Guardian writers’ predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 5th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 50-1
The plan
The end may be the best place to start. Leicester will conclude their campaign against Spurs, Everton, Watford and Southampton.
That looks a relatively benign run-in after two successive seasons in which Brendan Rodgers’ side dropped out of the Champions League places by losing three of their last four league matches.
Then again, given that their slides in the previous seasons began with heavy defeats by Bournemouth and Newcastle, Leicester know better than anyone that matches that look smooth on paper can be rough in reality.
Leicester have been the great disruptors of the presumed order of the Premier League but until they finish in the top four – as opposed to spending all season in it until the closing stages – questions will linger about their mental fortitude.
That is harsh for several reasons: first, their wilting in the past two seasons was caused partly by multiple unfortunate injuries; second, while fading on the league front last season, they deservedly beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup for the first time; and third, the anticlimatic conclusions have slightly masked the great strides made under Rodgers, with last season the second best in the club’s existence thanks to the Cup victory and a points tally higher than the season before even if it still only equated to a fifth-place finish. And “only” is an inappropriate word given the power of some of the clubs who finished below Leicester again.
The first thing Leicester needed to do this summer to prepare for a successful assault on the top four was retain their key players. So far they have managed to do that, with this the first off-season where they have not had to find a replacement for a departed star despite covetous looks at Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and others.
Another thing they had to do was bolster their squad, because greater depth will be required even if they are spared the sort of injuries that sabotaged them in the past two seasons. The loss of Wes Fofana to a fractured fibula this week was another serious blow and must be addressed, especially as the way the top four have reinforced suggests overhauling them is going to be even harder this season.
Encouragingly for Leicester fans, the club look to have made some typically shrewd acquisitions. Patson Daka, the striker signed for £23m from Red Bull Salzburg, could prove to be a bargain, with his speed, cleverness and finishing skills potentially making him an ideal partner – and ultimately replacement – for Jamie Vardy.
If Kelechi Iheanacho remains as sharp as he was in the second half of last season, and if Harvey Barnes and Maddison regain their best form after injuries, and if Ayoze Pérez does more than flicker and if the club manage to sign the high-end winger they are pursuing, then Rodgers will have exciting options up front, giving him greater scope to change approach when opponents frustrate Leicester by defending deep and striking on the counterattack. Many visitors did that at the King Power in the past two seasons, during which Leicester have failed to win 18 of their 38 home matches in the league. Improving that record is key to climbing higher.
Leicester will need Daka to adapt rapidly to the Premier League, and be ready at the latest by January, when Iheanacho and Ndidi are due to join up with Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations. Daka’s Zambia have not qualified.
If Daka mitigates the absence of Iheanacho, Leicester will hope that Ndidi is missing for as little time as possible, because he is practically irreplaceable at the base of midfield, where his intelligence and dynamism make him one of the league’s best deep midfielders. He gives players such as Tielemans and Maddison a platform on which to build and also protects the defence.
In defence, Leicester had hoped to benefit from the development of Fofana after his outstanding debut season in the Premier League, but that will have to wait after Wednesday’s injury. And with Jonny Evans not expected to be fit until mid-September, the club need to buy at least one, and ideally two, central defenders to support Caglar Soyuncu.
Beyond personnel changes, concentration could be perfected in Leicester’s defence, especially when defending set pieces and chasing games at home. Ryan Bertrand, a free summer signing, should prove useful, and his arrival gives James Justin, Timothy Castagne and even Ricardo Pereira extra time to recover full fitness. Behind them, Kasper Schmeichel should be as reliable as ever.
The manager
Brendan Rodgers is still seen by some as a nearly man, which is absurd for someone who has progressed from driving forklifts in a Waitrose warehouse to winning trophies with more than one club, including the FA Cup with Leicester. What is supposed to be a slur is in fact a compliment, since the implication is “nearly great”, which, in this case, means evidently very good and getting even better. Rodgers has improved Leicester significantly since joining two and half years ago and also benefited from the club’s solidity and shrewdness. Manager and club are an ideal match, their attributes complementing each other and both driven by fierce ambition. Some clubs that are currently bigger than Leicester would love to have Rodgers in charge but know they will never lure him so long as he and the Foxes continue to upset the status quo.
Key player
Youri Tielemans is the brain in Leicester’s midfield, the player whose vision and precision can open up routes to goal that others cannot even see. His technical prowess is not limited to what he can do with the ball but also with his body, since his expertise in judo gives him an agility and robustness that help him avoid injury. He almost never misses matches, and would be badly missed if he ever did so – although Boubakary Soumaré, the £17m summer signing from Lille, has the potential to be similarly creative.
The owners
The way the players and staff celebrated at Wembley with the chairman after the FA Cup triumph showed genuine bonds of affection with Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, who assumed sole charge of the club after the helicopter crash that claimed the life of his father in 2018. Top has continued to build the club, overseeing a new training ground and, in July, announcing a public consultation over plans to expand the stadium and develop a hotel and arena beside it. And the club continue to invest shrewdly on the pitch, with their progress making a mockery of certain members of the so-called big six.
Euros factor
Maddison, Barnes and Justin might have been in England’s squad if not for injuries and will be eager to show when fully fit that they are still among the country’s most exciting young talents. Each has the capacity to get better at Leicester by adding consistency and, in the case of Barnes and Maddison, increasing their goal tallies. Maddison may also benefit from honing his focus, since his England credentials were hardly enhanced in April when he was dropped for an ill-advised sortie in the buildup to Leicester’s important game at West Ham.
We’ll be singing
Fans’ return may help Leicester improve their home form or, conversely, may infect players with tension when opponents are peskily defensive. What is certain is that visitors will get a lesson in the host club’s recent history, as fans sing “Vichai had a dream, he bought a football team, he came from Thailand and now he’s one of our own. We play from the back and counterattack. Champions of England, you made us sing that.”
Back to the King Power
The good The atmosphere outside the ground before matches is one of the most jovial in the Premier League, with the club laying on musical entertainment and games for kids, while inside fans are occasionally given gifts, from flags to free beer.
The bad Visitors may be surprised to see a small replica of the Statue of Liberty near the stadium. Nothing wrong with that, but the ground itself could benefit from a few monuments to heroes. One capturing the speed and ferocity of Vardy, for example, or an 80ft one of Wes Morgan.
The crest
Leicester did not bother with a badge for most of the first half of their existence but in 1948 they decided to stick a fox’s head on their chests, a nod to local hunters. Over the years the focus came to be placed on the animal’s cunning and resilience and for a while in the 1980s the fox ran free on the crest, its full sleek body on show. But since 1992 only the head has been depicted, against a backdrop of the cinquefoil from the city’s coat of arms.
Trending topics
“Brendan Rodgers is a wonderful human being”
“The Europa League is coming home”
“Jamie Vardy should have a retirement party”
The mascot
Filbert Fox has been to every home match since 1992 but his two erstwhile sidekicks, Vicky Vixen and Cousin Dennis, disappeared together years ago. Hmmmn.
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