Amid the most incredible and unpredictable season in Premier League history, every club involved in the title race has buckled under the pressure of being dubbed the ‘favourites’, their credentials bizarrely wilting at the precise moment they seem the strongest – except, of course, for current table toppers Leicester City.
Take Chelsea, for example, who 19 out of 29 BBC Sport pundits predicted would become the first club to successfully defend the English crown since Manchester United in 2008 and 2009 back in August.
It certainly seemed the most plausible outcome as the Blues waltzed their way to last season’s title virtually unopposed. But cracks first surfaced almost simultaneously with claims of a trophy dynasty beginning in west London. Chelsea’s pre-season lacked the length and intensity of their title rivals and their efforts in the transfer market proved equally short-sighted.
It took just a matter of weeks for Chelsea’s season proper to spectacularly implode, starting with the Eva Carneiro scandal on the first day of the campaign and ending with Jose Mourinho’s eventual sacking in December. Far from becoming the Premier League’s first title retainers in six years, the Blues had plummeted to 16th place, looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone, by the time Guus Hiddink stepped in.
At that point, the moniker of title favourites belonged to Manchester City. Leicester were leading the league from November onwards but the Citizens’ squad remained the most holistic, talented and expensively assembled throughout the division, with more than enough experience to catch up on those above them in the table.
Yet, when the chance to do so actually came around in February, Manuel Pellegrini’s side fell apart. Consecutive defeats to Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool saw them drop from second to fourth – the position the Citizens have found themselves anchored in ever since.
Somewhere in between, Arsenal had the chance to capitalise, reaching top spot at the end of December. Once again, however, the moment the ball landed in the Gunners’ court, they suddenly began to lose momentum, drawing with Liverpool, Stoke City and Southampton and losing to Chelsea to trickle back down to third place. The north Londoners claimed 13 wins during their first 20 fixtures of the season but since spending a few weeks in pole position, they’ve won just three in ten, lost three and drawn four.
The bug has even affected Tottenham Hotspur. Although they’ve rarely been considered out-and-out favourites, Spurs’ 2-1 win over City in February saw their title credentials reach an all-time high. But that emphatic away win at the Etihad was followed by an unconvincing victory over Swansea City, their worst performance of the season in a 1-0 defeat to West Ham and a disappointing draw with a ten-man Arsenal side. Once again, like Arsenal and City, Spurs shriveled at the precise moment fate seemed to be finally in their hands.
And thus, the way Leicester City are finishing the season is, in my opinion, the most incredible aspect of their miraculous title bid. The notion of the bubble inevitably bursting has almost become a running joke as the Foxes continue overcome every hurdle deemed insurmountable and they’re now finishing the campaign looking more convincing in the role of favourites than any of their rivals have this year.
Indeed, Claudio Ranieri has now lead his boys to four one-nil wins from their last five fixtures and the pragmatism, nerve and confidence required to achieve those results at this point in the season is nothing short of remarkable.
There have been hairy moments – the second half against Newcastle United proved tricky and Riyad Mahrez choked a chance at Watford last weekend that could’ve cost them dearly – but the Foxes have never panicked or allowed themselves to get overexcited during their series of attritional wins. They’ve simply got the job done; one game at a time, one goal at a time.
Of course, Leicester aren’t under the same kind of pressure to perform as the aforementioned clubs, but we’re talking about a squad that cost just £21million to assemble, containing the solitary previous Premier League title winner in Robert Huth, seeing out a title bid with the assured, measured and secured approach you’d expect of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United or the Chelsea of Jose Mourinho’s first spell at Stamford Bridge as if they’ve been doing it for the last ten years.
The ability to eke out the right results even when not dominating games is often argued as the ultimate test of genuine champions and right now, Leicester City are passing it with flying colours. Whilst all of their contemporaries have imploded under the pressure of being title favourites this season, the tag has only seen the Foxes grow stronger and stronger.
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