After 36 rounds of games, in which the definition of team football played out over and over against the giants of Premier League football such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City, Leicester remains the only one on top of the English football mountain. After drawing with Manchester United this past weekend, all Leicester needed was for Tottenham to lose or draw against Chelsea to win its first top flight title in the team’s 132 year history. Of course, the improbable run would have a dramatic ending as Tottenham would blow a 2 goal second half lead to Chelsea, finishing 2-2 and effectively putting the icing on probably the greatest upsets in soccer and perhaps all of sports. Lets put this into perspective in terms of betting odds:
1. The Greek National team winning the 2004 Euro Cup with 150-1 odds.
2. The “Miracle Mets” of 1969 winning the World Series with 100-1 odds.
3. The St. Louis Rams winning the 1999 Super Bowl with 300-1 odds
4. The St. Louis Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series with 999-1 odds late in the season
5. The US Men’s Hockey Team defeating the USSR, known as the “Miracle on Ice”, with 1,000-1 odds
How did this medium sized English club defy the odds and slay the giants of English football? Team chemistry, perhaps an overused term in sports, definitely fit the persona of this team made up with a combination of rejects from other teams, undervalued players at other clubs, and a manager that was on his eighth job in ten seasons. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez would break out to lead their team in scoring, while players such as Danny Drinkwater (cool last name) and Wes Morgan provided the grinding and never quit nature that Leicester demonstrated during the season. They can’t stand a chance against defending champions Chelsea? They go out and defeat the defending champs 3-1! Too small for a team like Manchester City? They go out and defeat them 3-1 in their own building! Late season pressure building on them from Tottenham? They go out and apply their own pressure with 5 straight clean sheets! Whatever challenge was thrown at them, Leicester City was able to sustain it and eventually be crowned Premier League Champions.
Where do the champions go from here? A home celebration fixture against Everton and the last game of the season on the road against the former champions Chelsea are all that remains for Leicester in their storybook season. More importantly though are two challenges that will thrown at Leicester in the summer and next season to come. The first of these challenges will be the swarm of teams that will look to sign their key players away from them during the summer transfer window. While a few players will most likely move to different teams next season, it’s a strong possibility that the core unit of this group will remain intact for the 2016/2017 Premier League, which will come in handy for the second and much bigger challenge ahead. Leicester will be paired amongst the giants of Europe in next year’s UEFA Champions League and while they will certainly be underdogs amongst teams like Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Barcelona, Leicester has proven that they have the fortitude to hang with the top teams of England and grind out tough wins in the process. England and the rest of the European football world has been put on notice as we look forward to Leicester City defending their title next season.
-Article Written By Executive Producer Greg Delaney
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