to take over at Manchester United in the coming summer.
Spurs finished third in the points table on either side of their second-place finish in the 2016-17 campaign. One thing that will cheer the north London club's fans is that they have secured a higher spot than their arch-rivals Arsenal for five seasons in a row.
Harry Kane has undoubtedly been their best player over the course of this period and has won the Golden Boot thrice. They have hugely relied on his partnership with Son Heung-Min for crucial breakthroughs. The Gunners are only four points behind Tottenham, having played the same number of games since Manchester United's coveted manager left.
The momentum is with Arsenal and they have every chance of finishing above their arch rivals in the Premier League this season and breaking the embarrassing streak.
#3 Chelsea - 640 points, 330 games
The last decade was a very successful one for Chelsea, both domestically and in Europe. There are increasing questions regarding their future, however, as their extravagant owner Roman Abramovich has put the club on sale. Whether the Blues will stay financially afloat and continue to win trophies, only time will tell.
One thing is for sure, when they look back at the last decade, the club and its fanbase will have plenty of moments to recall and rejoice. They have won the Champions League, Europa League and the Premier League twice each.
In the previous eight seasons, Chelsea have missed out on the top four only twice, with their worst finish (10th) of the decade coming in the 2015-16 season. Since Manchester United's legendary manager left, the Blues have made an expenditure of €1.38 billion. A figure that makes them the second-biggest spenders in the Premier League.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have an affinity for immediate success and the club's hierarchy have not been shy about issuing marching orders to the managers. Thomas Tuchel is the sixth different man to take charge of the proceedings at Chelsea since 2013. Only Manchester United have had more people (7) manage the club in that period in the Premier League.
The Blues started the season as reigning champions of Europe and were expected to push for a title charge in the Premier League as well. But they lost momentum in December last year and shipped too many goals away in an uncharacteristic manner. At this point, it feels like third place is the best Chelsea can get.
#2 Liverpool - 685 points, 331 games
The Kop have Jurgen Klopp to thank for their turn of fortunes at Anfield. In the second half of the previous decade, the German completely transformed the club. He has spent every penny with great care and recruited players of particular profiles in the shrewdest manner.
The Reds have made the fewest changes to their managerial position in the last decade compared to the other teams on the list. Brendan Rodgers' first season coincided with Sir Alex's last. Klopp was then handed over the charge in 2015 and the club's hierarchy hasn't looked elsewhere since. In that period, the Reds have finished above Manchester United on four occasions.
Rodgers, in his second season, took Liverpool from last season's seventh-place finish to challenging for the title in 2014. They only narrowly missed out on the Premier League title, finishing just two points short of Manchester City, who managed 86 points from their 38 games.
After that, it was all about Klopp's vision for the club. He signed players who he could rely on to play his high tempo and high intensity press football. Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and other crucial players became a beacon of hope for the Kop.
The German finally delivered the Premier League trophy after a long wait of 30 years in 2020, with an 18-point lead over Manchester City in second. With 99 points to show for their heroic season, Liverpool became champions of the English top-flight with the second-highest points tally ever.
Barring Klopp's first season at Anfield, the Reds have finished inside the top four in all other campaigns. When Sir Alex Ferguson was at Old Trafford, the rivalry between him and Arsene Wenger shaped into an iconic one. Right now, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have established a similar cut-throat rivalry in the Premier League.
The title race is once again going down to the wire with these two sides at it again. Only six points separate the two clubs, and Liverpool have a game in hand. You blink and you miss out on the silverware.
#1 Manchester City - 743 points, 332 games
As far as Manchester is concerned, it used to be a highly polarized zone in terms of success in the Premier League. Manchester United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, became an animal of sorts, hunting teams season after season with their eyes on the big prize.
Manchester City, on the other hand, hardly came into close quarters with their arch rivals. They were infamously called the "Nosiy Neighbors". But it all changed when in poetic fashion, they snatched away Premier League glory from Manchester United on the very last day of the 2010-11 season.
Since Ferguson's retirement, the Etihad side are the only team to have finished in the Champions League places every single season. They have also scored the most goals in every campaign barring the 2016-17 season. In that period, they have also not shied away from breaking the bank and are the highest spenders in the Premier League (€1.51bn).
Man City have won the league four times since the legendary Scottish manager called it quits. In the 2017-18 season, Pep Guardiola won his first Premier League trophy in remarkable fashion. City finished that season with 100 points, the most a team has ever collected in the league.
Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany have arguably been their best players in the 2010s decade. With the backing of the Abu Dhabi group, the Etihad side will remain one of the most alluring teams to play for in the coming future as well.
