All Good Things Must End

Before the Arsenal game on Saturday, Leicester were the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League. They’d taken 12 out of a possible 18 points and were playing some of, if not the best football I have ever seen from the team. Take into account that prior to Saturday, our last league defeat was back in April, to a then title-clenching Chelsea, and you can understand why expectations are at an all time high with Foxes fans.

Let’s be honest though, who actually thought we could remain unbeaten the whole season? I’m not sure many Foxes fans would have put money on us to beat Arsenal. With the way we have been playing you felt that we could at least give them a game though.

There’s certainly no shame in losing just two out of the last 13 Premier League games. That’s arguably top four form, though that is way above Leicester’s targets for the season. There’s equally no shame in losing to two clubs with the stature and world class players that both Chelsea and Arsenal possess. Despite this, Twitter made for some frustrating reading post-match.

On paper a 5-2 loss could be viewed as disappointing and look one sided to those who didn’t watch. However, that scoreline against an in form Arsenal side who had the pace of Sanchez and Walcott up front isn’t so much of a surprise. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a good go at them. In the first half the Foxes had the Gunners against the ropes on several occasions and with some better finishing could have seen the short-lived lead double early on.

Ultimately it was some slow, and at times poor, defending that allowed Arsenal’s stars to show their class and punish us. Sanchez on his day is unstoppable and it certainly felt like his day. Some fans overreacted after the game by stating that the defending was shambolic and belonged in the Championship. A harsh account for a defence who simply couldn’t match the blistering pace of the Gunners’ Chilean forward.

This is what we wanted from the Premier League though isn’t it? To see the best players in the world and to see if our team can match them. On this occasion we finished second best, but there was a lot to learn from the defeat and positives to take.

We were perhaps our own worst enemy with a desire to play a high back line and the attacking mindset of fullbacks Schlupp and De Laet. This coupled with Walcott’s pace allowed the England striker to get himself into a one-on-one chance with Schmeichel and the odds weren’t in the Dane’s favour as Arsenal levelled the game.

With any defeat there is usually a scapegoat, and it appears that Foxes fans are somewhat divided between making this weekend’s Schmeichel or Schlupp. While neither would consider it one of their finest games, Schmeichel has to feel somewhat hard done by. There wasn’t much he could have done with many of the goals, often left on his own or outnumbered. He had to come out and close players down and Arsenal capitalised on this.

While this kind of reaction comes from the minority, I have to wonder exactly what it is that these fans expect? Surely we can afford to lose a game to a top club like Arsenal so long as we are beating those we expect to be around us; the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa and the newly promoted sides. Perhaps these fans have forgotten that we are still trying to become an established Premier League side before we aim for anything else.

In general the fans on Saturday were behind the Foxes until the end which spurred the players on still. The atmosphere was overall supportive and still loud even when we were behind. With Arsenal fans mentioning how impressed they were by this, I can’t help but be proud that the majority stayed and clapped the players off at the end.

In hindsight perhaps trying to play as we have from the start of the season against such a talented side like Arsenal was a mistake. That said I like the fact that Ranieri and the players wanted to keep it going and weren’t afraid to attack the Gunners or compromise the style of play that we have been enjoying each week.

Our focus now turns to a tough test away at Norwich this weekend and this is one that we should be expected to try and get a result from. The players looked frustrated at the end of the Arsenal game and the defence won’t be happy to have shipped so many goals. It may be somewhat optimistic for an away game but perhaps we’ll finally get a clean sheet and pizza for all.

Expect a Foxes side who’ll come raring out of the traps at Carrow Road and go all out attack again. It’s too soon in the season to be calling it a must win but bringing three points back to Leicester would certainly calm any nerves left from last weekend’s match.

It’s somewhat ironic to think that the majority of Foxes fans were sceptical pre-season of our chances post-Pearson and more so upon the appointment of Ranieri.

How quickly opinions changed after the opening day victory over Sunderland, some of these fans then stating Europe had to be a target. What was reassuring was that Ranieri and the players weren’t getting carried away. Survival remained, and still remains, the primary goal for the season. Three points on Saturday though would see us reach a points tally that took us 21 games to get to last season. That puts one loss into perspective, doesn’t it?