Return of The Fox: How Leicester City (Almost) Got Back To The Top Of The Premier League.
They were dubbed the greatest underdog story in the history of world sports. Leicester City FC, previously little known outside of their home region of England’s East Midlands, rose from nowhere to challenge the giants of the English Premier League during the 2015–16 season- and win. As amazing and memorable as that story was, in the aftermath it seemed to be a fluke- a glorious fluke to be sure, but a fluke nonetheless.
The following season, 2016–17, Leicester dropped back to 12th place in the Premier League rankings (although they did make the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, a respectable showing for a club making its first appearance at that level). This was followed by two consecutive ninth place finishes, which seemed to confirm that the Foxes would fade back into relative obscurity, an afterthought compared to league giants such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
However, this 2019–2020 season has seen Leicester dispel any illusions that would return to being a quiet midtable side. They have surged back into Premier League relevance once more, currently sitting comfortably in third place in the league’s ranking table. Although Liverpool has dominated all comers this season and is a virtual lock to win the title, the Foxes only sit two points behind Manchester City for the runner up spot. More importantly they look to be assured, barring a major collapse, of finishing in the league’s top four; they boast a ten point lead over fifth place Sheffield United. This would see Leicester return to Champions League competition for only the second time in their history.
How have the Foxes gotten back to their previous top level? The best place to start answering that question would be with the man calling the shots from the sidelines. In February 2019 the club hired Brendan Rodgers as its new manager, and he has been all that the Foxes and their fans could have hoped for. When Leicester won their first title in 2016, Leicester’s signature style was the counter-attack, but by 2019, this saw diminishing returns as the club had a negative goal differential when Rodgers took over. Using a variety of tactics and formations, Rodgers has implemented a more possession-based style of football that has seen the team move the ball forward and score more, but without sacrificing too much on the defensive end- in fact, under Rodgers aspects of the team’s defense, such as defending set pieces (free kicks and corner kicks) have actually improved.
Beyond his tactical decisions, Rodgers is also well known for having good relationships with young players and getting the most out of them. These include twenty-two year old English midfielder Harvey Barnes, who has overcome a slow start to the season to break out since the start of 2020, establishing himself as a strong presence for Leicester. Even with his slow start, Barnes ranks in the top ten in the Premier League in assists. One of the other key fixtures of Leicester’s youth movement, twenty three year old Turkish defenceman Çağlar Söyüncü, ranks sixth in the EPL in passes, invaluable to Rodgers’ combining of possession and defence.
As good as their young players are, the team would be nowhere without its veteran signature star and top goal scorer, Jamie Vardy. The level of devotion that Vardy inspires from Leicester City fans with the pivotal role he played in their championship is matched only by the infamy generated by his wife Rebekah’s social media feud with the wife of former EPL star Wayne Rooney. Under Rodgers’ predecessor, conventional wisdom was that Vardy, on the wrong side of thirty, would no longer be able to accomplish what he once did, and as a result his usage rate dipped during the 2018–19 season, seemingly a sign that he was entering the twilight of his career.
But Rodgers’ shrewd usage combined with Vardy’s incredible athleticism and dedication have borne fruit, and the striker is playing as if he found the fountain of youth. So far this season he has scored seventeen goals, already just one shy of his total from last year. And not only is that tally leading all Leicester City players, but if the season ended today, Vardy would lead all Premier League goal scorers, winning the first Golden Boot of his career.
A team and a manager can only succeed if they are appropriately supported by team ownership and management, and Leicester has not been lacking in this department either. Although they lack the deep pockets of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich or Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour, Leicester ownership have used their resources to ably support Rodgers, giving him a steady supply of young players acquired via the transfer market that he can mold into his system. The club also has balanced their acquisitions between players that can help the main Leicester squad right away and between players that can be developed further on their Under 23 team, if executed correctly this strategy could keep Leicester near the top for years to come while maintaining financial solvency.
In the end, nothing will match the wonder that was Leicester City’s 2015–16 Premier League campaign. But the next best thing for the club and their fanbase would be achieving the consistent high quality performance that is so difficult to achieve for all but the most elite clubs in English soccer. What the 2019–20 season has shown is that Leicester has all the ingredients to do just that. In Brendan Rodgers they have a top quality manager with a system that works well on the pitch, and his players feature a combination of youngsters on the rise and veterans still at the top of their game. Finally, all of this is backed by an ownership that is willing to put money behind the on-field vision, but seemingly without toxic micromanagement. With all of these elements in place, it should be no surprise that Leicester City has returned to the top of the Premier League’s table- and this time they should be there to stay.
