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How Chelsea would have fared if every Premier League season ended after 29 games

Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea would have fared if every Premier League season ended after 29 matches.

Chelsea are six-time English champions, with five of those successes coming in the Premier League era.

Indeed, the 2004-05 season proved to be the first time that they had finished at the head of England's top tier since landing the First Division title in 1954-55.

The Blues have won a further four championships since then, with their last triumph coming in 2016-17.

The capital giants are currently battling for a top-four spot in the Premier League, though, occupying fourth spot in the table with football currently at a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak.

There is certainly a chance that the current campaign will not resume, effectively making it a 29-game season for the majority of top-flight English clubs.

With that in mind, Sports Mole looks at how Chelsea would have fared down the years if every Premier League season had ended after 29 matches.


Claudio Ranieri pictured in November 2018© Reuters

Chelsea were actually in a relegation battle during the 1993-94 campaign, occupying 17th spot after 29 matches of that particular season. They ultimately finished 14th, but the Blues did not end a Premier League season higher than 11th until 1996-97 when they claimed sixth.

The capital giants improved from ninth after 29 matches of the 2000-01 campaign to finish sixth, while they finished second in 2003-04 under the leadership of Claudio Ranieri. The Blues were some way off the pace after 29 games of that season, though, sitting nine points behind leaders Arsenal.

Chelsea's first Premier League title came in the 2004-05 campaign under a certain Jose Mourinho; the capital side claimed 95 points during a hugely impressive season and were 11 points clear of second-placed Manchester United after 29 matches of that particular campaign.

Mourinho made it back-to-back titles in 2005-06, finishing top of the pile with 91 points. The Blues were again in a very strong position after 29 games of that season, 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United.

Ashley Cole and Jose Mourinho pictured in 2006© Reuters

Chelsea could not improve from second after 29 games of the 2006-07 season, though, as they finished as runners-up to Manchester United, six points behind the Red Devils. The Blues improved from third after 29 games of the 2007-08 season to finish second, but they did not reclaim the Premier League title until the 2009-10 campaign under the leadership of now-Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti.

The capital side were actually second to Manchester United at this stage of the 2009-10 season but managed to finish top of the pile, one point clear of Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Chelsea improved from third after 29 games of the 2010-11 season to finish second, but they let a lead slip during the 2013-14 campaign. Indeed, the Blues were top after 29 matches, seven points clear of second-placed Liverpool, but they finished down in third, four points off the champions Manchester City.

The London giants were top after 29 games of both their 2014-15 and 2016-17 title-winning seasons but could only finish fifth in 2017-18, which was also their position at this stage of the campaign.

Interestingly, Chelsea would have missed out on Champions League football for this season had the 2018-19 campaign been stopped after 29 games as they were sixth at that stage; Maurizio Sarri's side improved to finish third, but it was not enough to keep the experienced manager in a job.

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri gestures against Atletico Madrid on September 18, 2019© Reuters


Full list:

1992-93 season
Position after 29 games: 11th
Final position: 11th

1993-94 season
Position after 29 games: 17th
Final position: 14th

1994-95 season
Position after 29 games: 10th
Final position: 11th

1995-96 season
Position after 29 games: 8th
Final position: 11th

1996-97 season
Position after 29 games: 7th
Final position: 6th

1997-98 season
Position after 29 games: 4th
Final position: 4th

1998-99 season
Position after 29 games: 3rd
Final position: 3rd

1999-2000 season
Position after 29 games: 5th
Final position: 5th

2000-01 season
Position after 29 games: 9th
Final position: 6th

2001-02 season
Position after 29 games: 5th
Final position: 6th

2002-03 season
Position after 29 games: 5th
Final position: 4th

2003-04 season
Position after 29 games: 2nd
Final position: 2nd

2004-05 season
Position after 29 games: 1st
Final position: 1st

2005-06 season
Position after 29 games: 1st
Final position: 1st

2006-07 season
Position after 29 games: 2nd
Final position: 2nd

2007-08 season
Position after 29 games: 3rd
Final position: 2nd

2008-09 season
Position after 29 games: 2nd
Final position: 3rd

2009-10 season
Position after 29 games: 2nd
Final position: 1st

2010-11 season
Position after 29 games: 3rd
Final position: 2nd

2011-12 season
Position after 29 games: 5th
Final position: 6th

2012-13 season
Position after 29 games: 3rd
Final position: 3rd

2013-14 season
Position after 29 games: 1st
Final position: 3rd

2014-15 season
Position after 29 games: 1st
Final position: 1st

2015-16 season
Position after 29 games: 10th
Final position: 10th

2016-17 season
Position after 29 games: 1st
Final position: 1st

2017-18 season
Position after 29 games: 5th
Final position: 5th

2018-19 season
Position after 29 games: 6th
Final position: 3rd

2019-20 season
Position after 29 games: 4th
Final position: N/A

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3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
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10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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