Leicester City, the stats that prove why Foxes are in utter free-fall… as they are down in EVERY key statistic this season
Claudio Ranieri's men are far worse of in attack and defence as they follow up Premier League title win with relegation battle
THE plight of Leicester City in 2016-17 is certainly a well-documented one.
From the heady heights of a magnificent Premier League title win just months after performing a great escape from relegation to another battle to avoid the drop a year on, it's been ugly to watch.
There are a host of theories doing the rounds about why Claudio Ranieri's men are struggling - which usually boils down to the key loss of N'Golo Kante to Chelsea.
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Others suggest last season the club were simply riding the wave, fuelled by adrenaline and the support of the world. Simply put, they were "overachieving".
This season has certainly seen a bump back to reality, but if they're not careful, they may well find themselves plying their trade in the Championship next season.
In a bid to work out just where it's all gone wrong, we - with some help from - take a look at all the crucial statistics.
Let's start in defence, where Robert Huth and Wes Morgan so valiantly kept out opposing strike-forces in front of Kasper Schmeichel last season.
In short, this season has been a complete shambles in comparison, as the Foxes have shipped over twice as many goals at 2.05 per game compared to a mere 0.95 last year.
Meanwhile those defenders are winning fewer battles at 42 per cent compared to 46 per cent, making far fewer interceptions, blocks AND clearances per games.
They're making marginally more errors in the back-line compared to last year, to boot.
It would appear that Kante may be the reason, as last season he was one of the league leaders in all of those categories.
Unfortunately for Italian boss Ranieri, it's not been made up for at the other end, as his men are down in ALL categories in attack also.
Leicester are scoring nearly half as many goals, while taking fewer shots at a lower accuracy.
The chances being created, both from open play and set-pieces, are also drastically down.
The Foxes have failed to score in 11 games already this season... after just THREE last year.
To get to the bottom of this, we take a look at star duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez who were central to almost all of Leicester's attacking prowess in 2015-16.
England man Vardy could do no wrong last year, but this term he is down across the board, in goals scored, assists, chances created, total shots, shooting accuracy and beating his man.
While Mahrez has improved his passing this season, everything else has suffered - much like Vardy.
His goals, assists, chances created, shooting accuracy, take-ons and fouls won are all on the decline.
Morgan and Huth's defensive stats are all down across the board too, while Schmeichel is up in just one, saves made, based purely on his back-four's leaky nature this term, no doubt.
So were Leicester simply on a high last season? Or is Kante just that good?
One thing is for sure the Foxes are struggling mightily now and may face relegation unless they can turn things around... and quickly.
