Is Anyone Actually Surprised Leicester City Aren't Preforming Well?
Amid Leicester City's poor run of games in the BPL (13th in the league, -6 goal differential) reports are starting to spring up that sounds like the following. 'What's going on with Leicester? Why is Leicester struggling? What can the Foxes do differently?' And rightfully so. The foxes DID win the premier league. But cmon, are you really surprised the foxes are struggling?
Let's be honest, the foxes got lucky last season. It was a magical season, and there were a lot of moments of brilliance, but lady luck also played her part. Leicester got off to a hot start, and the entire league didn't. It was a weird season last year. You really need to be on the finest of drugs to actually believe that LCFC could repeat as champions. This will more than likely be the worst season a BPL champion has had one year after winning the title. Ironically, that record was set last season, during Leicester's wonder season, when Chelsea finished tenth. They were almost destined to be a letdown this season. They don't have the sort of money as the regular top-5 clubs do. And those clubs made BIG moves. Leicester even felt those moves, as Chelsea stole N'golo Kante from the hearts of foxes fans. Last season, they were asleep. It's not like Man Utd was about to stay asleep. Some may say that Leicester is underperforming this season, when realisitically 13th is about where Leicester should be.
Ever hear of Marc Janko? In the 2008-2009 season, he scored 39 goals for Red Bulls Salzburg and was the highest scoring player on the planet that season. His performance caught the eyes of Scottish legends Celtic and a couple premier league teams (duh?). He decided to stay loyal and signed a contract with Salzburg that could have been kept through 2013. It didn't. With his goal scoring prowess, he surely would have signed for a prestigious club right? Nope. Janko flopped, and has always been the guy that comes to my mind whenever someone talks about one season wonder. The clubs he's played for since? FC Twente, FC Porto, Trabzonspor, Sydney FC, and is currently at FC Basel. He led the WORLD in scoring, and a couple seasons he's playing in the Australian A-league. I bring this up because, before last season, Jamie Vardy was a nobody. By now, I bet you've heard his story. From working at a steel mill to breaking Ruud Van Nistelrooy's record for consecutive games scored in and being voted the Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year. Vardy was a sensation last season, but I've always been concerned that he would contract Janko-itis. So far, with the season being relatively young, he has started eight times and scored only two goals. It's not the biggest of concerns-Leicester City was active in the transfer window and brought along more strikers, so getting them involved in the action is important- but if this continues, it's time to be concerned.
I've noticed that LCFC has been focusing more on having a hell of a time in the Champions League, where they are being their debut in. And that's okay. They are playing lights out in their group. They have not lost a game, and have pitched three shutouts in their first three games. Okay, okay, maybe Porto, Copenhagen, and Club Brugge are not the hardest teams ever, but they are still a challenge. I myself would not think that the Foxes would have the success they had against Porto; Porto poses the biggest threat to Leicester in my opinion. But this is a fun time for Claudio Ranieri's men, and they are enjoying every moment of it. They are a practical lock for the knockout stages, and it will be fun to watch if they can work some of that magic they did last season. I don't expect them to win against Real Madrid or Barcelona, but depending on who they get matched up against it will be fun to see what happens.
With all this negativity and doubt swirling around Leicester City, it is important to remember that the team is still a really good team. There are things to improve on, and the foxes are on the right path to improvement. I believe that they absolutely nailed their transfer window time. Once he gets accustomed to the fast pace of the premier league, Ahmad Musa can be absolutely dangerous. Jamie Vardy is really fast. So what did Leicester City do? They signed Musa, who is faster than Vardy. Leicester fans had to be excited for Musa, and that was even before they broke the bank on Islam Slimani, who is a world class striker. They were not able to close the deal with Slimani's teammate Adrien Silva, but Silva has stated that he wants the move, so hopefully in the January window a move can happen. He can be the guy to replace N'golo Kante, who they really miss. I think the signing of German Goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler is genius. He's a backup goalie, who is good enough to start. Last season, Kasper Schmeichel had no one reliable behind him. Zieler has already shown the class he is capable of performing at in a couple of games this season. This team has a good young core (besides the grandpas that are at center back), and they are only going to get better. Catching up to the Manchesters, Chelsea, Spurs, and Arsenal does not happen overnight. Success takes time, especially for the Foxes. They are not bad, but they are not the same caliber of the top five premier league teams.
Yet.
