Leicester are the worst defending champs in history, but we shouldn't be surprised
Leicester City are the worst defending champs in Premier League history. It won't be official until the season is over, but they're well on their way, having taken a paltry 13 points from 14 games and sitting 15th in the table following a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland. None of this is a surprise though. Leicester were never going to come close to repeating the magic of last season.
Leicester have been awful in the league this year. At this stage they're doing even worse than last year's Chelsea, who picked up a historically bad 15 points over the same period. Their defense has sprung a leak, the goals have dried up, and they look like a shell of the team that shocked the Premier League and lifted the trophy last year.
It's stunning to see a defending champ fall off like this, but it makes sense. Leicester are struggling with every single aspect that made them so tough to beat last year. Claudio Ranieri and his men put forth a herculean effort to pull off the victory against all odds, and it was going to take another miracle for them not to drop off following that sort of achievement. The Foxes had a team full of good players who put together an impossible run, and now they're back to playing at their level.
Leicester lost probably their most important player in N'Golo Kante, their center-back pairing are two aging journeyman defenders who put together the run of their lives last year, and they're not getting production from their two marquee players. None of this is really a surprise either. Jamie Vardy was never a volume scorer aside from last season, and Riyad Mahrez isn't an unknown quality anymore. Now that teams know just how much danger he possesses, it's gotten harder and harder for him to work his magic.
Claudio Ranieri knew this would happen though.
"Forty points [is the target]," Ranieri said after the Community Shield loss to Manchester United in August. "Don't laugh! I restart with the same philosophy, the same humility, that is it. What we achieved was fantastic, but now, 40 points. Then, we'll see."
Leicester's run last year was absolutely unbelievable. Every single player in their team was at the top of their game, and it seems the footballing deities were smiling down on them. They had the juice. But now, it's gone.
"It's difficult. We miss everything," said Ranieri after the 2-1 loss to Sunderland. "Everything last season was right, starting with luck; this season, everything is wrong."
The only place the magic hasn't run out for Leicester is Champions League. So far, their maiden voyage in Europe's top competition has been all smooth sailing. They've qualified for the knockout round for the first time ever, and at the top of their group no less. Yes, it's against the likes of Porto, FC Copenhagen and Club Brugge, but the bright lights and European nights have been the only way they've been able to rediscover the fire and commitment (and yes, luck, like the draw) they showed last year on the way to the Premier League title. They're undefeated in five matches, and all their hopes for the season rest on just how far they can push on and continue to make history in Europe.
Leicester had a fairytale run last season, but this year 40 points is achievable. It's realistic. It would keep them up, and that's exactly what they should be shooting for. They've still got hopes of Champions League glory, but they'll likely be long gone by the time it's truly crunch time in the Premier League. After that, it's just about surviving. And that's ok.
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Leicester’s 13 points from 14 games is the worst title defence in Premier League history. They had 29 points at this stage last season. pic.twitter.com/9GwgrpbQK8
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 3, 2016
