Can Leicester City Football Club reach the play-offs this season?
Posted by Guest Writer on Mon, 02 Apr 2012.
Inconsistent- the one word that sums up Leicester. Until March 3rd when they beat Coventry at home 2-0, they had not tasted victory in back-to-back league matches all season. For a team that were placed as one of the firm favourites to reach the Premier league this year, this fact is astounding.
At the start of the season things looked pretty bright for Leicester. During the summer transfer market, highly rated former England manager Sven- Goran Eriksson was very busy establishing a formidable looking team by bringing in the likes of Neil Danns, Jermaine Beckford and Matt Mills to name a few. After a good pre-season, this new-look Leicester team looked like it would take the Npower Championship by storm. Ambition was at an all-time high inside The King Power Stadium.
Their competitive campaign got under-way in winning fashion with a great strike from Lee Peltier on his league debut for Leicester. Little did they know that the taste of success wouldn't be coming their way as regularly as they would have liked, winning only 7 games out of the next 23 leading up until the new year. Hardly a form that suggests future Premier league material.
In 2012 their league form hasn't improved much from the previous year as inconsistency still hinders Leicester's progression up towards the top of the table having won 6 out of 12 matches in this current year. Many things have contributed to their stuttering campaign such as a managerial change half-way through the season. Sven- Goran Eriksson was seen as a major coup for the club when he was appointed manager and was the reason a lot of players joined the championship side. However after some poor results, was sacked and former foxes boss Nigel Pierson was to be named his successor three weeks later. Adapting to a new managers tactics and style of play can sometimes take longer than hoped for.
Also injuries to key players has not helped the side in quest for a play-off position. Darius Vassell, who many had hoped would be one of Leicester's star-men, had his season cut short due to a serious knee injury. To add to this, under-performing players has to be another factor in contributing to what is very much shaping up to be a disappointment of a season. No one has under-performed more than Matt Mills who was one of the most sought after players in the division in the summer transfer market. Last season he was the heart of a Reading team that reached the play-off finals and earned rave-reviews for his performances on the pitch but has very much failed to replicate them this year, a big disappointment.
After 2 draws and 2 wins in their last 4 matches, they now sit in 11th place, 4 points of a play-off position with 7 matches left to go. The last push is upon them, it's do or die time, can they somehow add something that has been lacking for a very long time, consistency? Can they do the unthinkable and be sitting amongst the play-off positions come April 28th? Only time will tell.
By Jonny