da bet nacional： In the last 22 years, just two clubs outside of the Premier League’s Big Six have lifted the FA Cup, one of which, Wigan, found itself in League One three seasons later, and the other of which, Portsmouth, endured a financial implosion so catastrophic that they’ve only recently escaped the fourth tier. But that certainly shouldn’t deter non-Big Six teams from attempting to join that exclusive club and if there’s one quarter-final side more than capable of doing so, it’s unquestionably Leicester City.
da aposte e ganhe： That’s not least because the Foxes are well-placed to make the competition their priority for the rest of the season, with relegation all but mathematically impossible and not much left to play for in the top flight. They’ll want to finish seventh in the Premier League and are just one win away from overtaking Burnley to that spot, but there’s no guarantee it will result in Europa League football for next season and in any case, winning the FA Cup earns you a spot in Europe’s second tier competition.
More than that though, is Leicester’s inherent capacity to produce good performances against top teams. This season, they’ve already beaten Tottenham and drawn with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. Equally tellingly, from the games they’ve lost against Big Six sides, five of the eight defeats have been by just one goal, and the only Big Six team to beat them by more than two are Pep Guardiola’s rip-roaring Citizens – who recorded a typical 5-1 win at the Eithad Stadium. Fortunately for the Foxes, City were knocked out by Wigan in the last round.
And Leicester’s impressive results against those teams this season is no real surprise. Not only do they boast a top-class goalscorer in Jamie Vardy and a top-class creator in Riyad Mahrez who can rival any quality Big Six teams boast in the same positions, but there’s a real solidity about the team defensively as well, something that stems back to their unforgettably miraculous Premier League title win in 2015/16.
Claude Puel has made the team a little more open this season, with a new emphasis on playing out of the back, and they’ve accordingly conceded far more goals. But the philosophical core of the side is still fundamentally the same, and they still have the right individuals to replicate the pragmatically efficient performances of two seasons ago – the solid backline, the industrious midfield and the clinical directness Mahrez and Vardy give them on the break.
So far this term, only Tottenham and Liverpool have scored more counter-attacking goals than the Foxes’ five in the Premier League, and upon encountering teams of that calibre, Leicester find themselves naturally suited to the underdog role – sitting deep before exploding into the space their theoretically superior opposition leave behind.
That title-winning season too, remains significant in the east Midlands’ outfit search for another trophy. If nothing else, it proved Leicester City have real winners in their ranks – players who know what it takes to win games and silverware, to handle the pressure and not make mistakes – and the vast majority of those are still at the club. Such experience is vital in the latter stages of cup competitions, simply because Leicester won’t find themselves overawed.
The Premier League may be a vastly different format, but for all intents and purposes Leicester have been here before. And arguably more important than the experience gained is how that title win has affected the culture of the club; it’s now impossible to say anything in football is quite out of Leicester’s reach. The players, even those who have arrived since summer 2016, surely feel that too – the idea that the club can beat anybody on their day, and will always rise to the challenge.
Of course, before dreams of a second trophy in three seasons for a club that had gained promotion to the Premier League just one prior can be considered wholly plausible, Leicester must beat Chelsea first on Sunday. There’s a unique connection between the Foxes and the west London club, the Blues securing their title by beating Tottenham and then hosting them at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season, which always seems to bring something a little extra to their meetings.
Chelsea now know the FA Cup is their only chance of silverware this term, so Sunday’s visit to the King Power Stadium will be taken with the utmost seriousness. But this is no doubt a fantastic time to play the Blues; they’ve lost more games than they’ve won so far in 2018 and their form has fluctuated with practically every outing – hopeless against Manchester City, indifferent against Crystal Palace and brilliant against Barcelona, yet still losing 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Uncertainty over Antonio Conte’s future has put a strain on the club, and that’s shown the longer the season has gone on. But even if Chelsea do turn up on Sunday, we know this side is nowhere near as formidable as it was last season, something Leicester themselves proved in January when they claimed a point at Stamford Bridge and largely controlled the match despite going down to ten men. Of all the Big Six sides involved in the quarter-final, they’re the most vulnerable and the least consistent.
So, Leicester fans, would you like to see Puel go all out for the FA Cup or focus on finishing as high as possible in the Premier League? Let us know by voting below…
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