Since its inception in the early 1990s, the Premier League has played host to some of the best football teams in Europe. While Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga and more recently the German Bundesliga have provided the main competition, a record three English teams have won the Champions League since 1993.
Last time on Football Bloody Hell we covered the worst ever team to play in the Premier League, so now it is high time we gave credit where credit is due and recognise five teams who are arguably the best in Premier League history.
MANCHESTER UNITED – 1998/99
The Red Devils have the rare distinction of being the only English team to win the league, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. This happened in the 1998/1999 season, and their success was largely due to the electric strike partnership of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, this particular team is now regarded by many as the Premier League’s best team ever. Although not as feared as they once were, bwin Premier League predicts that Manchester United will finish in the top four this season. With former United great Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now in charge at Old Trafford, his first job will be to persuade David de Gea and Paul Pogba to remain in Manchester so he can build a team around them.
ARSENAL – 2003/04
The Gunners are one of the few sides in the Premier League to have never been relegated. Despite the club’s extensive history, there is no doubt that the 2003/2004 team is their best ever. Known as “The Invincibles” for their unbeaten season, the side spearheaded by Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp managed to set a record that still stands to this day. While the club have yet to replicate that same success since, The Metro details how many players still look up to this Arsenal team as one of the best ever.
CHELSEA – 2004/05
The London club has been a mainstay in the Premier League’s for years and it is no surprise that the team’s trophy cabinet is stacked. It wasn’t always that way though and the team finally saw their fortunes turn around in 2003, when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took over and made long-term investments into the club. It didn’t take long for the investments to bear fruit as the 2004/2005 Chelsea squad managed to win the league title and successfully defend it the following year. Guided by the “Special One” Jose Mourinho, Chelsea conceded 15 goals that season and kept a record 25 clean sheets.
MANCHESTER CITY – 2017/18
Although they are currently favourites to win this season’s league trophy, Manchester City had to work their way up. A throwback from Bleacher Report outlines how hard the club fought to win promotion into the Premier League at the beginning of the millennium, a far cry from the European powerhouses they are nowadays. It seems like City are starting to reach their peak – their 2017/2018 team set the record for the most points won in a league campaign (100pts) and players responsible like Sergio Agüero and Kevin De Bruyne are some of the greatest players currently plying their trade in European football.
LEICESTER CITY – 2015/16
As the only club on this list outside of the league’s “Top 6”, Leicester City were obvious underdogs. Earning them an unimpeachable spot in this list is their miracle 2015/2016 season that saw them winning the Premier League after finishing 14th in the league table the previous season. According to Sky Sports, this Cinderella story was made possible by the stability brought to the club by manager Claudio Ranieri and his direct, attacking style of football.
