As Claudio Ranieri is sacked by Leicester just nine months after winning the Premier League title, we examine the extraordinary stats behind their rapid decline.
The 65-year-old leaves the club less than 24 hours after their 2-1 defeat to Sevilla in the Champions League, and with the Foxes sitting just one point above the Premier League relegation zone.
How did things go so wrong, so quickly after last season’s historic triumph? Here are the key statistics which led to Ranieri’s sad departure.
32 – the Foxes are 32 points worse off than at this stage last season, with 21 as opposed to 53.
14 – they have lost 14 games, compared to only two last season. They also have only five wins as opposed to 15.
24 – their goal tally tells a similar tale of woe, having scored 24 this season against 47 through the same number of games last term.
0 – away wins this season. They have taken three points from 13 away games – only Burnley, with one from 11, have a worse record on the road.
0 – also the number of Premier League goals they have scored in 2017, in six games which have brought them only one point.
11 – in all, Leicester have drawn a blank in 11 games this season – it happened just three times in the whole of last season.
3.2 – Leicester’s average for shots on target per match this season, the third-worst record in the division. Last season they ranked fifth with an average of 4.8.
343 – minutes the Foxes have spent in the lead in matches this season, compared to 863 at this stage last season.
5 – England striker Jamie Vardy, who scored in 11 consecutive league games last season on his way to 24 goals for the season and a Euro 2016 place, has just five this time around.
17/11 – PFA player of the year Riyad Mahrez’s goal and assist tallies from last season. He has three goals and two assists this term.
1 – Danny Drinkwater too has tailed off dramatically, setting up just one goal this season as opposed to seven last.
5/3 – summer signing Islam Slimani leads the team with three assists and sets the pace alongside Vardy with five goals.
86 – N’Golo Kante, the one significant departure from last season’s squad, has made 86 tackles this season in 24 appearances for Chelsea – ranking him third in the Premier League. Daniel Amartey, Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy – signed for upwards of £33m altogether and tasked with filling the void he left in Leicester’s midfield – have totalled just 50 in 27 combined appearances.
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