Promoted team analysis – Leicester
Today we continue with our series of articles examining the three teams promoted to the Premier League from the Championship with today’s focus being on the champions Leicester City.
Last Season
First in Championship
102 points
Won: 31
Drew: nine
Lost: six
Scored: 84 (second highest in the league)
Conceded: 43 (third lowest in the league)
Previous Season in the Premier League
2003-04 Season (18th relegated)
After an 11 season break from the top flight, the Foxes are back! And in some fashion. Leicester City were the clear Championship winners last season. With a staggering 102 points, the best goal difference in the league and an excellent win ratio of 67%. Prior to last season’s promotion to the Premier League, they had dropped down to Coca-Cola League 1 (English third division) for a season but their time outside of the Premier League was mostly spent in the Championship where they finished in various positions over the years.
The Manager
Nigel Pearson is in his second spell at City. His first spell from ’08 to ’10, ended in acrimonious circumstances after he left for Hull. After only a year and a half, the ‘headmaster’ (when asked why he was called this he replied ‘because I’m a t**t!’) moved back to the Foxes in 2011. His current win ratio with the club is 51.43% with 72 wins from 140. With a good number of seasons behind him, the squad is well and truly his. He has been building a team he feels would not only get the Foxes into the Premier League but also keep them there. And the Foxes showed they have the potential to remain in the English top flight.
The Players
Let’s take a look at some of the players from last season and some of the new arrivals –
GOALKEEPER
Kasper Schmeichel (46 appearances, 0 goals, 0 assists) (£4.5m)
After signing a new long term contract, arguably Leicester’s best player over the last few seasons could be an excellent rotation option. Ben Harmer has been signed from Charlton but Harmer will most likely be backup. The Danish international started at Manchester City but struggled to break through and spent most of his time on loan at various clubs. Upon his move to Leicester in 2011-12 he immediately established himself as number 1 and hasn’t given it up since. His clean sheet record last season was good; 18 out of 46 and he could prove to be this seasons Julian Speroni!
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DEFENDERS
Ritchie de Laet (36 apps, 2 goals, 5 assists) (£4.5m)
The Belgian is the current first choice right back and enjoys getting forward. De Laet started at Royal Antwerp before moving to Stoke City in 2007. He struggled to establish himself there before moving to Manchester United and having the same problem from 2008 to 2012. After moving to Leicester in 2012 he made 41 appearances and 36 last season. He could be a very handy addition to your squad but be wary, he is a little injury prone.
Paul Konchesky (31 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist) (£4.5m)
The much travelled 33 year old has done well at Championship level but is unlikely to be afforded regular starts in the Premiership, nevertheless his Premier League experience is likely to be beneficial and this could see him make the odd start. The fact that he was handed a reduced one year contract extension back in January would suggest that he’s not in Pearson’s plans.
Wes Morgan (45 appearances, 2 goals, 0 assists) (£4.5m)
The City centre back and captain is as close to a certainty as any of the squad. Morgan started at Kidderminster before moving to Nottingham Forest where he made 352 appearances over 10 seasons. He then moved to City where, over the last two seasons, he has been an ever-present. He had an excellent season last year and, given how the bonus points seemed to favour centre backs last season, he could be the cheap Leicester defender to opt for.
Liam Moore (30 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist) (£4.0m)
Moore fell out of favour as last season progressed and the youngster may not be a starter. The England under-21 player has played for Leicester his whole career and is seen as a player who has a future with the club. Remember the name for future.
Jeffrey Schlupp (26 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist) (£4.5m)
The Ghanaian international is unlikely to be heavily involved and only managed 15 starts last season. His saving grace is that can be played all over the park so if he can nail down a position he has the potential to be an out of position defender.
Marcin Wasilewski (31 appearances, 0 goals, 0 assists) (£4.0m)
The versatile Polish international is able to play across the back line and filled-in in a number of different positions last season when the need arose. With Pearson likely to bolster his squad with new signings the Pole is unlikely to be a regular starter but with over 50 international caps to his name his experience could yet prove useful.
