Max Kofler: Die Revolution

Things are looking better for Leicester and with form picking up and 9 more games left to play a top half finish is certainly within reach

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March was a relatively short month for us with just four games to serve up. It began with a trip to the Etihad to take on Manchester City, who were in need of three points to continue their hunt on the league leaders, Arsenal. We were beaten 2-0 by a strong City side - with both goals coming in the second-half, the first from Ousmane Dembele and the second coming deep into added-time from João Félix.

Admittedly, I go into every game believing we have the chance to pick up maximum points, but sometimes you have to look back and not be too hard on yourself if you fail to do so. We showed great character in the defeat and plenty of positives could be drawn from the loss to take into the next game against Southampton - which was a much more favourable game than the one prior.

Rolando Mandragora sealed all three points in the dying embers of the game, after Guido Carrillo initially equalised from the spot to make it 2-2 with four minutes to go. Vincent Aboubakar and Dennis Man were also on the scoresheet in a game which highlighted the significant improvement we've had in-front of goal since my arrival at the King Power Stadium. Southampton continue to look set for a top-half finish, but we certainly narrowed the gap between ourselves and the ten top after such a win.

Unfortunately, a second loss of the month to Manchester City brought an end to our Emirates FA Cup run in the Quarter Finals of the competition. The hosts proved to be more dominant in this fixture than they were in the previous meeting, enabling us to record just three shots over the course of ninety minutes. João Félix and a double from Ousmane Dembele sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Citizens, as they booked a semi-final tie against Southampton at Wembley.

Our final game of the month presented us with a trip to Vicarage Road against Watford. The Hornets were desperately looking to pick up a result in-order to move away from the closely-fought relegation battle which continued to rage on. It appeared Demarai Gray was set to seal all three points for us after coming on from the bench with eleven minutes to go, but Moussa Marega was able to bundle the ball home from a corner to seal a point for Pavel Vrba's men in stoppage-time.

One positive to take from the game, however, was the return of Harry Maguire from the bench. The central-defender played the last fifteen minutes upon his return from injury earlier in the month. We have a clean-bill of health at the club other than Hamza Choudhury who unfortunately looks set to miss the rest of the season with a broken foot.


Another perfect month for Arsenal, at least domestically following their exit in the Champions League to A.C. Milan, results in them gaining further ground on Manchester City. Back-to-back 5-1 victories to West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United have enabled Zidane's men to gain a nine point advantage over City, who endured a poor month following a 0-0 to Crystal Palace and a 3-0 loss to Newcastle United in March.

Liverpool have pulled themselves back into contention for second-place, as a result. An almost perfect run of results - a draw to Chelsea and victories against Wolves and Everton - see them just a point behind Carlo Ancelotti's side heading into the penultimate month of the season.

Antonio Conte's Manchester United have moved into the top four after a good run of form against mostly bottom-half opposition. Spurs fell to a 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor against Burnley which enabled United to move above them. They have played a game more, however, with Spurs possessing a game in-hand against Crystal Palace towards the back-end of next month.

Spurs currently sit six points clear of Chelsea in sixth, with Luis Enrique's men managing just one win from four games over the course of March. A 1-0 win against Wolves merited Chelsea's only three points of the month, with the Blues recording draws to Bournemouth and Liverpool before a 2-1 loss against Leeds United to end the month.

This has given West Ham the opportunity to claw back the deficit between the two to just two points after back-to-back victories against Watford and Cardiff City. The Hammers possess a six point advantage over the side directly below them, Everton.

Crystal Palace's point and victory against Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, enabled them to move off the foot of the table - with Fulham replacing them, instead. The Cottagers have lost their last seven games and find themselves six points from safety, albeit they do have a game in-hand.

Watford accompany the two in the bottom three with Cardiff City lifting themselves into seventeenth following a victory against Newcastle United partway through March. West Brom continued their excellent form under Claudio Ranieri with the Italian guiding his side to victories against Everton and Fulham. The Baggies are now four points clear of Watford in sixteenth.

