Football quiz: bad starts to a season

It’s all going wrong for Cristiano Ronaldo. Photograph: Javier García/Rex/Shutterstock

1. Manchester United are bottom of the table after two defeats at the start of the season. What happened to United at the start of the 1930-31 season?

   1. They won every game until the final day of the season, when they were beaten 1-0 and missed out on becoming the first Invincibles

   2. They lost 12 straight games

   3. They drew every game until Christmas

   4. They lost their first five games but rallied and won the league

2. Which club went 17 games without a win at the start of a Premier League season?

   1. Swindon Town

   2. QPR

   3. Derby County

   4. Sheffield United

3. Darwin Nuñez was sent off on his home debut for Liverpool last week. Which other player was also sent off on his home debut for Liverpool in the Premier League?

   1. Steven Gerrard

   2. Jamie Carragher

   3. Joe Cole

   4. Daniel Agger

4. Which club lost their first three games in the Premier League last season but have won their first two this season?

   1. Tottenham

   2. Arsenal

   3. Wolves

   4. Newcastle

5. Which Premier League club lost their first seven games in a season yet still stayed up?

   1. Crystal Palace

   2. Sunderland

   3. Derby County

   4. Oldham Athletic

6. Which team won the Premier League title after losing their opening two games of the season?

   1. Manchester United in 1992-93

   2. Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95

   3. Leicester City in 2015–16

   4. Manchester City in 2011-12

7. Tomas Repka had a terrible start in the Premier League when he joined West Ham in 2001. What happened to him?

   1. He scored a hat-trick of own goals on his Premier League debut

   2. He came on as a substitute, was subbed off after 23 minutes and never played for the club again

   3. He was sent off twice in his first three appearances

   4. He was sent off on his debut and then slapped the referee as he left the field, earning a 10-match ban

8. Which of these clubs won a league title in 2015-16 after losing their first two league games of the season?

   1. Juventus

   2. PSG

   3. Leicester City

   4. Bayern Munich

9. Which manager was appointed by a Premier League club in the summer but sacked in September after his team lost their first four league games of the season without scoring a goal?

   1. Bob Bradley

   2. Paolo Di Canio

   3. Felix Magath

   4. Frank de Boer

10. Which English team started the season by winning just one of their first nine league games, but finished it as European champions?

    1. Nottingham Forest in 1978-79

    2. Aston Villa in 1981-82

    3. Liverpool in 2004-05

    4. Chelsea in 2011–12

Solutions

1:B - They conceded 48 goals in that 12-game losing run. They finished bottom of the table and were relegated., 2:D - They had finished ninth in the league in the previous season, but collapsed at the start of the 2020-21 campaign and were relegated., 3:C - Cole was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Laurent Koscielny, who was also sent off later in the game. Strangely, Cole and Nuñez were both sent off on the same date: 15 August., 4:B - Arsenal had a terrible start last season, losing their first three games without scoring a single goal. , 5:A - Despite those early defeats in the 2017–18 season, Roy Hodgson took over in autumn and guided the club to an 11th-placed finish. , 6:A - United lost their first two games – to Sheffield United and Everton – and could only draw their third against Ipswich, but they still went on to win the title, finishing 10 points clear of Aston Villa., 7:C - Repka had a terrible disciplinary record. He was booked 10 times in his first season at the club, during which they were relegated. , 8:A - Juve had a ropey start in Serie A, winning just one of their first six games, but they still won the title by nine points., 9:D - “We would like to thank Frank for his dedication and hard work,” said Palace when they sacked him in September 2017., 10:B - Reigning champions Villa dropped as low as 17th in the league table in late January, but they came flying back in the second half of the season and won the European Cup.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Have a good weekend.

2. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Have a good weekend.

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Have a good weekend.

4. 4 and above.

   That's a decent score. Well played. Have a good weekend.

5. 5 and above.

   That's a fine score. Well played. Have a good weekend.

6. 6 and above.

   That's a great score. Well played. Have a good weekend.

7. 7 and above.

   That's a great score. Well played. Have a good weekend.

8. 8 and above.

   That's a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend.

9. 9 and above.

   That's an outstanding score. Well played. Have a great weekend.

10. 10 and above.

    That's an outstanding score. Well played. Have a great weekend.

11. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Have a good weekend.