Ahead of effective shooting despite poor market share
Unbeaten march in 6 matches including the last 3 consecutive wins
A drama like a miracle for the 2015-2016 season
‘Surprise win’ the year following promotion to the first division
Attention to reproduction of the protagonist building material gust 5 years ago
Leicester City midfielder James Madison (second from right) is scoring a goal in the EPL round 19 game against Chelsea at Leicester King Power Stadium on the 20th. Leicester = AP Yonhap News
When Leicester City won the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2015-2016 season by surprise, football fans around the world called the incident a’fairy tale’. This is because the small and medium-sized club, which had played in the second division, gathered unknown players and won a miracle the following year. However, the expression’fairy tale’ also contained another meaning. It was expected that this victory would be difficult to reproduce. In fact, Leicester City fell to 12th in the 2016-2017 season just after winning. Even in 2018, the owner of Wichai Shiwatdanaprapa suffered a tragedy in the process of taking off by helicopter in front of the stadium after watching the home game. In the process of winning, even the owner, who supported the team, died, and the future of the team became darker.
But Leicester City rose again as if to look. Brendon Rogers, who served as manager of Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic, was recruited in the middle of the 2018-2019 season and rebounded to 5th place in the league in the following season, 2019-2020. And in the 2020-2021 season, he is finally going to the top of the league, trying to rewrite the’fairy tale’. On the 20th, Leicester City beat Chelsea 2-0 in the EPL Round 19 game held at the home stadium of Leicester King Power Stadium in England. Six minutes after the start of the match, Wilfred Ndidi (25) defeated the starter with a final shot. On the right side of the penalty area, a pass from Mark Albrighton, 32, hit the foot of Harvey Barnes, 24, and Ndidi shook the net with a left-footed mid-range shot outside the penalty arc. In the 41st minute, James Madison (25) scored an extra goal. Albrighton quickly flooded the long ball from behind and finished with his right foot.
Leicester City recorded 6 effective shots, one more than Chelsea, despite being overwhelmed by 35.8%-65.2% of their market share. It was a high-efficiency and solid game reminiscent of the winning season. As a result, Leicester City jumped to the top of the league with 12 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses and 38 points, overtaking Manchester United (37 points) with 6 games, including 3 consecutive wins.
It is difficult to guarantee that Leicester City will continue to lead, as Manchester United has yet to play one less game and the competition for the first class is in progress. Currently, the difference in points between 1st place Leicester City and 7th place West Ham (32 points) is only 6 points.
However, this season’s Leicester City is recognized as a proud championship amidst such a hassle. While the protagonists who created the fairy tale five seasons ago, such as striker Jamie Boddie (34), goalkeeper Kesper Schmeichel (35), and midfielder Albrighton, are still in existence, recruiting players such as Madison, Ndidi, and Barnes have grown steadily, such as Liverpool, Man U, and Chelsea. This is thanks to the completion of the player composition that is not second to the traditional strongholds. The BBC also said, “Leicester’s victory points this season are only 1 point less compared to the same period at the time of winning the 2015-2016 season. The point is clear.”
Reporter Pilwoong Seo [email protected]
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