Indeed. You don't really hear anything about them being on poor form or in a need of a change in manager etc, and yet they're just two points outside the bottom two. I dread to think the trouble they'd be in if they ever were to be on poor form! (I can see them finishing bottom potentially, let alone 18th. Solid defence yes, but 19 goals all season is awful.)
Looking at their fixtures, Boro's fate might be known before everyone else's. Very much a case of two sections. Palace, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, Hull and Burnley are in their next seven games (along with Utd). But then their last six include Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City (plus us and Bmouth).
Exactly, suprised many don't speak about them really. You generally need goals to stay up and they just never look like scoring. It's why I still fancy Palace to be okay.
My only real interest at the bottom of the table is Swansea. I really want them to stay up. I like the club, the fans and I like Paul Clement.
Tbf, wasn't it just Kante who they let go.? Subsequently, they've bought and otherwise tried 4 players in Kante's position. One of them [Mendy, I think] has actually covered more ground and otherwise had similar stats to Kante last season. There are a couple of probables here. 1] Kante was immense last season, so stats might not be everything. 2] Leicester are in the second season arguably playing the same way against PL teams who have done their homework properly against them. The additional variables that eventually work against them are, diminishing confidence - because what worked before just does not work anymore, and Ranieri has understandably started tinkering again [who wouldn't, he's trying to find the solution], and they still have the Champions League, which is probably/arguably of higher priority to them, but is dragging them down in terms of their fitness and mental tiredness. Personally, I feel a bit sorry for Leicester. Last season they overreached spectacularly. To have a similar sort of incredible season with a weaker squad that is older [defensively too old perhaps] and having been found out to a great extent, has been asking too much. I hope they aren't relegated, but I hope teams like Saints realise that you have to be better prepared if you are ambitious and want to be successful on a regular basis.
Come on, you've met me, you can't have been that shocked (or was I being especially pleasant on that day...)
Bad points 1) Vardy gets a move to a 'big' club and earns more money. Which would make me sad. Unless he flopped. Really pleased for Swansea - I like the club and I like Clement. Now there's someone who served an apprenticeship.
Who is going to pay him more than 100k a week? I actually think they might struggle to shift him to be honest. He's certainly not good enough for any of the big clubs.
For Leicester's sake, they better have included relegation wage cuts in the contracts - in the event that they do go down.
It's great to see Burnley doing so well. They were really good today. Dyche is a terrific manager and a decent, down to earth bloke.
