Bengaluru FC take on I-League 2017 table toppers East Bengal on Saturday (February 25) and ahead of the game, we can't help but bring out the similarities between the Indian football champions and the defending English league champions Leicester City.
The Foxes, under Claudio Ranieri, are going through their worst possible form this season; nothing that was unexpected but their failure to win games off late has made it look all the more embarrassing and horrible.
Although Jamie Vardy had some consolation for Leicester City on Wednesday(Feb 22) as his goal against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg provided some narrow ray of hope for Ranieri's side to maybe, just try and record a better result for themselves in the second leg.
And make it to the round of eight of the European competition this season.
Bengaluru FC, meanwhile, have not won any game since their away fixtures started this season in the I-League. The Blues, coached by Albert Roca, are winless from their last seven matches in all competitions, and that includes an exit from the prestigious AFC Champions League 2017, in the preliminary round itself.
We are trying to analyse what has gone wrong for Bengaluru FC and Leicester City off late and see whether there is any ray of hope ahead, with very few matches left for them this season.
Is it all about the pressure?
For Leicester City, defending the Premier League was always proving to be a tough task and things just went on like we had predicted at the start of it. While the pressure was definitely there, we couldn't but help feel bad about the way the entire team went into a complete disarray owing to this.
As for Bengaluru FC, things might have been a bit different. Sunil Chhetri and Co. started their season on an emphatic note, but once alien conditions came into play during the away games, their weakness came to the fore. The morale has since come down so much so that the Blues are even struggling to get that much-needed win even in their home turf.
The coach's real work starts now
It is always difficult to carry on with the legacy that has been already built, if the hands are changed. The experienced Spanish coach Albert Roca is going through something similar with BFC at the moment. Stability of the coach and the Bengaluru FC board's decision remains the major points to be observed now. After their 1-1 draw against Minerva FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Roca's disappointment was so very visible!
"Football is cruel sometimes" — the first words that came out of his mouth the moment he started speaking at the post-match press conference. He also mentioned that it is the time to fight now as the matches become less and the pressure piles up in multiple ways.
For Leicester City, the face of Claudio Ranieri after their heavy defeat against Manchester United in the Premier League on February 5, said it all. The Italian manager, with a calm composure, was an animated character during the post-match press conference and he stated again and again that things need to fall in place as the extra efforts — as is needed from the champions — are not coming at all.
However, following that match, Leicester won just one match — against Derby County — before their embarrassing, horrible and unfortunate defeat against League One side Millwall in the FA Cup.
Talk about rising from the ashes, a manager's real work begins right from the point of rock-bottom. While Ranieri needs to emulate what he did for the Foxes in the previous season, Roca needs to take charge of Bengaluru FC with the proper composure and not try and rush and possibly, ruin things more.
What next for Leicester City and Bengaluru FC?
LCFC: The FA Cup run is over, the EFL Cup run ended long back and now the dream of playing in the UEFA Champions League, too, is possibly coming to an end for Ranieri's side.
But above all, there is the relegation battle that Leicester have in hand at the moment. Given the less time he has to revitalise the season for his team, Claudio Ranieri's first and the utmost priority will be to inspire his side and ask to play their best football ever to prevent relegation from the English league at any cost!
There are 13 league games left to be played and LCFC are currently 17th in the table with 21 points. At this stage, a maximum of just a couple of losses can be afforded, with the condition that all the remaining matches need to be won. But will that be possible?
Ranieri's side have Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City as their big opponents in the matches to come, with the Liverpool assignment coming this Monday (Feb 27). With everything at stake, we may see the Foxes' future getting decided this Monday itself, following the match.
BFC: Right now, for Albert Roca's side, the assignment at hand and probably the biggest one this season is their match on Saturday against table toppers East Bengal. The Blues, who have won two I-League titles in three years, have nine games remaining this season, and all these games are make-or-break ones, IF, Bengaluru FC want to defend their championship.
With the form that Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are in at the moment, it looks very hard that they will falter at this stage of the I-League.
BFC, following the match against East Bengal this weekend, have to play former champions Mohun Bagan twice in the I-League. Note: Bagan are yet to be defeated in any competition this season. That said, there is also pressure for BFC from dark horses Aizawl FC.
