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How exactly did Leicester City win the Premiership?
What did they do differently?
They were 5000-1 against winning it and odds-on to be relegated.
7 Answers
- ?Lv 53 years agoFavourite answer
It was a combination of things: a perfect storm for them. The first thing was a sense of momentum. They finished the previous season very strongly, winning 7 of their last 9 games, and stayed up comfortably. It was billed as a great escape, which it was, and that created a good feeling around the club. This good feeling of confidence rolled over into the start of the following season, and they carried it on, aided by them playing the likes of Sunderland and Aston Villa (poor teams that year) early on.
Momentum breeds confidence, and when you are confident, you win. Things come off for you. Tackles are won, passes reach their targets and goals seem a mile wide. Leicester flourished on this confidence, and were able to play really well and score a lot of goals. It was best-shown by their two main players that year, Jamie Vardy (who set the record for scoring in the most consecutive games) and Riyad Mahrez (who seemed to play like either of the two Ronaldos). They worked the channels and utilised their pace to great effect. Some of the attacking moves Leicester showed, especially in the first half of the season (Newcastle, Everton, West Brom etc) was outstanding.
The third thing was playing without that much pressure or expectation. They were 5000-1 odds for a reason: nobody expected them to win the title. This allowed them to play without fear, and build up a stockpile of points. By the time the New Year arrived, and expectation started to build, they had sufficient confidence and focus to keep things going and going out a series of 1-0 wins. By the time the were closing in on and winning the title, they had a major feel-good factor around the club. They were in a unique position, and they weren't going to let it slip.
Conversely, the expected title contenders were having poor season. Chelsea were in the bottom half of the table until Hiddink arrived. Manchester City dropped points (most notably in a 3-1 home defeat to Leicester) and Man Utd carried out Van Gaal's 'philosophy' by drawing 0-0 in many games. Tottenham felt the pressure towards the end of the season, and choked. This allowed Leicester to go largely unchallenged. The real proof was shown in a bog-standard Arsenal side finishing 2nd. When you have this absence of pressure and fear, you play more freely and things come off for you. Look at Greece, Denmark and Iceland in the Euros.
But the fourth thing is that certain something you just can't explain. It's the 20% of life which is called magic, which before has helped the likes of Bradford City and Calais reach domestic cup finals. When you put all of these things together, wonders happen and that is why we love football for what it is.
- Anonymous3 years ago
They won the most games-simple
- Anonymous3 years ago
They had a brilliant defense and Vardy was scoring all the time.
- 3 years ago
they won games of football....same as any other team would do it......they played a similar style to past Valencia sides....who were given the nickname in Spain of the "lightning Strike"..ie they were really fast to capitilize on any counter attack opportunities and or opposition defensive mistakes...of couse in both cases you have to have the personnel to make the strategy work and both sides had exactly that..they caught teams by surprise nobody quite expected them to use those tactics and use them so effectively, also the players began to realize this was a once in a lifetime chance....and the determination levels went through the roof.... the team mentality really shone through in both cases...