3 Reasons for Leicester fans to keep faith
By Will Kennedy
No Europe is a blessing in disguise
Look, I’ll be honest, I was equally gutted and furious when the Foxes were tamed in Rome during their Europa Conference League exit to the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the semi-finals. I’d have loved another year of watching our boys play European football.
It wasn’t to be; Leicester couldn’t make it three years of European football in a row. Clearly there are negatives to this. Not qualifying affects the club’s pull when they are trying to sign and retain players, and the board will receive less TV money this year.
Looking at it from a purely football view though, missing out on Europe could be exactly what the squad needs – for multiple reasons. Firstly, it keeps the squad hungry and aware that playing in Europe isn’t a given. You have to fight for it and earn it, season upon season. Hopefully, by missing out, it fuels the squad to push on this year.
Secondly though, and most importantly, it gives the players a well-needed break. Last season the Foxes played 14 European games. That’s 14 weeks where there was at least two games – if not three – in the space of seven days.
The gruelling schedule took its toll on the Leicester pack as many stars went down with injury. Evans, Ndidi, Pereira, Maddison, Vardy, and Justin were all but a few who suffered from the numerous games that came their way.
Now the squad can have full weeks of needed recovery and rest, something that their top six rivals won’t get. It’s an advantage, and one that allows for the club to fully focus on the Premier League, as well as putting in another good cup run.
The best recent example of success without Europe have been Arsenal. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Gunner’s had a rollercoaster season. Ultimately though, they finished in fifth and narrowly missed out on the Champions League. In their victories against Chelsea and Leicester, it was clear that they had extra in their tanks, meanwhile their opponents looked exhausted. The Foxes don’t want to go too long without European football and must take advantage sooner rather than later, but a season of extra rest will do this squad some good.