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How would a 29-week season have affected every club's title totals?

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how a 29-week season would have affected the total number of titles won by clubs during the Premier League era.

Liverpool's hopes of claiming their 19th top-flight crown, and a first of the Premier League era, were seemingly handed a boost on Friday when clubs refused to put an end date on the coronavirus-affected 2019-20 season.

Jurgen Klopp's side look certain to end their 30-year wait to be crowned champions of England if the campaign is completed, needing only six more points to build an unassailable lead over Manchester City.

Assuming that they do get to lift the Premier League trophy then it would take them back to within one title of United in the all-time list, while extending their lead over 13-time champions Arsenal.

But how would clubs' tallies of titles have been affected if every previous Premier League campaign had ended after gameweek 29? Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the overall impact.


Eric Cantona lifts the Premier League trophy in 1994© Reuters

Only six different clubs have ever laid their hands on the Premier League trophy, but that number would stand at seven had each season been cancelled after gameweek 29.

Newcastle United are the unfortunate club to have missed out on the biggest prize in English football, having unforgettably blown their lead over Sir Alex Ferguson's Man United in 1995-96.

The Magpies boasted a 12-point advantage at one point of that campaign, although that had been reduced to just one point after gameweek 29 and Man United went on to finish four points clear, via a remarkable Kevin Keegan rant.

Incidentally, that 1995-96 season is the first Premier League campaign in which the eventual champions would have been different from the champions after gameweek 29, but things have not always gone Man United's way in that regard.

Ferguson's side would have won the title in 29-week 1997-98 and 2001-02 seasons, denying Arsene Wenger's Arsenal their first two Premier League crowns and robbing them of a double on both occasions too.

Patrick Vieira lifts the Premier League trophy in 2004© Reuters

Indeed, the Red Devils would be better off had Premier League campaigns lasted only 29 gameweeks down the years, having also thrown away the 2009-10 title to Chelsea and the 2011-12 title to Manchester City - the latter in unforgettable fashion - during the closing stages of those campaigns.

Interestingly, while Arsenal would have been denied their first two Premier League title triumphs, the overall effect would cancel itself out with Wenger's side leading the way in gameweek 29 in 2002-03 and 2007-08 - meaning Man United would have been denied their league and Champions League double that year.

The biggest losers from a 29-week season would have been Man City, who would not have won the title in 2011-12 or 2013-14, and therefore would have had to wait until their centurion campaign of 2017-18 for their first top-flight title since 1968 - a drought of 50 years.

That would also have seen Man City's overall number of titles still stand at just four - fewer than Newcastle with the Magpies sitting top at this stage of 1995-96.

While the incredible Sergio Aguero finale of 2012 would have never been seen in such circumstances, other historic Premier League moments would still have stood, notably Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers both winning their solitary titles.

Leicester City's Wes Morgan lifts the Premier League trophy in May 2016© Reuters

Chelsea's fortunes would have also cancelled themselves out, with the Blues having led at this stage of the 2013-14 season but trailed Man United in 2009-10, only to recover to lift the trophy.

Carlo Ancelotti's side would not have won the double in 2009-10, though, which is the only time in their history that they have achieved that particular feat.



Full list:

1992-93 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

1993-94 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

1994-95 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Blackburn
Eventual champions: Blackburn

1995-96 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Newcastle
Eventual champions: Man Utd

1996-97 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

1997-98 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Arsenal

1998-99 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

1999-00 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2000-01 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2001-02 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Arsenal

2002-03 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Arsenal
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2003-04 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Arsenal
Eventual champions: Arsenal

2004-05 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Chelsea
Eventual champions: Chelsea

2005-06 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Chelsea
Eventual champions: Chelsea

2006-07 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2007-08 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Arsenal
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2008-09 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2009-10 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Chelsea

2010-11 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2011-12 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man City

2012-13 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man Utd
Eventual champions: Man Utd

2013-14 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Chelsea
Eventual champions: Man City

2014-15 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Chelsea
Eventual champions: Chelsea

2015-16 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Leicester
Eventual champions: Leicester

2016-17 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Chelsea
Eventual champions: Chelsea

2017-18 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man City
Eventual champions: Man City

2018-19 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Man City
Eventual champions: Man City

2019-20 season
Leaders after gameweek 29: Liverpool
Eventual champions: TBC

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Written by
Barney Corkhill
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