Manchester City and Liverpool have been battling for the Premier League title by themselves for the past four years. They are without question two of the best to ever do it, but where do they rank amongst the best Premier League teams of all time?
As of now, Manchester United’s 1998/99 team is the only one in English football history to win the globally recognised treble after Sir Alex Ferguson guided them to an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League.
6️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ appearances 🔴@GNev2 is returning to Old Trafford for our Legends of the North fixture against Liverpool this month ⚔️#MUFC | @MU_Foundation— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 10, 2022
6️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ appearances 🔴@GNev2 is returning to Old Trafford for our Legends of the North fixture against Liverpool this month ⚔️#MUFC | @MU_Foundation
Over time, people seem to have forgotten just how good this team was. While the likes of Chelsea have broken records on the defensive front, Arsenal have gone unbeaten, just as City have scored and acquired more points than all, United, in one giant way, did it better than anyone.
The aim of football is to win; nobody won more than them in 1999. Does this make them the best?
Jose Mourinho’s first season in the Premier League was about as good of a debut season any man has ever had in a foreign league. The most away wins in a season (15), most clean sheets kept in a season (25), fewest goals conceded away in a season (9), the most wins in a season (29), and the fewest goals conceded in a season (15) were all set and most of them still stand.
With a then-record-breaking 95 points accumulated in the year to win the Blues the title, it’s the best defensive side English football has ever seen.
The only team to ever go the entire season unbeaten, but it does come with a few flaws. Thierry Henry put in arguably the best ever individual display that season, being the only man to ever accumulate 20+ assists and goals.
They did, however, draw 12 times, which is as bad as a defeat in some title races. Arsene Wenger's men had a solid run on the domestic cup front too, reaching the semi-finals in the FA Cup and League Cup. However, despite being one of the favourites for the Champions League, they lost to Chelsea in the last eight.
United were going for another treble in 2007/08, and the only thing that stopped them from doing so was a defeat in the FA Cup quarter-finals to eventual champions, Portsmouth.
Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Carlos Tevez formed one of Europe’s greatest ever front threes, and the defence of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic is perhaps the league’s best ever.
In truth, they might just be the best two. No side is scoring goals as consistently as they have, while they are taking on all of Europe and mainly succeeding too.
The argument against them, however, is the standard of the Premier League right now. Teams in the lower half are much worse than what they once were, and ridiculous budgets the top teams have only makes it even easier.
They could well be the best, but take it with a pinch of salt.