Season Reviews: Leicester City Season Review
Leicester City – season review
Final League position: 14th
Points total: 41
Rotoworld.com Season Wrap-ups: CHE | MAC | ARS | MAN | TOT | LIV | SOU | SWN |STO | CPL | EVE | WHU | WBA | LEI | NEW | SUN | AST | HUL | BUR | QPR
Season 2014-15 Summary:
It’s certainly not dull being a Leicester City fan. Their return to the Premier League after an absence of five seasons lurched effortlessly from the sublime to the ridiculous, then back to sublime again. From the extraordinary highpoint of spanking Manchester United 5-3 (after being 3-1 down, let’s not forget). To the bizarre ‘sacking’ of manager Nigel Pearson in February, only to be reinstated later the same day. Then ending the season in better form than either Chelsea, Man City or Arsenal winning an exceptional 22pts from nine matches. Finishing a comfortable 6pts and three places above a relegation place that looked nailed on for most of the season.
The story of Nigel Pearson’s season is as equally unbelievable as his team’s and his various misdemeanours probably filled as many column inches. We need not go into them all here but, to recap… In December he invited a critical fan to go forth and multiply, then die (which cost him a £10k fine from the FA)… In February an initially good natured touchline tumble with Crystal Palace’s James McArthur ended with Pearson grabbing the player’s throat, then shirt and refusing to let go… By March, with Leicester bottom of the table, he had turned on reporters, swearing at one after the 0-0 draw with Hull… But saved his best until last, comparing another newspaper man to an ostrich after the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea, even though a run of four wins had by then lifted his team clear of the relegation zone. But Nigel Pearson will ultimately be remembered as the architect of a heroic last quarter of the season, which shocked everyone outside the club. And probably most inside it.
A season of two halves…
Leicester’s survival is all the more remarkable when you consider they spent a full 19 weeks – match days 14 to 31 – rooted to the bottom of the table. That’s half of the season. Things began brightly, as they often do for newly promoted teams, with creditable draws with Everton and Arsenal either side of a defeat at Chelsea. Then back to back wins away at Stoke, followed by the extraordinary result against Manchester United. Granted, it was not a vintage United team compared to some we have seen in recent years. But the history books will record a team featuring the combined talents of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Angel Di Maria, Falcao and Juan Mata. And will rightly go down in Leicester City folklore and be forever remembered by all who were there and took part. But it also looked for a while that it would represent a peak from which the season would never recover. Following that match, Leicester embarked on a run of 13 winless matches, claiming just two points along the way – from home draws to Sunderland and Burnley. Both of which had already emerged as likely fellow relegation battlers.
The Christmas and New Year period yielded a run of two home wins and a good draw away at an inform Liverpool, but it was an all too brief respite. Six defeats from the next eight matches, with just two draws to cheer among them (and one of those was against a struggling Hull team reduced to ten men), gave no indication of the remarkable revival they were about to embark on. The run began with a 2-1 win over West Ham, but the perhaps the real turning point came at West Brom in the next match. Jamie Vardy’s 90th minute winner, after being 2-1 down with ten minutes on the clock, seemed to galvanise the team and inspire a run of performances that kept Leicester in the PL and put Vardy in the England squad. Four more wins from the next five, including four clean sheets meant a draw at Sunderland (another clean sheet) ensured safety with a game to play. Which turned into another 5-goal romp, this time at the expense of already doomed QPR.
Mixed results from new recruits…
A season of steep learning curves for sure – and things will not get an easier this time around. Only (relegated) Burnley have spent less than Leicester’s £33m outlay in the last five years, so it is clear investment is needed – on the right players. Last season five new faces were added. Striker Leonardo Ulloa arrived from Brighton (for £8 million), right-back Danny Simpson from QPR (£2m), youngster Tom Lawrence from Man United (£1m) and Estaban Cambiasso from Inter Milan (free). With Andrej Kramaric joining from Croatian club Rijeka in January (£9m). Ulloa’s 11 goals and three assists was a decent effort in his debut season and it is interesting to note that his goals return precisely reflects Leicester’s periods of good form – nine of his 11 goals came in the opening five and last seven matches. So with improved players and better performances around him, we can expect his tally to improve (or at least maintain) next season. Danny Simpson failed to make any impression (just 13 appearances) and Tom Lawrence is still an unknown (but highly thought of) quantity. The jury is also still out on Croatian striker Kramaric. A veritable goal machine in his home country, hitting 25 goals in just 16 matches in the first half of the season. His two strikes in 13 matches for Leicester suggests a gulf in quality which he might need more time to bridge.
Quality has never been something that Estaban Cambiasso has lacked. With a CV that lists Inter Milan, Real Madrid and River Plate as previous employers, 52 caps international caps and only Lionel Messi and Alfredo Di Stefano as more decorated Argentines. His signing was a coup and his influence has been huge this season, extending far beyond the five goals and single assist. But his presence next season is not yet assured and at 34 years old, time is not on his side.
Areas to improve next season…
Leicester’s goals totals don’t look too bad at first glance. Their 28 scored at home was the 9th best in the PL and the 18 scored away places them 12th. But it doesn’t tell the whole story. The first half of the season produced just 17 goals (0.9 per match) and included a run of six matches without a goal, immediately after the five v Man United. The second half of the season yielded 29 goals (1.5 per match), with 22 coming in the final ten matches. This might indicate they came to terms with the PL in the final quarter and can start where they left off. If so, no problem. But caution says that Ulloa needs to be joined in double figures by at least one other. David Nugent, Cambiasso and Jamie Vardy all hit five but with Nugent’s role largely from the bench and Cambiasso’s advancing years, the responsibility will fall to Vardy to step up. If Leicester’s latest international can match his assists total (eight) with goals and Kramaric can reproduce anything like his Croatian league form going forward they should be fine.
Additionally, Riyad Mahrez (four goals, three assists) had an encouraging first season in an attacking midfield role and if Marc Albrighton can stay fit for more than the ten matches he started (two goals, three assists) we can also expect more. But with Cambiasso’s future at best, short and at worst, elsewhere it’s in the centre of midfield and defence where the major surgery is required. Despite a record of seven clean sheets from 12 matches v bottom six clubs, the defensive line of Wes Morgan, Jeffrey Schlupp and Robert Huth needs protecting, or reinforcing if Leicester are to avoid relying on another Houdini act next spring.
Matt Nesbitt is a one-time player, long-time tipster and full-time fan of the beautiful game. He is a regular guest on TipTV.co.uk and the man behind Premier League Match Predictor MatchSim.com. Email: mattnesbitt
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