5000-1 outsiders Leicester City achieve the impossible

The 2015-16 English Premier League title was won by Leicester City in the most improbable triumph imaginable; having narrowly avoided relegation the season before, no-one expected anything other than another season of struggle.

But as English football’s powerhouses suffered through various phases of transition, the opportunity for upset was there, and the Foxes duly delivered, and in style, too; they finished 10 points of Arsenal, who were barely challengers, with the Manchester duo both ending the season a full fifteen points behind.

CHANGES

The close season saw some extravagant spending; Manchester City, as usual, were at the forefront, whose outlay for Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi was in excess of £150m. Liverpool bought firepower in Christian Benteke from Aston Villa (£41m) & the Brazilian Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, while Manchester United, after a period of relative frugality, flexed their muscles on talented wide players Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay, from Monaco and PSV respectively.

On the managerial front, Claudio Ranieri arrived at Leicester City to precious little fanfare and more than an air of scepticism, while West Ham traded in Sam Allardyce for the Croatian Slaven Bilic.

The league also welcomed three new promoted clubs in the form of Watford, Norwich and Bournemouth, the latter experiencing top-flight football for the first time, replacing perennial yo-yo clubs Burnley, QPR and Hull City.

SEASON SUMMARY

The relative achievements of all other clubs in the division paled into insignificance. With the exception of Tottenham, none of the other perceived ‘big six’, including Liverpool, Man United, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea, will remember this campaign with any fondness.

Indeed for Chelsea, it started disastrously and only got worse. Defending their title and with Jose Mourinho at the helm, big things were expected. But after Mourinho was involved in an altercation with physio Eva Carneiro during the opening…

Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/5000-1-outsiders-leicester-city-achieve-the-impossible-the-2015-16-premier-league/42

Author : [email protected] (Martin Macdonald)

Publish date : 2024-08-03 10:00:00

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