Liverpool can still win Premier League title as 'worst champions' tag proves laughable

Despite being the subject of ridicule from rival fans this season, Liverpool is still mathematically in the running for the Premier League title, which doesn't reflect well on whoever does become the eventual champion

Liverpool could still mathematically beat Arsenal or Manchester City to the title this season(Image: Getty Images)

There’s no escaping the fact that Liverpool has been poor this season. After the high of winning the Premier League title last year, the Reds now find themselves just aiming for a spot in the Champions League.

Arne Slot and his players have had to watch on from afar as Arsenal has looked on course to claim Liverpool’s crown for much of the season. Yet, with five games to go, Mikel Arteta’s men still haven’t got the job done.

In fact, there’s a very real chance they won’t get it done, with Manchester City now leading the way. Unbelievably, the manner of Arsenal’s collapse means the Reds aren’t even out of the running.

Currently sitting on 55 points, Liverpool’s maximum points tally for this season is 70 points. Both City and Arsenal are currently at that point, meaning, in the very unlikely scenario that both teams lost all of their remaining games, Slot’s side could still defend its title.

Of course, we’re not suggesting that is likely for one second. Both City and Arsenal will certainly pick up more points, ending the faintest of faint hopes for Liverpool.

Still, it does paint the Reds’ title defense and last season’s triumph in a slightly different light. Dubbed by many rival fans the “worst champions,” nothing could be further from the truth.

Liverpool is far from the worst Premier League champion(Image: Getty Images/Getty Images For Th)

At the same stage last season, Liverpool had just beaten Leicester to go within three points of claiming the title, having moved on to 79 points — a tally Arsenal wishes it had right now.

The Reds of course made no mistake in their following game against Tottenham, which allowed them to take their foot off the gas in their final four games. They claimed just another two points in that final run-in to finish on 84 points — a total that neither City nor Arsenal will reach if either of them drop any points from here.

And as for this season’s title defense, yes, it has been a poor showing from Slot’s side, but it’s also not the complete disaster that some might have you believe.

Liverpool currently sits 15 points off both City and Arsenal, and in an absolute worst-case scenario, will end up 30 points off the eventual champions. As bad as that sounds, it’s still a long way off Chelsea’s title defense in 2015/16, when the Blues finished 31 points behind champions Leicester, which only amassed 81 points itself.

And the Foxes’ defense the following season was even worse as they finished 49 points off the eventual champions — ironically Chelsea again. Liverpool will get nowhere near that level, so to brand it the worst champion is simply laughable.

Although he hasn’t quite gone that far, Roy Keane has nevertheless laid into the Reds on more than one occasion this season, dubbing them “bad champions.”

While that might be true, the fact that Liverpool still mathematically remains in the running for this season’s title at this late stage reflects so poorly on whoever takes the crown.