Why Leicester City won't experience the same success next season
Let’s face it – this has been an incredibly unpredictable season of the Barclays Premier League. Who would have imagined that with 3 weeks to the end of the 2015/16 season, Leicester City would still have a sizeable lead atop the top of the table?
And if this remains the case, it would be the most improbable league triumph in English football since Alf Ramsey’s Ipswich City romped to the title in 1961-62, the very year they were promoted to the top division for the very first time in their footballing history.
Ranieri’s men have confounded critics and naysayers worldwide who said that their early season form was just a blip on the radar of the top clubs of London and Manchester, one of whom would romp to the title anyway – they said. And who could fault them?
Also read: Leonardo Ulloa ready to propel Leicester in Jamie Vardy's absence
For the last 15 years, it’s invariably been one amongst Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City or Manchester United who have stood tall at the top of the Premier League table come May. But Leicester has steadfastly refused to buckle down under the increasing spotlight of the media and pressure being heaped on them by the clubs below them.
The Foxes were flirting with relegation for a significant portion of the year last season. So much so that the bookmakers considered them odds of 5000-1 to win the title. But now that Leicester has shown that they would be no pushovers and stay resolute on their position on top of the table, the bookies have now installed them as the favorites for their first premier league title.
And if Leicester does manage to achieve that (mind you that is still a big IF), it would be an incredible story for people who still believe in the romance of football. For a team which was assembled with a fraction of the amount which other title aspirants have spent, they have punched far above their weight this season., having already confirmed their spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Now comes the more important question: Can they build on this? Can this be the start of something more sustainable than a one-off title charge? Can Leicester City become a European powerhouse in the years to come?
Michael Owen certainly doesn’t think so. For he was heard saying
“Leicester conceivably could go down next year. They could win the league and they could still be in a relegation fight next year.”
And though this is somewhat an extreme suggestion, there are good reasons to believe that come next season, the Foxes will not be experiencing the same euphoria as 2015/16.
Other clubs won’t fail simultaneously
This has certainly been an air of unpredictability about the league this season other than the fact that Arsenal will blow away a title opportunity but keep gunning for the fourth spot that is perennially reserved for them.
Jokes apart, who could have predicted at the beginning of the season that Stamford Bridge would no longer have an air of invincibility that Jose Mourinho had created and that the Portuguese would be forced to depart the club with his tail firmly between his legs. Or that a storied club like Aston Villa would be going down this season while all of the promoted clubs might stay up. Or that Pelligrini’s expensively assembled squad would end the season merely scrapping for Champions League places.
In fact, Ranieri was heard admitting:
"We know we're having a strange year, we're doing well because the big teams haven't found their rhythm.”
Let’s face it, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all have experienced a season which their fans will unanimously term as disappointing. And inspite of the managerial change, even Liverpool. This has certainly been unprecedented and has played right into the hands of the Foxes. But it’s hardly likely to be repeated once again come the 2016/17 season.