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MIDFIELDERS
Anthony Knockaert (42 appearances, 5 goals, 7 assists) (£5.5m)
The Frenchman could be a real bargain of a winger. He’s young, energetic, on free kicks and corners and has an eye for goal, what’s not to like?! He does however pick up needless yellow cards due to his feisty displays. Knockaert started at French second division team Guingamp where he scored 13 goals and one assist in 59 appearances. He moved to Leicester in 2012 and has scored 13 goals and three assists in 84 appearances. The only downside could be the fact that Pearson has a fondness for making second-half changes and this resulted in Knockaert only playing the full 90 minutes on 16 occasions.
Danny Drinkwater (45 appearances, 7 goals, 5 assists) (£5.5m)
The ‘worker’ in the Leicester engine room, Drinkwater is a true box-to-box player who started at Manchester United. Over four seasons he didn’t make any appearances, instead he went out on loan each season. Since joining Leicester he has progressed to a first team regular and has just come off the back of a stunning season with the 24 year old scoring 7 of his 10 career goals last season. It is worth noting that the former England under 19 player also has a share of corners and indirect free-kicks.
Andy King (30 appearances, 4 goals, 2 assists) (£4.5m)
King joined the club as a 15 year old back in 2004, making his professional debut in 2007 and has since gone on to make 246 appearances for the club. He is a solid central midfielder but is unlikely to be a regular starter as he’ll be behind both Drinkwater & James in the pecking order as well as any new central midfielders whom Pearson signs.
Matty James (35 appearances, 1 goal, 5 assists) (£4.5m)
James is a solid player with an eye for a pass and is currently first choice in midfield alongside Drinkwater and has recently signed a new 4 year deal with the club, although it won’t come as a major surprise should Pearson dip into the market for a new midfielder to partner Drinkwater, therefore Drinkwater & Knockaert are more than likely better options.
Riyad Mahrez (19 appearances, 3 goals, 5 assists) (£5.0m)
Mahrez could be a very handy player if he can get regular starts. A decent winger who has a bagful of tricks and an eye for goal. Since joining Leicester in January he has scored three goals in 19 appearances and was rewarded with a place in the Algerian squad at the Brazilian World Cup where he played 70 minutes against Belgian. A little bit of an unknown quantity but certainly one to watch.
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FORWARDS
David Nugent (46 appearances, 20 goals, 12 assists) (£5.5m)
Since joining from Portsmouth in the summer of 2011 Nugent has gone on to play 130 games scoring 49 goals. For much of last season his name was the first on Pearson’s team sheet and as he is one of the few players at the club with top flight experience he is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet again this season. The fact that he picked up 12 assists last season proves that he is not just a goal scorer and this should increase his appeal, also increasing his appeal is the fact that he is on penalties and he could therefore prove to be worth considering as a cheap 3rd striker.
Jamie Vardy (37 appearances, 16 goals, 10 assists) (£5.0m)
Vardy scored more goals from open play than other player at the club last season, however he featured in just one of their last seven games which would suggest that he is unlikely to feature regularly this season. Despite this, Leicester have offered him a new long-term deal to ward off interest from other clubs. Should Pearson choose not to bring in a new regular partner for Nugent, Vardy may indeed become a fantasy possibility!
Chris Wood (26 appearances, 4 goals, 5 assists) (£4.5m)
Wood struggled to break into the team last season due to injuries and the form of both Nugent & Vardy. At 22 he still has age on his side as well as World Cup experience in South Africa with New Zealand. In recent days there has been talk of a bid from Wolves for the Kiwi so his days at the club could be numbered. As a little side note, Wood is my ‘claim to fame’. When he was a youngster back in NZ he played for the club I play for; Cambridge FC.
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New Arrivals
Marc Albrighton (Aston Villa and Wigan; 23 appearances, 0 goals, 1 assist) (£4.5m)
The former England age grade player has been at Villa since the age of eight. He is not the most prolific of fantasy players although back in 2010-11 he managed a staggering (by his standards) five goals and two assists. His main asset is going to be his price; a cheap bench player who looks a guaranteed starter.
Matthew Upson (Bright and Hove Albion; 43 appearances, 2 goals, 3 assists) (£4.0m)
The well-travelled 35 year old brings a wealth of experience that the newly promoted team will benefit from. This will be Upson’s tenth club and if he can cement himself as one of the first choice centre backs he may be good bench fodder for your team. Fixture wise Leicester have an awful start to the season, so this maybe a good opportunity to assess who will start. At 35 it is debatable whether he will still be a regular in the premier league.
