We at 32 Flags are previewing every team in the English Premier League, two teams a day until the beginning of the season. Get ready as we preview your favorite team or maybe we can help you pick a team to root for if you are undecided so far. Today, we’re covering Leicester City.
Leicester City F.C.
Founded – 1884
Last Year Position – N/A (Won Championship)
Transfers In (As of 8/7) – Marc Albrighton, Jack Barmby, Ben Hamer, Leonardo Ulloa, Matthew Upson
Transfers Out (As of 8/7) – Neil Banns, Lloyd Dyer, Ben Frempah, Marko Futacs, Paul Gallagher, Sean St Ledger, Kevin Phillips, George Taft, Martyn Waghorn, Zak Whitebread
Projected Finish (Voted among 32 Flags staff) – 19th place
Rivalries – Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Coventry City
Famous Supporters – Gary Lineker, among others
Welcome back to the Premier League, Leicester. It’s been a long decade, hasn’t it? Leicester City spent most of last season bossing the Championship and played really impressively the entire season. They even took the top spot of the Championship by Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) and kept that spot the rest of the season. The 2013/14 season was something of a red letter season for Leicester, breaking the 100 point mark for the first time in the club’s history and winning the Championship with 2 games left. That’s impressive in any league. This season, Leicester will be looking to stay up at the pinnacle of English soccer. This will be made difficult by one of the more difficult starts in the Premier League, playing Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal in their first three games. Quite the welcome to the league. Leicester City have all the makings of being this season’s surprise team, despite the start. There’s always one team that plays well and gets the neutral fans excited. A few years ago it was Newcastle, then it was Swansea. Last season it was a combination between Southampton and Liverpool.
The most important player to Leicester City’s survival will most likely be David Nugent. If Nugent can recreate anything similar to his tally from last season, 20 goals and 12 assists, then Leicester City could be the team surviving the relegation battle. Leicester’s midfield commander, Danny Drinkwater, will also have a lot to say in the upcoming season. Drinkwater, a player who averaged 66 passes a game last season, created 62 chances for his teammates last year and was very much at the heart of the team’s playing style. To bolster this squad, Leicester have made 5 signings, with a majority of them having been free. The player to keep an eye on is Argentinian striker, Leonardo Ulloa. He’s had a very impressive preseason and will look to add another goalscoring threat.
Seeing exactly where Leicester City will end this season is very difficult to tell right now. By the time the whistle blows after their fifth game of the season against Manchester United, Leicester could very easily be bottom of the table on zero points. It’s a very tough opening set of fixtures. If Leicester are able to survive that opening barrage, though, there’s no reason they couldn’t survive the drop.
