What has happened to Leicester City since the start of 2020?

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Three key reasons why Leicester City’s form has dipped since the turn of the year.

From being the favourites to become the runners up in the Premier League to potentially dropping 10 points behind Manchester City, Leicester City haven’t quite had the best of starts to the new year. 

The Foxes were flying in the first half of the season and looked capable of beating any side that came up against them. However, their form has taken a huge dip since the turn of the year having won just three games out of a possible 10 since Boxing Day.

Here are three reasons why their form has taken such a big hit:

Injuries to Vardy and Ndidi:

Jamie Vardy has picked up three niggling injuries since Christmas and that has been a huge factor in Leicester’s struggles since. The Englishman scored 17 times in the league in his first 18 games but has failed to find the back of the net since. 

Wilfred Ndidi’s absence in the centre of the park has arguably been Leicester’s biggest blow. The Nigerian has featured for just 79 minutes since the New Year’s Day’s game against Newcastle United. 

The Foxes haven’t won a single game in his absence since the turn of the year but with him expected to be back in action soon, things can quickly change. 

Lack of experience:

Out of the players who have played over 10 games in the league this season, only Vardy, Evans, Albrighton and Schmeichel are over the age of 30. 

Leicester’s strongest midfield is Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison with the oldest being the latter at 23, just a month older than the Nigerian. 

Soyuncu and Chilwell are both 23, Choudhury and Barnes are 22 while even the more experienced Ricardo Pereira started the season as a 25-year-old.

It is mentally exhausting for players this young to deal with the constant pressure of the Premier League. However, they have exceeded their expectations and with a little more maturity, they will be top players in the very near future. 

Underwhelming January transfer window:

After an incredible start to the season, Rodgers could’ve dipped into the market for a few fresh faces in January. However, he was happy with just one addition to the squad – Ryan Bennett from Wolves on loan. 

A couple of good signings, even as backups, could have given Leicester a big boost ahead of the second half of the season. They chose not to and fatigue and injuries have caused a few of their star players to under-perform in recent games. 

Leicester are still the favourites to finish third and qualify for the Champions League. However, it will be a fight to the finish, especially if they slip up a few more times before the end of the season.