Fixtures
Welcome back to the big league Leicester, now have the draw from hell! The Foxes play: Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Stoke and Manchester United in their first five weeks! On the plus side, it gives you a few weeks to decide who, if any, you want when their schedule becomes a little kinder in November.
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Summary
Gallant Pioneer gave you a song in his summary, well Leicester City’s anthem is ‘When You’re Smiling’, hopefully the Foxes fans are still smiling after their baptism of fire! Leicester have a tricky opening schedule but if they can navigate this with some success then you may see some fantasy prospects appearing. They were champions of the Championship by April 22nd with two weeks to spare, so clearly they have the credentials to succeed in the Premier League.
Thanks for reading Promoted team analysis – Leicester. This article was written by NZ Alex (@alexwaterbaby)
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Ok after multiple versions I reckon I’ve got my opening team sussed. Would set up ideally as 3-5-2 or alternatively as 4-5-1. Thoughts on the following?
Mannone
Debuchy, Davies, Shaw
febregas, Eriksen, Mata, Ramsey, De Jong
sturridge, wickham
Reserves – Krul, Lovren, Naismith, Mariappa
Hey all.
I’ve looked at a few ‘RMT’s’ and notice a few things:
– Is no one keen on Eriksen? Surely the way he ended last season and now his more settled he should have a look in?
– Shaw could be an option, basically no competition and he gets forward. Also if UTD get Hummels or a decent CB then they should have good clean sheets.
– Who is de Jong that is in alot of teams? haha I see his a Newcastle…. but still?
– Fab, quite a few have him but surely his going to fill the Lampard role and be a bit deep.
– Silva for 9 he is a steal considering he is involved with loads of attacks. Yes a bit injury prone but a lot cheaper than Yaya and dont think Yaya will repeat last years performance. And a good way to get into City attack.
– Chelsea defence… its going to be tough to find a starter, a case can be made with everyone to be a starter and to not, maybe Luis is set since they paid so much but Azpil had a great season last season…
Just some thoughts for people to consider
please comment, want to hear what everyone thinks
I’m going for eriksen as he is pure class and showed great form when he played with set piece assists and a handful of goals. I also have gone for shaw as the easy fixtures and his potential to get foward however cheaper options can be got for example vermalen if he leaves or rafael(if he starts). De Jong is great he has 2 goals and an assist in preseason and is the new VC, he was captain for Ajax and won 4 league titles I think, plus he is now on set pieces and plays just behind the striker. Luis is a really good buy and I’m not sure on fabregas as I have gone for hazard because we don’t know how deep fab will play.
Shep,everyone wants to include the players that you have mentioned mate. But we can’t do that all,can we? We are handcuffed by the damn budget. Eriksen is a great choice. Proven,on free kicks,corners,knows the back of the net well. IMO the only worthy player from the damned Spurs.
B Davies is a cheap pick into the back line as well.
Im backing Chambers to have a great season, my underdog pick at 4.5m and and attacking defender option. Thats IF Saints can keep hold of there CB’s or get decent replacements for them
Monty we can try haha, thats why we changing our teams daily 😉
Hi Norfolk,
Yeah just things ive noticed.
Would love Shaw but cant find a spot in my current budget (team changes daily though haha)
De Jong might be worth a punt then, maybe the new Cabaye?
I went with Costa for Chelsea cover, think his going to be dynamite, I mean look at the talent supplying him ball and Jose has a hard on for him…
Thing with Rafael is that if LVG isnt a fan then Jones or Smalling can start there (doubtful though) and IF Vermaelen signs for UTD then he will either start at CB and cover LB or bench and cover both
Yh, u need to watch the preseason however it can be very deceiving! I have gone with lots of punts this year and I believe de Jong is great, I also hope Cabella manages to start because he was amazing at Montpellier last year. I even have major belief for Bojan who I am a fan orand I hope he can replicate the form he possessed as a wonderkids 6 years ago.
Hey shep
Yeah Nor,
Saw Bojan signed last night, want to see his price… might be worth a punt.
Unfortunately I cant watch much preseason, so need to read as much as I can on it haha
Shep, seems we are thinking along the same lines for many things! Ah, validation. Don’t you just love it
Have Eriksen and Silva, think both are class and also will deliver well in FPL terms, offering great value for money in the premium bracket. I’ve been umming and ahhing over the Chelsea defence for some time now too; as you said, a case can be made for including and benching each of the main 5. And I also reckon that Fabregas will be playing deep and isn’t a great prospect. Now let’s see how much we are right about!
