Although the vast majority of Premier League followers are looking ahead to who will lift this season’s trophy, 888sport’s The Eye Test instead decided to take a look into the history books.
In the latest edition of the series, the team debated which Premier League teams could be considered the best of all time, with the conversation predictably revolving around various Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea teams.
Noting that if Manchester City had won a Champions League trophy in recent years then ‘no one would be questioning’ their status as the all-time great Premier League club – building on the Citizen’s Centurion’s status with 100 points in 2018/19 – Steve McInerney also conceded ‘I can’t believe that as a City fan I’m even in this conversation’, in reflection of the club’s many years of struggle.
Identifying ‘era defining dominance’ as a key characteristic of a history-making top-flight club, Rory Jennings meanwhile pointed to Jugen Klopp’s current successes at Liverpool.
“What Jugen Klopp has built with FSG, they’ve almost got it completely perfect. They’ve bought in players that they have turned into superstars. Klopp’s management, FSG’s backing – the two combined have been perfection, but because of how good Man City have bene they’ve effectively got one Premier League title to show for it.”
Manchester City and Liverpool are currently the top two favourites to win the League according to Oddschecker, coming in at around 1//2 and 9/1 respectively, whilst they are also first and third favourites for the FA Cup at 11/4 and 6/1.
Perhaps one of the most fierce debates on this episode, however, revolved around the status of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles Arsenal squad of 2003/2004, which famously won the top-flight that year without losing a single league game.
“I feel like the Invincibles, to give an honourable mention to Arsenal, will always have that banner,” said Flex of the United View. “They will always have the Gold Premier League for doing it.”
Although recognising this achievement, Jennings observed that the team won only one one trophy that year – having been denied European glory and being knocked out of domestic cups – whilst adding that his club, Chelsea, had won more points than the Invincibles in other seasons despite losing games.
Arsenal have more than made up for their 2003/04 cup shortcomings since then, securing their place as the tournament’s record champion, albeit with a few hiccups – the Gunners notably lost 1-0 to Championship side and 6/1 underdogs Nottingham Forest at the weekend in the third round.
However, Jennings did find some common ground with Flex of the United View, with the duo both agreeing by ‘democratic vote’ that the 1999 Manchester United side that lifted the continental treble – the only English side to have ever done so – was the best team the Premier League has ever seen.
