Most dominant European football club of all time per season

I assume this is based on their trophy haul and not on the sense of dominance at the time or their actual level of play.

Take Man Utd in 1999 for example, at no point were they actually dominant. They won the league by just a hair. They won the FA Cup mainly with one moment of magic from Giggs, and the UCL with the most miraculous comeback of all time (up there with Istanbul 2005).

Barcelona 2011 is widely considered more dominant than their 2009 version. The Pep style of football was more fine-tuned in the 3rd season, naturally, the Xavi-Iniesta-Busquet trio was at it's peak, and Messi more developed than his 2009 version. They went into every big game as overwhelming favorites and actually dominated those teams. That is super rare, even among the most dominant teams.

Inter Milan 2010 was not dominant either. They were not seen as clear favourites, nor did they dominate their opponents. They were a well-oiled winning machine that grinded their way to victories, but they didn't give the same sense of "nothing we can do against them" feeling that Barcelona 2011 had, for example.

 

Celtic 1967 (?)

PSV Eindhoven 1988 (?)

 

I'm just curious why, if this is based on trophies won, we haven't seen either one in the top two tiers?

 

You should call it "most successful" instead then. Dominance may misleadingly imply a certain level of performance.

 

You can edit the title as you're the OP, but I think not after a certain amount of time. You'll have to ask a mod, I think?

 

Bayern 2012/13 had one of the most dominant seasons ever.

Bundesliga Champions - Won 29/34 bundesliga games, records points, 25 points ahead of 2nd, top every single matchday, 1 loss (joint least ever), most clean sheets, won every game, record goal difference.

Pokal Champions - Knocked out dortmund in the quarters, beat wolfsburg 6-1 in the semis, beat stuttgart 3-2 in the final

Supercup Champions - Beat dortmund 2-1

Champions League Champions - Beat Juve home and away in quarters, demolished peps barca 4-0 and 0-3 in the semis, beat dortmund 2-1 in the final

Won every competition they were in. Most of their team in their prime, or coming into their prime. Easily the best Bayern team i've seen in my lifetime. Ribery and Robben at their peaks. Dominition in every sense of the word.

 

In English domestic football around twenty seasons have been notable for one club either dominating or registering a rare historical achievement. Before the Premier League era the ultimate measure of domestic dominance was the double of League and FA Cup.

In 1901 the authorities introduced the maximum wage to maintain a level playing field, and they succeeded. During the sixty years it was in force (to January 1961) no English club achieved the Double. Two clubs had done so during the thirteen seasons before, and three more would do so in the thirty-odd years before the Premier League started in 1992-93.

Since then wealth inequality has increased dramatically and the FA Cup has lost much of its prestige. The Double has been devalued, occurring seven times in under thirty years. Dominating the league was always a fairly reliable measure of domestic standing and has become more so since clubs no longer prioritise the FA Cup.

Selected notable seasons below.

Preston 1888-89. The first season of the Football League. Preston, the original Invincibles, went through it unbeaten, winning the title by 11 points (22 matches, 2 points for a win) with a goal difference of +59. Completed the Double by claiming the FA Cup without conceding a goal. They were long considered the greatest English club team.

Sunderland 1892-93. The "Team of All Talents". 11 points clear in a league programme that had increased to 30 matches. Scored 100 goals with a goal difference of +64.

Aston Villa 1896-97. Also won the league by 11 points and completed the Double for good measure.

Sheffield Wednesday 1929-30. There were now 42 league games. Wednesday established a 10-point gap at the top while scoring 105 goals. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals. This was a more dominant season than any of Arsenal's five title-winning campaigns of the 1930s.

Manchester United 1955-56. 11-point cushion for the Busby Babes.

Tottenham 1960-61. A few months after the maximum wage was abolished Spurs completed the first Double of the twentieth century with a goal difference of +60 in the League and +17 in the Cup.

Arsenal 1970-71. Historic Double but margins were fine.

Everton 1984-85. There were now three points for a win. Everton won the title by 13 points and were FA Cup runners-up. Also won the European Cup Winners Cup.

Liverpool 1985-86. With no European commitments, the famous club's one and only Double came after trailing behind neighbours Everton for much of the season.

Liverpool 1987-88. Perhaps the best Liverpool team of the 1980s. Goal difference of +63 from 40 league matches. FA Cup runners-up.

Manchester United 1993-94. United's first Double.

Manchester United 1995-96. The feat repeated.

Arsenal 1997-98. Double.

Manchester United 1998-99. Unique treble of League, FA Cup and Champions League. Margins were very tight.

Manchester United 1999-2000. A more dominant United win the league by 18 points (38 matches) with a goal difference of +52.

Arsenal 2001-02. Double.

Arsenal 2003-04. The second team after Preston to go through the league season unbeaten. 11 points clear.

