THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY
THE PROPHECY
In September 2002 Arsène Wenger said his Arsenal side could go a whole season unbeaten, and was mocked for it. In 2003-04 they did: 38 games, 26 wins, 12 draws, no defeats. The Premier League made a golden trophy for it, handed over once. Before Arsenal, the last team to do it was Preston North End in 1888-89, over 22 games.
THE DEFENCE
Even the Invincibles could not defend the title. Their 49-game run ended at Old Trafford with a 2-0 defeat and a tunnel fight, and they finished second, 12 points behind.
THE PATTERN
Blackburn, champions in 1995, finished seventh the next season; Leicester finished 12th; Liverpool, after ending a 30-year wait, finished third and 27 points adrift. No Premier League champion who ended a wait of decades has kept the crown.
THE QUESTION
Arsenal are champions again, with 85 points and 27 conceded, defending a title for the first time in 22 years.
MORE FROM THE COUNTDOWN
THE TERRACES — DISCUSSION
The argument also lives in the YouTube comments ↗.