As the dust settles on the latest Premier League campaign there will be a number of teams keen to reflect on just what went wrong.
Several sides suffered a drastic drop-off in performances from the previous campaign, during a season in which ambitions and expectations were not met.
After the campaign’s conclusion, we’ve decided to look at the five teams with the biggest negative points swing from their performance last season.
Here are the five teams with the biggest points drop-off in the Premier League this season.
Southampton (-15 points)
Southampton will spend next season outside of the Premier League for the first time in more than a decade, following relegation to the Championship. The Saints’ inexperienced side struggled for results in a turbulent campaign on the south coast, one which saw three different coaches try and fail to address their slide.
Ralph Hasenhuttl was dismissed in November, before Southampton’s left-field appointment of Nathan Jones ended in disaster with the new manager sacked within three months, having lost seven of his eight Premier League games in charge.
3 – Southampton have been relegated from the top-flight for the third time, after 1973-74 and 2004-05. They have lost more league games this season (24) than in any previous campaign in their history. Struggles. pic.twitter.com/vq6kCTdiLx
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 13, 2023
Ruben Selles fared little better and Southampton ended the season without a win in 12 games to finish bottom of the Premier League table. The Saints were 15 points worse off than in 2021/22 and are now set for a rebuild in the second tier.
West Ham (-16 points)
West Ham began the season with ambitions of challenging the top six, but spent much of the campaign under threat of relegation before climbing to the relative safety of 14th in the table.
The Hammers had secured consecutive top-seven finishes under David Moyes across the previous two campaigns, but were unable to replicate those results in 2022/23.
The club’s summer signings failed to make the impact anticipated, with Gianluca Scamacca, Thilo Kehrer and Maxwel Cornet disappointing and Nayef Aguerd missing much of the campaign with fitness issues.
Despite their disappointing domestic form, West Ham have impressed in Europe. Moyes’ side have progressed to the final of the Europa Conference League and will take on Fiorentina on June 7. Victory will secure a first major trophy since 1980 for the Hammers and earn them a place in next season’s Europa League group stage.
Leicester (-18 points)
Leicester had finished inside the Premier League’s top half in each of the previous five seasons, but the Foxes will spend next season in the Championship after a shock relegation.
Leicester lost six of their opening seven games of the Premier League season during a nightmare start and despite a mid-season improvement, suffered a second slump that saw Brendan Rodgers leave the club.
Only four teams in English football have been promoted to the top-flight, won the league & then been relegated within 10 seasons in that order:
◎ Liverpool (1896-1904)
◎ Ipswich Town (1960-64)
◎ Blackburn Rovers (1991-99)
◉ Leicester City (2013-2023)📈🏆📉 pic.twitter.com/pEBC7ROENq
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 28, 2023
Dean Smith arrived as his replacement and results marginally improved, but not enough to secure safety as a run of one win from their final six saw Leicester relegated from the top-flight. Leicester’s relegation comes just seven seasons after the club’s shock title triumph, while the Foxes have been called one of the most talented squads to be relegated from the Premier League.
Defensive issues and Jamie Vardy’s decline were key factors in the club’s poor season and an exodus of talent is expected at the King Power Stadium, with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes on the radar of several Premier League clubs.
Liverpool (-25 points)
Few predicted Liverpool’s demise this season with just one Premier League club having suffered a greater drop-off from their 2021/22 points total.
Jurgen Klopp’s side chased a historic quadruple into the final weeks of last season and ended the campaign with FA Cup and League Cup success. Expected to provide the greatest challenge to Manchester City once again, the Reds opened the season with a chaotic draw at Fulham in a sign of things to come.
I’m totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic… pic.twitter.com/qZmA9WsueM
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) May 25, 2023
Liverpool struggled to match the intensity of past campaigns with their midfield criticised, while the club’s ageing engine room impacted the usual consistent contributions from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson for much of the season.
After reaching 90+ points in three of the previous four Premier League seasons, including 92 during 2021/22, Liverpool ended the season on 67 points to finish fifth and miss out on Champions League qualification. It was the club’s lowest points total since Klopp’s first season in 2015/16.
Chelsea (-30 points)
Chelsea’s disastrous campaign concluded with the club’s lowest league finish since 1993/94, while the west London club’s 44 points was their lowest since being relegated from the top-flight in 1988.
Chelsea ended the 2022/23 campaign a staggering nine places and 30 points worse off than the previous season, during a turbulent season that saw Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter sacked and Frank Lampard endure a woeful period as interim manager.
44 – Chelsea have finished the season with their lowest points tally (44) since 1987-88 when they were relegated to the second tier (42), while it’s the Blues lowest league finish (12th) since 1993-94 (14th). Forgettable. pic.twitter.com/67dsezBBDj
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 28, 2023
The Blues had finished third the previous season, but a nightmare season saw the club finish below London rivals Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Chelsea’s struggles came despite record-breaking investment from owner Todd Boehly, who despite spending around £600m on new signings led the club to their worst season this century. That’s some achievement.
