Some Premier League questions, answered:
Why are Leicester City doing so badly this year? Didn’t they win the league last year?
Yes, they did win the league last year, but they are currently enduring the worst ever Premier League-era title defense (the previous record having been set by Chelsea just last season). While I am somewhat surprised at how badly they have been doing,[1] there were signs that they might struggle more than your average league champion might. For one, they did nearly get relegated the year before winning the league with basically the same players (I’ll get to the important difference in a bit). Looking at the roster, leaving aside last season, most of these players would not be out-of-place on a lower-mid-table Premier League team, or even a top second-division team. They might be able to overachieve for a while, but their performance will naturally regress to the mean. That’s certainly the case for players like Jamie Vardy, Danny Drinkwater, and Riyad Mahrez, three key players from last year’s team who are substantially underachieving this time around.
Of course, the major difference in personnel from the league-winning team is defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante, who left for Chelsea during the summer. It’s probably no coincidence that Chelsea are now leading the league with a very stingy defense,[1:1] while Leicester are conceding goals at a per-game rate almost two times as much as before (they are also scoring about half as many goals as last year). Although there are obvious tactical issues,[1:2] and they’ve lost the mystique of being plucky underdogs, perhaps a hint that this team would struggle to maintain their levels of performance came in Chicago in June, when Wes Morgan, Leicester’s captain, was apparently too worn out from celebrating the title to start Jamaica’s first game of the Copa America.[1:3] Top players and managers talk about how hard it is to maintain the motivation to go again after winning a title. A team like Leicester that relied so much on maintaining focus and being organized without the ball would be especially vulnerable to a drop-off like that, and any sign that they were resting on their laurels is suggestive.
What’s the deal with ArsenalFanTV?
ArsenalFanTV is a fan-operated YouTube channel that features commentary on Arsenal.[1:4] It is most known for filming reactions from a various cast of regular characters right outside the stadium after Arsenal games, home and away. Because Arsenal are one of those teams that are quite capable of playing like the best team in the league, but often do not, haven’t won anything beyond the FA Cup (twice) since 2005,[1:5] and have the most expensive tickets in the Premier League, their fans are often quite upset when they don't play well.
Fortunately for people like me who are not Arsenal fans, but unfortunately for those that are, this has set up a strange dynamic – when Arsenal play very well, the reactions are just not that interesting; but when Arsenal play badly or even lose, the reactions are explosive and entertaining.[1:6] It does seem perverse for an effort run by fans of a particular team to be in a position to do better when the team does worse. It almost seems as if some of the people in the videos enjoy the anger and negativity. Now, there can be a gallows humor and camaraderie built off of supporting a team that is perpetually disappointing, but getting to a point where you are almost reveling in your team’s defeat? Can you really say you support your team if you do that?
Why have Liverpool lost or drawn so many games against ostensibly weaker opposition?
First, let’s be clear: Liverpool are currently on pace for 74-75 points, a tally that would have placed them 4th or better in all but one Premier League season since 2009-10. They are doing very well this year, especially considering their recent league placings. However, they are also in 5th place and 11 points back from first-place Chelsea, after looking like they might challenge for the league title in the early stages of the season. Their biggest problem has been their inexplicable poor results against the worst teams in the league: a 2-2 draw with last-place Sunderland, a 2-3 home loss to (at the time) relegation-zone Swansea, a 4-3 away loss to Bournemouth, and 2-0 away losses to Burnley and Hull, to take some examples. They’ve also been eliminated from the EFL and FA Cups by much weaker opposition. Some of these results are basically a result of the schedule: from December 27th to February 4th (the aforementioned loss to Hull), a span of 44 days, Liverpool played 12 games, which is, frankly, ridiculous.
Liverpool’s problems with goalkeeping and defensive howlers are well-documented, but, to some extent, the problems start in midfield. Teams with no need to attack Liverpool (because they would take a 0-0 draw if need be) often sit back, defend in numbers and look for counter-attack opportunities, which requires very sharp and quick-thinking players to break them down before the defending team can adjust their shape. The biggest problem, however, is Liverpool’s lack of a recognized defensive midfielder. Because of Jürgen Klopp’s pressing style, Liverpool have found a lot of success using Jordan Henderson, a high-energy midfielder with decent passing skills, in that role against top teams. However, when a team is essentially ceding possession, there’s no real value in being able to press well, but there is a lot of value in having the instincts to snuff out break opportunities before they happen, like, say, N’Golo Kante. Since Liverpool’s attacking levels slipped with player fatigue, injuries, and the absence of Sadio Mane for the African Cup of Nations, their less solid defending was put under even more pressure.