Chelsea 2004-05. 12-point margin with a goal difference of +57 and only 15 goals conceded.

Chelsea 2009-10. Double.

Manchester City 2017-18. 100 points, nineteen clear of nearest rivals. 106 goals scored with differential of +79.

Manchester City 2018-19. Double. Also win EFL (League) Cup.

Liverpool 2019-20. 99 points, a lead of eighteen over City. Goal difference +52.

It is difficult to establish an order of merit over such a long period. Attempts welcome.

 

It appears that for a club to be considered "dominant", success in the Champions League is required.

But what about clubs that won the domestic double of league and cup but did not compete in the Champions League due to a poor campaign the season prior?
After all, the thread title notes "per season" so the previous season should play no role in these lists, correct?.

The following clubs won their domestic double while also winning the UEFA Cup/Europa League..
In the case of 1982, the UEFA Cup was a much stronger competition than what the tournament became in 2000.

1982 IFK Göteborg
Coach: Sven-Göran Eriksson
UEFA Cup, Allsvenskan, Svenska Cupen

2000 Galatasaray
Coach: Fatih Terim
UEFA Cup, 1. Lig, Türkiye Kupası (, UEFA Super Cup)

2003 Porto
Coach: José Mourinho
UEFA Cup, Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal

2005 CSKA Moscow
Coach: Valery Gazzaev
UEFA Cup, Russian Premier League, Кубок России

2011 Porto
Coach: André Villas-Boas
Europa League, Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal

 

That bayern against Barcelona 10/11 in a CL final would either be a game for the ages or one of those closely fought tactical battles

2011/12 Real Madrid is underrated in these discussions
That was a well oiled machine and maybe/Arguably the best counter attacking team of the modern era

Ozil with 30~ Assists
Ronaldo with 60 goals and both higuain and benzema with 30 a piece
Teams got shredded in la liga


This is the team /era Jose mourinho references every time he is accused by the media of being one dimensional and employing stone age defensive tactics

121 goals in the league

A record until this day

 

I'd say Barcelona 2010-11 is the absolute peak. The way they dominated Madrid (5-0) and United (3-1) was really scary.
They beat the next best 2 teams in the world quite thoroughly with no concessions on their style.

 

I'll throw a shortlist I made a few months ago. Maybe can help you.

• 
  Barça 08/09
  
  
• Barça 10/11
  
  
• Barça 14/15
  
  
• Milan 93/94
  
  
• Ajax 94/95
  
  
• RM 11/12
  
  
• RM 16/17
  
  
• Utd 98/99
  
  
• Ajax 71/72
  
  
• Bayern 12/13
  
  
• Inter 09/10
  
  
• Celtic 66/67
  
  
• Inter 64/65
  
  
• RM 57/58
  
  
• Man Utd 07/08
  
  
• Red Star 90/91
  
  
• Bayern 73/74
  
  
• Bayern 19/20
  
  
• Liverpool 19/20 (18/19?)
  
  
• City 17/18
  
  
• Barça 05/06
  
  
• Liverpool 77/78
  
  
• RM 61/62
  
  
• Oporto 03/04
  
  
• Juve 13/14
  
  
• Juve 14/15
  
  
• Chelsea 04/05
  
  
• Bayern 15/16
  
  
• RM 59/60
  
  
• Barça 59/60
  
  
• Benfica 60/61
  
  
• Arsenal 03/04
  
  
• Barça 73/74
  
  
• RM 85/86
  
  
• Inter 88/89
  
  
• OM 92/93
  
  
• Honved 51/52
  
  
• Hamburgo 82/83
  
  
• Milan 50/51
  
  
• Wolves 53/54
  
  
• Gladbach 74/75
  
  
• Liverpool 83/84
  
  
• Oporto 86/87
  
  
• Atleti 13/14
  
  
• Barça 91/92
  
  
• Napoli 89/90
  
  
• Bayern 00/01
  
  
• Bayern 09/10
  
  
• Juve 94/95
  
  
• Milan 02/03
  
  
• Milan 91/92
  
  
• Torino 47/48
  
  
• Juve 59/60
  

We could add more teams to this list, but I think all of them did pretty good seasons.

 

As a "culé" 2011-12 Real Madrid scared me more than any other "merengue" team. That UCL final should have been "El Clásico" and the greatest of all time in terms of hype and greatness for sure.

Good post

 

BBC article today on dominant English clubs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56591844

 

1989 Milan coached by Sacchi should be in the top two tiers.. maybe second tier.

they beat Real Madrid 6-1 over the two legged semis and won 4-0 in the finals.

 

Great in Europe but finished third in Serie A, 12 points behind champions Inter and that was back when two points were awarded per victory.

Strictly my preference but I feel if a club didn’t win their domestic league they shouldn’t be considered as a ‘dominant’ team for that given season.