Leicester City performed the impossible last year when they won the Premier League and it seems that their luck hasn’t run out just yet. The Foxes lost some key players following their championship run, but they’re clearly not a side to be underestimated. Despite the team’s incredible performance, many chalked up Leicester’s success to pure luck, but the Foxes are out to prove that there was more to their title than just good fortune by winning yet another prestigious trophy.
To say the Foxes were a longshot to win it all last year would be severely understating things. Leicester City were the largest underdog in terms of odds to ever capture a major sports victory at 5000/1. And yes, that means any sports victory ever.
Even when the United States managed to defeat England at the 1950 World Cup, the odds were nowhere near as astronomical as those surmounted by Leicester. After such an amazing feat, few teams would be expected to do it again, but no one predicted as steep a decline as we saw this year.
Leicester City currently sit three points clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League. They face the very real possibility of becoming the first team to ever win a championship and then be relegated in the next year. Much of what made the team such a joy to watch during the 2015-16 season was absent as the club repeatedly failed to find the back of the net and the stars of the previous year regressed back into their shells. As a result of the team’s poor showing, manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked at the end of February and replaced with Craig Shakespeare as caretaker. As shocking as it was to see the club part ways with Ranieri so soon after a league title, the change seems to have reinvigorated the team.
Since Shakespeare took over, the club has won both of its league games (including an impressive victory against Liverpool) and now they’ve managed to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The club may have been fighting to stay afloat in the Premier League, but they’re surpassing expectations on the European stage. Leicester City will now be in the next round alongside legendary clubs including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid. While the Foxes celebrate their much-deserved win over Sevilla, other prominent English clubs such as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have already fallen by the wayside.
Only time will tell how the Foxes will fare in the future for the two respective competitions, but imagine how crazy it would be to see the same team relegated and victorious in the Champions League. After Leicester won the Premier League, it’s clear that anything is possible. For neutral fans, it’s just nice to see that Leicester isn’t dead yet and we’re happy to be along for the ride a little longer.
