Chelsea’s horrible season continued on Saturday as they lost 3-2 to relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. They took the lead twice in the game before allowing the Black Cats to equalise and win through goals by Fabio Borini and Jermain Defoe.
Also read: Terry might have played his last game for Chelsea
This loss, apart from being humiliating, meant that the Blues can no longer finish higher than ninth in the Premier League table, which makes them the worst defending champions in history, beating the seventh-placed finishes by Blackburn Rovers (1995-1996) and Manchester United (2013-2014) to the honour.
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Apart from having the worst Premier League defence on record, Chelsea will also not feature in any European competition next season for the first time since 1994. The Blues have no scope of reaching 7th position in the league which is the lowest requirement for a Europa League spot. They have also been knocked out of the FA Cup, which would have been their last hope of playing in Europe next season.
To make matters worse, Chelsea’s legendary captain, John Terry was ingloriously dismissed in the match against Sunderland. This could end up being the central defender’s last game in Chelsea colours as he will be banned for their final home game at Stamford Bridge. Terry has not yet agreed to a new contract at the club and will most likely be moving on at the end of the season.
Also read: Chelsea lose 3-2 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
The defending champions have been a shadow of the team that won the league last season under Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager was sacked as Chelsea were one point off the relegation zone in October. Their record this season is pathetic, having won only 12 games compared to 25 and lost 12 compared to merely two losses last season.
Caretaker manager, Guus Hiddink, has managed to steady ship and bring Chelsea back into the top half of the table but Chelsea’s performances have been far from convincing since his appointment, leaving incoming manager Antonio Conte a lot of work to do if he is to take Chelsea back to the summit of the English game.
Chelsea’s upcoming games are against Liverpool followed by their final home game against this season’s champions Leicester City. The fixture against Leicester was predicted to be crucial for Leicester’s survival hopes and Chelsea’s championship aspirations but in an ironic twist of fate, Chelsea will be giving a guard of honour to Leicester.
Here is a list of the worst performing defending champions in Premier League history:
Team | Points in title winning season | Points in title defending season | Position in title defending season |
|---|---|---|---|
Blackburn Rovers | 89 | 61 | 7th |
Manchester United | 89 | 64 | 7th |
Chelsea | 87 | 48* | 9th* |
