Underdogs in the Premier League: Does Leicester City Have What it Takes to Finish on Top?
Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
Thirty-six years ago this week, a group of American college kids did the impossible and beat the Soviet Union in a hockey game dubbed “The Miracle on Ice.” Fast forward to the present and a similar miracle is beginning to take shape across the pond in the English Premier League. The upstart club of Leicester City is in a good position to win English soccer’s top flight, something the club has never done in its 132-year history.
Typically in English soccer, the championships go to the teams that spend the most money. The usual teams of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal are always battling for the league title in May. Leicester hopes to break this trend this year with many players that would have been reserve players for the big clubs going into this year.
Leicester’s top player, Jamie Vardy, originally signed with the club for £1 million in 2012. Currently, Vardy leads the Premier League in goals with 19. Leicester’s other top player, Riyad Mahrez, joined Leicester in 2014 after playing in the lower French league and is now second in the Premier League with ten assists.
What is most incredible about Leicester is the fact that the club was not even in the Premier League three seasons ago. After getting promoted for the 2014-15 season, Leicester was able to escape being relegated and finished 14th in the league table. After hiring former Chelsea and Greece manager Claudio Ranieri this past summer, Leicester has exceeded expectations from the start of the season.
As of this week, Leicester owns wins over Manchester City and Chelsea as well as a draw against Manchester United. The best comparison would be if a minor league baseball team was allowed to play a season in the MLB and won its division and found itself winning the World Series.
Something like this rarely occurs in sports, where the underdog is able to string together a miracle season like what Leicester is going through. Even if Leicester is unable to win the Premier League this year, what they have accomplished already this season is something truly remarkable in international soccer.