After the surprise relegation to the EFL Championship in the 2022/23 season, former Premier League champions Leicester City are set to bounce back at the first attempt to a division they arguably belong in. After last season’s disappointment, the reset button was pressed, and fresh faces and ideas on the pitch have gelled tremendously to set Leicester City up well for the rest of the campaign and beyond.
New Man at the Helm
After Brendan Rodgers and Dean Smith failed to keep the club in the Premier League, a lengthy list of candidates for the job was drawn up, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Scott Parker, Steven Gerrard, and Enzo Maresca. Maresca was the man the owners decided to take the club forward. The Italian was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at Manchester City before his move to the King Power Stadium, his second post as a manager following an unsuccessful spell at Parma.
Bringing the renowned Guardiola philosophy and winning mentality with him and a few of his own ideas, even more punters were persuaded to use the bet365 bonus code to back Leicester City to take the Championship by storm. There would have been a bit of skepticism in the betting markets over a relatively inexperienced manager. Still, Maresca quickly won over the Leicester faithful with six wins in his first six matches. His brand of possession-based football, starting from the back, coupled with his high number 8s to provide more attacking threat, has produced a blend that seems too strong for the Championship.
Retaining the Squad
For a squad of Leicester City’s quality, Premier League clubs could have easily poached most players. Although the top players did leave, Maresca began the season with a solid foundation of players with Premier League and international experience. The likes of James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspurs), Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) and Çağlar Söyüncü (Atletico Madrid) were sold. Still, more importantly, influential players such as Wilfred Ndidi, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Justin, and Jamie Vardy were retained.
These players have been pivotal to Leicester City’s success this season. Dewsbury-Hall has been the standout performer, providing goals for teammates and finding the back of the net himself. Vardy is still scoring goals at the age of 37.
With a large lead at the top of the Championship standings, Leicester City fans will be hoping that one season away from the top flight serves as an eye-opener so that a similar fate can be avoided. And many might be turning their thoughts slowly towards next season and dreaming of replicating the recent Premier League and FA Cup successes.
