Leicester City – Winning Hearts

The newly-promoted winners of the Championship arrive with a very promising reputation, as they look to become the next side that take the Premier League by storm.

Having busted their opponents’ nets 83 times in a club record-breaking season, Nigel Pearson’s side played with grit, swagger and bundles of athleticism to banish the tragic memory of their defeat to Watford in the play-off semi-finals.

With 31 league wins on their way to a 9-point advantage over their nearest rival, Burnley, the East Midlands side made sure that they were the finest in the second tier of English football. The King Power stadium developed a tremendous air of invincibility and the Leicester fans were treated to another record – 17 home wins in a single system.

Now, the scenario must surely change.

The Premier League is almost triple the difficulty of the Championship, and most newly-promoted sides have faced the drop in recent years. It will take all of the tactical and financial acumen of manager Nigel Pearson and the board to keep the Leicester City boat afloat.

£8 million star striker Leonardo Ulloa has joined Jack Barmby and Villa Park youngster Marc Albrighton to re-shape the English side’s attack. He will add steel and a dangerous predator’s presence in the opponent’s box. If he can keep defenders on their toes, Marc Albrighton will find acres of space between center-backs and full-backs. His pace and trickery will surely come back to the fore under ex-Southampton manager Nigel Pearson; and if he is released from the onset after he recovers from a slight injury, he will surely give opposing full-backs something to worry about.

However, in this writer’s opinion, their biggest asset could be Anthony Knockaert, the 22-year old Frenchman. A keen eye for a goal coupled with some silky runs and a firm left-foot, the youngster is going to be a key to success this season.

At the back, Paul Konchesky and Wes Morgan are dependable and somewhat firm, but they do sometimes get dragged out of position and exposed on the wings, and was clear against Everton on Saturday. The signing of ex-England international Matthew Upson should help to shore up the defence.

As ever, the main worry for the newly-promoted side is to finish as high as possible and remain in the Premier League. A good transfer window has seen a club-record signing and several other free transfers wisely brought in to beef up the squad and make it ready for a shorter but far more exhausting domestic season. If the squad from Leicester City get off the blocks as fast as possible and make sure to stun as many Premier League sides as possible, they will surely have a great chance of staying up.

They will travel to London to meet Chelsea FC and host Arsenal the weekend after that. The potential for shock is there, as Chris Wood’s last-minute equaliser against a resurgent Everton showed.

All they need to do is play with their hearts, stay fit, and feed the Premier League’s ravenous hunger for goals!