Alice Wright
Leicester City have failed to pick up any points so far in the Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League, suffering from seven straight defeats.
Having only managed to score two goals (one being an own goal by Tottenham player Drew Spence), but conceding 16, it’s easy to see why Leicester are sat bottom of the table.
Here’s how they fare after seven games compared to three WSL teams who went on to get relegated:
Birmingham City 2021/22
After seven games, Birmingham had managed to gain one point with a draw against West Ham. Like Leicester, they also only managed to score two goals at this point but conceded 16, which is the same as Leicester. They had also only played two of the top five teams in the WSL by this point.
Bristol City 2020/21
Unlike Birmingham, the Robins managed two points after seven games after two draws against Tottenham and Reading. However, they managed to score more than double the number of goals as Leicester and Birmingham (five), but also conceded 31 goals after a 9-0 loss to Chelsea and an 8-1 loss to Manchester City.
Liverpool 2019/2020
Again, the Reds only gained a single point after seven matches, drawing 1-1 against Bristol City. Liverpool scored the least amount of goals from any of the four teams (one), but also conceded the fewest (nine).
Over the last three seasons, the two teams that have finished in 10th or 11th place tend to get relegated the following season.
In the 2019/20 season, when Liverpool were relegated on six points, Bristol City finished in 10th place, and the following year (2020/21), they were relegated on 12 points.
Birmingham City, who finished 11th in the 2020/21 season, went on to get relegated with 11 points in the 2021/22 season. Who happened to finish 11th that year? Leicester City on 13 points. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but it does make you think.
After facing top of the table Arsenal in the WSL, in what was a tough fixture for City, fears around Leicester’s survival hopes grew even stronger.
The Foxes now face 8th place West Ham, a must-win game for Leicester to claim points to ensure they don’t fall adrift at the bottom of the table.
Fellow struggling sides Brighton play Liverpool and Reading play Aston Villa. Two teams are able to pull even further away from Leicester, with Reading and Brighton being the most likely of the two.