I have watched what I can on btsport but I have read up on the rest however u don’t want to be fooled by the Boselli trap.
Shaw, de Jong and Nuget/Austin or Collins, Sig (assuming he signs for Swansea) and Dzeko?
Lads who were here last year I want to apologise to you. I let everyone down and after the summer hols I didn’t look at the site. But now I have got more time and I’m here to stay for good now!
LET THE SEASON BEGIN!
Hi Norfolk, welcome back mate!
Great to see you cookie!
As soon as I saw the grav I knew it was u 😉
I’m going to stay for good this season, I’m gutted I let the lads down last year so I’m going to make it up and get posting 24/7.
😉
Hello Norfolk, you well mate?
I am indeed mate how are u?
I want to know how everyone’s season was last year
Great in depth article as well
!!
Thanks Norfolk. Disappeared with a whimper TBH mate, ah well won my money league! 😉 How about you? Hows your team looking this season?
Well done for winning the cash mate
I was 200th 5 weeks in then I slumped to 100k
My team this year is very punts but how am I going to get past the rest 😉 make or break mate, could end up in an early wildcard.
DDG, (Myhill)
Shaw, Luis,B.Davies,(Yun,Wisdom)
Tadic,eriksen.sanchez,de Jong, hazard
Costa,pelle,(Zamora)
How’s your team looking? I’m pretty set on mine but it’s risky not going Rooney or RVP but I believe in Costa and his fixture list and pelle with the team being built around him, good fixture list and a style of play much alike lambert.
Norfolk, I like your team a lot. Not very punty to me, looks solid to me.
Thoughts on my squad mate?:
Green Spironi
Simpson Luis Debuchy Ros Wisdom
Fab de Jong Sig Erikson Sanchez
rooney Dez Jelovic
I would love to join the league mate, but I literally have no money I need to get a job soon then if I do ill sign up.
As for my disappearing act I apologise to everyone. I lacked the commitment and time but I am now fully committed. I have got my first year of college out the way and quit football on Sunday and stopped playing so much fifa and cod (realised how bad they are) so I have a lot of spare time. I’m going to start posting regularly and offer advice even tho I have only played for a year. I hope to stay on here for a long time now and sadly there is no funny story.
TO A NEW SEASON AND A NEW BEGINNING!
ah fair enough, Norfolk – you must make the job hunting priority my friend. Never got into FIFA I have to admit, but used to love a bit of C
No probs at all mate, you must prioritise that job hunting. Never got into FIFA to be honest but used to love a bit of CoD.
I like the team a lot mate
I hope that is rosenior not rose who is the worst defender!
Looks really solid, sigurdsson is a great differential especially playing just behind the st at Swansea.
Dzeko could be really good considers negredo is injured.
My only concern is debuchy, I have a feeling that his attacking potential is good however I would not go near with a barge pole due to his record of yellows and reds and his reckless challenges!
I also reckon jellyfish will do well with his fixtures
Great team
mate
I’m in to dota now tbh but only on it a bit.
West ham 0 – 1 Wellington Phoenix
Thanks Norfolk, you make a good point about Debuchy. And yes its the good Ros not the bad Rose!
Norfolk you Beauty
How’s Bernard?
Still following the Tottenham?
WoooHoooo
Potty
Morning all,
Thanks Alex for an excellent write up on the Foxes. I didn’t realise Nugent and Konchesky were still playing, so there you go, I’ve learnt something today!
Really appreciate all your research and time spent on this you big NZ sheep, well done mate!
Baa baa. ‘Better a sheep than a big, blue monster’ is a common saying here in NZ. You well mate?
Beware of those dodgy kiwi bird sayings Alex – “better a sheep….” seems to feature a lot!!
All is well mate, nice write up bud
Looking @ GK Krul & Mannone seem to have favourable fixtures what do we think leaves me sort of Man U def
Although they rotate well, and I love mannone I don’t think he will be nailed on all season. Pantimilion didn’t move from 2nd keeper at city to 2nd keeper at Sunderland he wants to be number 1
Thanks see what you mean back to the drg board
Dude, you don’t have to change it. No one knows what is going to happens till august the 16th. No one knows who is nailed on/off or how well they are going to do. Go for what players you believe in
Silver what have we told you about doing drugs?