After Napoli finished a lowly 10th place in Serie A a year after winning the title, we looked at other occasions when defending champions flattered to deceive. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A tough season

Napoli shocked the world of Italian soccer after capturing the Serie A title for the 2022-2023 season. The side started the year as a longshot to finish on top of the table and while it’s always tough defending titles, hopes were high that the team could compete again during the most recent season.

a massive 40 points behind the winners

This didn’t prove to be the case, with the three-time Serie A champions finishing in a lowly tenth place, the worst performance for a defending champion in the 21^st century. It was a massive 40 points behind the winners, Inter Milan.

Off the back of this paltry performance, we decided to look at other occasions in the world of soccer when the league champion had a disastrous follow-up season.

Chelsea finished 10th after winning 2014-2015 Premier League

José Mourinho returned to Chelsea for a second spell in charge in June 2013 and proceeded to lead the London side to its third-ever Premier League title in 2013-2014. The charm wore off the following season, when the locker room started to turn on “The Special One.”

flirting with the relegation zone when the club decided to relieve Mourinho of his duties

Chelsea was flirting with the relegation zone when the club decided to relieve Mourinho of his duties, installing Guus Hiddink to take over. The Netherlands native turned the fortunes around somewhat, with Chelsea registering 50 points by the end of the season for a 10th place finish.

AC Milan posts worst-ever Serie A title defense in 1995-1996

Despite Napoli’s best efforts in the most recent season, AC Milan still has the distinction of mounting the worst-ever Serie A title defense. The team stormed to victory in the 1995-1996 season led by superstars like George Weah and Roberto Baggio.

only registered 43 points to finish in the lower half of Serie A

Fabio Capello left Milan at the end of the victorious season to take over Real Madrid, with Óscar Tabárez lasting only a matter of months as his successor. The team only registered 43 points to finish in the lower half of Serie A.

Montpellier back to reality after shocking Ligue 1 title in 2012-2013

With PSG dominating Ligue 1 in recent years, capturing ten of the last dozen titles, it’s hard to remember when a big outsider lifted the trophy. Montpellier took the French soccer scene by storm when it captured the Ligue 1 title in 2012-2013 for the first time in history.

led by the now all-time French national team top scorer Olivier Giroud

They were led by the now all-time French national team top scorer Olivier Giroud and saw off PSG by three points. The following season kicked the side right back to reality after its star striker left to play for Arsenal and the team finished in 9^th place.

Juventus relegated to Serie B after capturing the 2004-2005 title

It wasn’t subpar performances on the field that led to Juventus getting relegated the season after winning Serie A in 2004-2005, it was the Calciopoli scandal in which club officials allegedly tried to get favorable referees for its games during phone conversations with referee governing organizations.

Other teams implicated in the scandal included Reggina, AC Milan, Lazio, and Fiorentina.

The authorities stripped Juventus of its title and relegated it to Serie B for the first time in the club’s history. The Turin-based side quickly bounced back, winning the second-tier league competition by six points.