Worst Cases of “Second Season Syndrome” In Premier League History 

Liverpool’s ongoing plight under Arne Slot reached new lows on November 26th as the Reds were thumped 4-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League. A calamitous defensive display saw Ivan Perisic, Guus Til, and Couhaib Driouech (twice) find the back of the net to drag the Merseyside club further into the mire. The result was the club’s third straight defeat by three goals, a scarcely believable statistic considering just how dominantly they claimed the Premier League title last season. After that success and the blockbuster additions of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the summer, many expected the Reds to romp to a second straight title, as well as make a deep continental run. However, if the latest betting odds are anything to go by, Liverpool are already dead in the water on both fronts. Websites offering online sports betting in Canada now make Slot’s men a 20/1 outsider to defend their domestic title this season, as well as a 10/1 outsider in the Champions League. But Arne Slot’s struggles in his second season in charge at Anfield are by no means a standalone occurrence. Many managers have endured dismal second years in charge at clubs, even after impressive maiden campaigns. Here are the three worst cases of second-season syndrome in Premier League history. 

Antonio Conte 

Maverick Italian manager Antonio Conte took charge of Chelsea in the summer of 2016 after a disastrous title defense under Jose Mourinho the prior campaign. In his first season in charge, the former Juventus manager completely revolutionized the Blues, introducing a 3-5-2 system rarely seen before in English football. The results spoke for themselves. With wingbacks Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses thriving alongside superstars Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Chelsea duly romped to the 2016/17 Premier League title, finishing seven points clear of second-place Spurs. In the second season, however, things started to quickly unravel. A dispute with the aforementioned Costa saw the Spanish striker axed, shipped off to Atlético Madrid. Alvaro Morata arrived in his place but failed to make an impression, while fellow new signings Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater – brought in to replace midfield anchor Nemanja Matic – will go down as two of the worst signings in Chelsea history. Italian wingbacks Emerson and Davide Zappacosta were brought in as a seeming upgrade to Alonso and Moses, but neither could keep up with the pace of the Premier League, leaving the Blues exposed on the flanks week after week. The result? Chelsea slumped to fifth in the Premier League table, and Conte would be sacked at the end of the season. The Italian manager did, however, manage to leave with the FA Cup in tow. 

Claudio Ranieri 

Claudio Ranieri was shockingly appointed as manager of Leicester City in the summer of 2015, despite former boss Nigel Adkins leading the Foxes to a great escape just weeks before his dismissal. Add to that the fact that the veteran Italian boss had just endured a miserable Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in charge of the Greece national team, and it’s clear why plenty of eyebrows were raised at the King Power Stadium. But despite the critics, Ranieri managed to mastermind the greatest shock in sports history. Led by the talismanic Jamie Vardy and superstar winger Riyad Mahrez, the Foxes managed to shockingly win the Premier League in their Italian manager’s first season in charge, triumphing despite being priced as whopping 5000/1 outsiders in preseason. But unfortunately for the “Tinkerman,” his second season in the East Midlands wouldn’t deliver the same fairytale as before. A 2-0 defeat at home to Everton at the season’s halfway point saw Leicester plummet to 16th in the table. In the New Year, the players who had brought so much success the year prior suddenly downed tools, meeting with the club’s owners in a bid to have Ranieri sacked. Leicester would lose five games on the bounce throughout January and February, dropping the club into the relegation zone. The players got their wish, and the Italian was sacked, before assistant Craig Shakespeare took over and led the club to a 12th-place finish. 

Roberto Di Matteo 

Former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo returned to Stamford Bridge in the Blues’ hour of need toward the back end of the 2011/12 season. After Andre Villas-Boas alienated himself from senior players John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba, his stint in charge at the Bridge was only going to go one way. He was sacked in March with Chelsea in fifth place in the Premier League table, as well as trailing 3-1 on aggregate to Napoli in the Champions League round of 16. Di Matteo took over on an interim basis until the end of the season and immediately achieved the impossible. The interim manager led Chelsea to a scarcely believable maiden UEFA Champions League crown, delivering stunning comeback victories against both Barcelona in the semifinals and Bayern Munich in the final, both away from home no less. His exploits landed the former Italy international the Chelsea job on a permanent basis, but once again, things quickly unraveled. After signing the likes of Eden Hazard, César Azpilicueta, and Oscar in the summer, Chelsea looked to be on their way to a bright and prosperous new era after Di Matteo secured seven victories in the first eight games of the 2012/13 Premier League season. Then, the wheels came off. The Blues would go winless in seven, with a loss away at West Ham prompting Roman Abramovich to pull the trigger and sack the man who brought him the one prize he had craved for so long, barely three months into the new season.