Leicester City win the Premier League: How do they stack up to other title champions?
LEICESTER are the first club to win their first top flight title since Nottingham Forest in 1977-78.
Indeed, their meteoric 13 place rise on their 14th placed finish last season is the equal most by a league champion since that famous Forest side.
Omens, anyone? Forest went on to win in Europe the next season.
That’s a whole new distraction, however. The 43 games Leicester played is the least a champion has had to contend with since 1955-56, when Manchester United won.
Ironically – and fittingly – Leicester’s last match was against Manchester United, the side with the most top flight crowns, 20.
The 24th English top flight champions have won 22 games this term, and have sealed the triumph with 77 points. That’s almost double last year’s total they survived with – 41. They haven’t finished this high since 1928-1929, where they finished second.
Their win makes them the first non ‘Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester club’ to win the EPL since Blackburn in 1994-1995.
Claudio Ranieri is the eighth man to win the EPL. But don’t forget this: he steered Chelsea to its then highest position in 49 years in 2003-2004. Now he’s taken Leicester to its best ever in its 111 year story. At 64 years old, the likable Ranieri is the second oldest winner since WWI.
With six more points available, they can’t exceed Chelsea’s 87 points from last term.
If they gain maximum points and finish on 83, it will be the lowest total for the winner since Manchester United in 2010-2011, who finished top with 80.
The most points accrued by a champion is 95, by Chelsea, in Jose Mourinho’s first title.
Leicester have scored 64, conceded 34, won 22, lost three and drawn 11.
Mourinho’s two Chelsea champions in 2005 and 2006 won 29 games each, while Arsenal’s Invincibles hold the fabled record for fewest losses in a season when they didn’t lose any games in 2003-2004.
Brilliantly, Leicester have defied any normal logic.
Their squad is one of the cheapest in the competition, totalling £54.4m. According to CIES Football Observatory, that’s comparable with Watford, Swansea, West Bromwich, Crystal Palace and Norwich. It will be interesting to see how they spend their £90m prize money ahead of next season!
By comparison, Manchester City and Manchester United’s squads are worth in excess of £400m. Want a lesson in scouting or shrewd spending? Consider for a minute that Eliaquim Mangala cost Manchester City £42m just on his own!
The Chelsea squad that won the league last year was being paid £215.6milion in wages.
This Leicester squad?
Just some £48.5 million.
Their average age of 28.4 (Tottenham have the youngest current EPL average age - a great portent for the future) has this group of intrepid footballers at the peak of their powers. Last year’s Chelsea outfit was slightly older, around 29 years of age.
Leicester have rekindled faith that you can’t beat fortitude and desire.
They haven’t lost since February, against Arsenal – their only defeat in 2016, when the wheels were supposed to fall off.
Opta reveals they have lost just one from their last nine after conceding first, and one from five when they’ve had a man sent-off. The Times reveals that their average victory margin, 1.59, is less than Arsenal (1.95), Spurs (2.26) and Manchester City (2.58) this season.
They’re a resilient bunch.
DAYS IN TOP SPOT
By May 15, they’ll have spent 147 days at the summit.
That puts them at 14th in EPL history.
Chelsea and Manchester United are the most dominant, dominant forces.
Jose Mourinho’s 2014-2015 champions spent 274 days at No.1, and in 2005-2006 he held it for 257 days.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1993-1994 Manchester United were on top for 262 days; in 2006-2007 it was 250 days and in 2000-2001 it was 241.
ON FIELD
Claudio Ranieri’s achievement has been testament to his dedication to playing a 4-4-2 cashing in on the counter attacking strengths of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.
Leicester average a mere 353 passes per game compared to the usual 512 garnered by EPL champs of the past. You just had to look at their game against Manchester United on the weekend for a snapshot of that.
They absorb pressure with defensive fortitude.
Most EPL champions dominate possession and dictate the play. But not Leicester. Their 43% possession stats is in stark comparison to 58% traditionally.
But what matters? Points on the board.
It’s been a perfect storm – they’ve been clinical and cashed in by picking up results while their opponents flounder.
Indeed, on average over the past decade, champions have averaged 259 shots more than their opponents. Leicester have 19 fewer shots than their rivals.
Their shots per game, goals scored and goals conceded are less than the average Premier League champion but, it matters little.
They’ve finished top of the only pile that matters.
Bravo!
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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/leicester-city-win-the-premier-league-how-do-they-stack-up-to-other-title-champions/news-story/64184788b1c8e56fd60b4f8b41b5bb17
selagi lagi, congrat Leicester
