It’s official: Chelsea won’t repeat as Premier League champion, and Leicester City won’t suffer relegation.
We predicted at the start of the season that both scenarios would come to pass, but the first 15 weeks of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign have proven how quickly things can change in soccer.
Leicester City overtook Manchester City for the top spot in the Premier League standings this weekend by beating Swansea City 3-0. The win was Leicester City’s sixth in its last eight league games, and Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes now should raise their targets higher than survival.
We don’t expect Leicester City to win the title because inevitable injuries could take a heavy toll on Ranieri’s small squad, and other teams will adjust their tactics to contain the Foxes’ high-powered attack in the back end of the season.
However, Leicester City likely will finish in one of the top six positions and qualify either for next season’s UEFA Champions League or Europa League. Such outcomes will represent a triumph for the ages and fuel the hopes of every other team about what can happen in any given campaign.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s decline counter-balances the story of Leicester City’s rise. Chelsea lost to Bournemouth on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, hitting a new low in this disaster of a season. The loss, Chelsea’s eighth in 2015-16, weakened Jose Mourinho’s grip on his job as manager.
2 – Jose Mourinho has lost just his second league game to a promoted side as Chelsea boss (W29 D2). Humbled.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
Chelsea now occupies 14th place and sits just two points above the relegation zone. Following the loss to Bournemouth, Mourinho conceded Chelsea won’t finish in the top four places. A top-six finish is the best the Blues reasonably can hope to achieve this season. A top-10Â finish is far more likely than a place in Europe.
Leicester City didn’t cause Chelsea’s fall, and the Blues haven’t orchestrated the Foxes’ climb. The simultaneous events are happening by chance, like in that scene in “Trading Places” when Dan Akroyd’s taxi briefly passes Eddie Murphy’s limousine before momentum carries the vehicles toward their destinations.
17 – After 15 games last season, Chelsea were 26 points ahead of Leicester – they now find themselves 17 behind. Swing.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
The only common denominator we can identify at this point are the managers: Mourinho replaced Ranieri on the Chelsea sideline in 2004. The rest is history, and they’ll face off against each other next Monday.
Sat. Dec. 5
Stoke City 2 – 0 Manchester City
West Brom 1 – 1 Tottenham
The result didn’t help Spurs gain ground on other Champions League hopefuls, but their unbeaten run continues.
14 – Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in 14 league games (W6 D8) – their best run in the top-flight since March 1985. Imperious.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
Arsenal 3 – 1 Sunderland
Olivier Giroud scored twice. His first — an own goal — put Sunderland back into the game. His second was the game-winner.
2 – Olivier Giroud is the first Arsenal player since Thomas Vermaelen in November 2011 to score a goal and OG in the same PL game. Ends.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
Watford 2 – 0 Norwich City
Troy Deeny is scoring, and Watford is earning points from games they expect to against teams it realistically can expect to do well.
4 – Troy Deeney is the first Watford player to score in four successive Premier League games. Buzzing.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
Swansea City 0 – 3 Leicester City
Jamie Vardy’s goal-scoring streak ended at 11 games, but he helped sidekick Riyad Mahrez spectacularly fill the void.
15 – Riyad Mahrez has now been involved in 15 PL goals for Leicester this season, as many as Jamie Vardy has for the Foxes. Shared.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 5, 2015
13 – Jamie Vardy has scored or assisted in 13 consecutive PL games, beating @StanCollymore's run of 12 set in March-Aug 1995. Relentless.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 7, 2015
Manchester United 0 – 0 West Ham
Southampton 1 – 1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa stopped its two-game losing streak, but it didn’t win. Again.
14 – Aston Villa have gone 14 games without a win, the longest run in their whole league history (1888-present). Doldrums.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 7, 2015
Chelsea 0 – 1 Bournemouth
Sun. Dec. 6
Newcastle 2 – 0 Liverpool
Read about Liverpool’s disappointing loss in our wrap and what the defeat means for the Reds in our verdict.
Mon. Dec. 7
Everton 1 – 1 Crystal Palace
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SkyFootball