Replies

LFC: Really was! Things are certainly improving as of late, that's for sure. Plans are in-place already for how Max wants to improve the team going forward. I don't think the top-half can be ruled out just yet.

Jack: When doesn't he have too much to drink? The long-term changes will definitely be taking place in the summer as it was always difficult to really make wholesale changes in January. As for Ranieri, he's certainly doing a fine job at the Hawthorns himself!

Jim: Dirty Leeds scum... This season is all about trying to finish as strongly as possible and to begin setting the foundations for next season. As said, a top-half finish is feasible.

Syb: I don't want to rule it out yet, that's for certain. Wolves seem to be in free-fall!

The trips to the Etihad were bound to be extremely tough so you shouldn't be hard on yourself or the team for those two matches. Great win against Southampton to pick up the 3 points. I'd be disappointed with the Watford match as your Demarai Gray strike should have won it. Unlucky to concede that late. A Maguire return will surely see better defensive performances from now on.

This season was always going to be about consolidation in the Premier League. You've done a stand-up job to keep Leicester where they are. I sense a major rebuild to come this summer.

It was always going to be a tough month with those two fixtures against Manchester City. A shame that Hamza is injured, but that was why you made the signings of Mandragora who has already proved himself with that last minute winner against Southampton. It will be good to have Maguire back and should help you going into the final stages of the year.

Improving slow and steady. Well done!

It was always going to be difficult to make this month look good given the two ties against City but once again, Leicester are in a better place under Kofler. The coming summer will prove a huge turning point for the club in my opinion.

Once again the process made under Kofler is showing. Hopefully he can push them as high as possible. Leicester fans mus be looking forward to next season, Kofler seems to know what he's doing

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The penultimate month of the season presented us with four different tests, with all four chosen for television coverage, coincidentally. Our first test was at home to a relegation-threatened Cardiff City. Vincent Aboubakar and Dennis Man scored either side of half-time for us as we took all three points and condemned the Bluebirds to another week in the bottom three.

By far the toughest game of our four game run, we were slaughtered by Zinedine Zidane's Arsenal at the Emirates. The Gunners led after two minutes, thanks to an early header from Zinho Vanheusden, before strikes from Gerard Moreno and Marco Asensio stretched their lead to three by half-time. Moreno would find the net for a second time in the forty-eighth minute, handing the hosts a comfortable 4-0 win and the heaviest defeat of my managerial career thus far at full-time.

However, we recovered exceptionally well to thrash an out-of-form Everton side. Roberto Martinez's side were on a run of five games without a win in the league heading into the game. Alongside this, the Toffees were taken to a penalty-shootout against Zenit in the Europa League on Thursday night - three days prior to our clash. Our superior fitness levels shone through, as Dennis Man and a second from James Maddison in the final eighteen minutes merited a 3-0 win.

The final game of the month came against rock-bottom Fulham. The Cottagers were in desperate need of points to maintain their hopes of surviving in the top-flight after winning promotion last season. Manuel Lanzini's stoppage-time strike proved to be nothing more than a consolation, however. A second consecutive double from James Maddison in the first fourteen minutes of the game sent us on our way, as we recorded a third victory in four games.


Yet more impressive form from Arsenal throughout April has allowed them to push increasingly further towards the title with two games left to play. Manchester City, however, do have a game advantage over the Gunners due to their FA Cup exploits. Despite this, the Citizens find themselves eight points adrift and even with a win are unlikely to catch the ever-impressive league leaders.

Liverpool's form in recent months has allowed them to keep pace with City. The Reds are now level on points with Carlo Ancelotti's side going into May, but have played a game more. Meanwhile, Manchester United have continued their run of form and have maintained their top four status.

Spurs have completely capitulated under a busy schedule, which has seen them win just one of their last four Premier League games - in a 1-0 win against Cardiff City. Jürgen Klopp's men had a favourable run of fixtures against Southampton, Watford and Crystal Palace, but were unable to record victories in any of those three games, instead losing to Alan Pardew's side and drawing to Southampton and Watford.

