Gary Lineker delivers verdict on Leicester City survival hopes as Alan Shearer declares 'nothing has changed'
Leicester City legend Gary Lineker has described as “bleak” the dreadful run that has all but condemned the Foxes to a quick return to the Championship.
Leicester stormed to the second tier title last season under now Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, but Friday night’s embarrassing 4-0 home rout by Brentford made clear the near-impossible task now facing current manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Woyo Coulibaly and Jamie Vardy were denied Leicester’s first goal at the King Power Stadium for 75 days by Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken in the first four minutes, and City were made to pay with three strikes in 15 first-half minutes from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard, which prompted some home supporters to head for the exit doors.
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The gulf in class between Brentford and the struggling hosts was evident in the second period, but the Bees had to wait until the 89th minute to add a fourth through Fabio Carvalho.
The game was scrutinised on Saturday evening’s Match of the Day, and while most of the focus was on the Londoners, Foxes fan Lineker couldn’t help but comment after his hometown club became the first to lose six successive Premier League home games without scoring.
He said: “Leicester's last six home games - no goals scored and 15 against. That's bleak, isn't it? And then we've got the bottom of the table and it's the three teams that went up, like last season, that look almost certain now to be the three teams that go down.”
The theme was taken up by co-host Alan Shearer, who added: “I'd be amazed if anything changed. I've said it all season and nothing's changed to my mind in terms of the bottom three.”
Southampton, one of Shearer’s former clubs, are rock bottom on nine points after Saturday’s 4-0 home thrashing by Brighton. Then come Leicester on 17 points, the same total as Ipswich, who are now 18th on goal difference after their lost 4-1 at home to Spurs.
Danny Murphy had the final say on the bottom three deliberations, adding: “I think the gulf is so big now (between the Premier League and the Championship). Wolves (fourth from bottom on 22 points) have got that extra bit of quality, as we've seen today.” Wolves won 1-0 at 10-man Bouirnemouth.
