Leicester City are facing a critical moment in their season, with manager Gary Rowett stating they have one final opportunity to avoid relegation from the Championship.
The East Midlands club are currently second-from-bottom, sitting four points adrift of safety after a 1-0 home defeat against Swansea. Rowett described the defeat as dispirited, confessing that his 10 matches in charge “have felt like 40”.
Relegation Battle Looms
Leicester City are scheduled to face Portsmouth next. If Portsmouth beat Ipswich in their midweek game, they could be seven points clear of the Foxes by Saturday.
Rowett told BBC Radio Leicester: “We have to go show some sort of responsibility and go fight and try create a way to win a game a different way, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”
“We have to go to Portsmouth and win the game, simple as that. If we don’t win the game, my belief is that it’s our last chance.”
Grim Situation for the Foxes
Rowett has been candid about the severity of Leicester’s situation with four games remaining. His assessment has been echoed by former players, media pundits, and Foxes supporters.
Since winning promotion as Championship title winners two seasons ago, Leicester have won just 17 of their 80 league games. They are now in danger of suffering back-to-back relegations.
Fan Discontent and Future Prospects
Supporters have often booed performances, and some have called for sporting director Jon Rudkin to leave the club and owner Khun Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha to sell up during a season of discontent.
If Leicester fail to beat Portsmouth on Saturday and results elsewhere go against them in the next seven days, they could be on the brink of relegation as early as next Tuesday when they face promotion chasing Hull City.
Pundit Views on Leicester’s Chances
Former Foxes striker Matt Piper, part of BBC Radio Leicester’s commentary team, suggests there is little reason to believe Leicester can pull off a relegation escape act.
“Of course we could get out of it mathematically, but I’m looking at two or three teams around us, Oxford and Portsmouth.
The grim situation the club finds itself should not come as a surprise.
If being in the second tier as the club marks the 10-year anniversary of winning the Premier League title was not already damning proof of their recent decline, the fact they could now have their place in the third tier confirmed even before the milestone date is reached on 2 May underlines that English football’s fairytale is now a living nightmare.