Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri will need to lift the champions after a poor start in the Premier League
Leicester City suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Watford on Saturday afternoon, having gone behind inside of a minute at Vicarage Road.
The Foxes valiantly fought back to halve the deficit but didn’t have enough to take a point or more against Watford and now find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the top-half of the Premier League table.
Leicester City struggling with the increase of air miles
Leicester City’s toils this season were predicted due to the introduction of European football to their fixture list. The Foxes won the Premier League title last season after greatly benefitting from playing just one game a week, having plenty of time between matches to work on match preparation and allowing tired players a break. However, the 2016/17 campaign has seen Leicester’s fixture list considerably congested and preparation greatly cut to their detriment.
Manager Claudio Ranieri has rested key players in the Premier League games preceding European football to try and progress from the Champions League group stages this season, but such emphasis on continental success has taken a lot away from their domestic hopes. It’s no surprise Leicester City’s away form is among the worst in the division this season as a result of the extra air miles to their schedule, which can hamper the condition of their ageing players in the squad.
Premier League motivation has dwindled due to surpassing expectations in 2015/16
The most obvious reason why defending champions Leicester City are struggling for form in the Premier League is due to the subconscious lack of motivation. No longer are players running themselves into the group in the top-flight as they have on eye on the Champions League, and the Foxes players know their chances of a lofty finish are very slim so consolidation is likely to be acceptable.
After winning the Premier League against all odds last season, where do Leicester City go in England? The Champions League presents a new and bigger challenge but the players don’t have much to play for in the Premier League now given their lowly position. Currently, 14th in the division with 12 points from as many games, Leicester are likely to be ruling out any chance of finishing in a European place in the table and aren’t giving their all on the pitch as a result.
Just two points ahead of the drop zone and having won just once in their last seven games, Leicester City are 13/1 to suffer relegation from the Premier League this season. But can the Foxes turn their form around before they get sucked into a battle for survival?
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