In 2004/05, Chelsea won their first Premier League title under the management of Jose Mourinho. On their way to the title, they set an incredible record of conceding just 15 goals all season. Yes, that’s 15 goals in 38 matches! In 2009/10, Chelsea won the Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti, setting a record of 103 goals scored.
Since then, while only Pep Guardiola’s famous centurions have scored more goals than Ancelotti’s Chelsea, the 100 goal-mark has been crossed many times. But 16 years on, no one has even remotely come close to beating Chelsea’s record of 15 goals conceded. That record is set to extend to another year as all teams in league have conceded more than that threshold. A team’s credentials are often judged by the number of goals they score or the offensive statistics, and defensive numbers are often overlooked.
But if you put things to perspective, conceding merely 15 goals throughout the season is a mind-blowing feat. It certainly is a record that cannot and should not be overlooked. Breaking that record in today’s era is nigh-on impossible, with focus shifting to attack rather than defense. That is why many a great champion have won the league since then, setting impressive records, but none could get close to this one.
Not even the great Guardiola’s City, Manchester United of old, Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, or Chelsea themselves have come close. It is a record that looks like it will not be beaten in the foreseeable future. Goalkeeper Petr Cech recorded 24 cleansheets, which is also a record. While he is a great keeper himself, he had two stalwarts in the form of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho in front of him.
Since then, the closest any team has come to match that tally is Manchester United and Chelsea themselves. And both conceded 22. Guardiola’s centurions conceded 27 and Liverpool in 2019/20 conceded 33. Man City and Liverpool have assembled winning machines over the past few years, but none of them were as good defensively.
Yes, defense is a dying art and Mourinho’s tactics now seem outdated. But he can take solace from the fact that his Chelsea team holds the record of being the best defensive team ever in the Premier League. And that could be the case for a long, long time to come. Purely because it is practically impossible, and managers in today’s world do not care about such records.