Back-to-back victories at the end of the month has allowed Chelsea to hold onto sixth after an initially poor start to April. A draw to Burnley was followed up with a loss to Manchester City, which handed West Ham the opportunity to gatecrash the top six. The Hammers were unable to take advantage, though, winning just one of their last four games.

Fulham's status looks to be all but confirmed and a immediate return to the Championship seems imminent. Cardiff City's recent run of form makes them likely candidates to join them. The Bluebirds finished thirteen points clear of Fulham in second as they ran away with the Sky Bet Championship title last campaign, but they have been unable to convert that momentum into points this season.

Crystal Palace are beginning to find their feet under Alan Pardew after picking up seven points from a possible twelve. The Eagles are a point behind Watford, who have fixtures against Wolves and Leeds United to end the season. Palace, meanwhile, host Everton at Selhurst Park before a trip to Fulham on the final day, as they seek to salvage their Premier League status for another season at the expense of Watford.

The Hornets seem to be the likely candidates for the drop, in comparison to the sides above them that are still in contention to be relegated. Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion sit five points ahead of Palace with two games to go. Leeds have lost their last five games and have slipped down the table as a result, whereas the Baggies slowed down in April after an excellent run of form under Claudio Ranieri - recording just one win from four in games against Newcastle, West Ham, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Our form throughout April enabled us to move into the top-half of the table. We host West Bromwich Albion and then travel to Newcastle United to end the season, as we look to establish ourselves within the top ten at the end of the campaign. Whether we achieve that or not, we have certainly improved as a side over the last few months and I am very excited about what the future brings here at the King Power Stadium.

Replies

Jim: Manchester City are a formidable side and beating them is always a huge challenge. Leicester enjoyed a great run in the FA Cup, regardless, and are really pushing on in the league now. Failing to beat Watford was a bitter blow, as the game should have been done and dusted about Gray's goal, you're right. Lessons were certainly learnt from it, though.

Justice: There will certainly be changes in the summer. Max will be keen to really assert his own stamp on the team. Players have essentially been playing to prove their worth for next season, so expect to see those who are under-performing to be moved on next season, nine times out of ten.

LFC: Choudhury's injury was disappointing, but Rolando has been excellent since arriving from Udinese and has taken to the Premier League excellently, despite the gulf in quality between Serie B and the English top-flight.

Slipky: Cheers mate!

Jack: Results have certainly picked up since his arrival and the slump of not winning for many months beforehand seems to have been forgotten. The league position looks a lot better now, it has to be said.

Syb: Now they're in the top ten, it's about consolidating. Who knows where Leicester might finish because eighth is still a possibility at this stage.

Losing against Arsenal is not a shame, but conceding 4 shiuldn't happen. Luckily defensive quality was still shown with clean sheets against Fulham and a decent Everton side.

Mid-table security is real solid. I'm sure Max will be able to work his way to a better team this summer. The game against Arsenal is just a bump in the road, in my opinion. Max is going hard with this team.

Three wins from four, a very solid month (aside from the Arsenal results)! Maddison was in great form towards the end of the month, and now you can look forward to a potential top-half finish!

Maddison was excellent this month with all those goals. It certainly seems the attacking flair is shining through now. Despite the Arsenal result, which despite being big is not overly worrying considering just how great they have been this year, it has been a great month!

You joined at a tough time for any manager. Mid-table is definitely something to build on next season.

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Claudio Ranieri brought his West Bromwich Albion side to the King Power Stadium in the season's penultimate clash and our final fixture at home this season. The Italian received a warm welcome upon his return to Leicester as the supporters reminisced about the title winning season under his management, an achievement nobody will ever forget in these parts.

It was to be a bittersweet return for Ranieri though, as we defeated his side thanks to goals from Dennis Man and Demarai Gray in a 2-0 win. The loss meant the Baggies could still be relegated on the final day if they failed to record a positive result at home to Bournemouth and Cardiff or Crystal Palace obtained a victory.

Meanwhile, the victory had positive implications for ourselves. We rose above both Everton and Southampton into eighth. Everton fell to a loss against Crystal Palace, whereas Southampton lost to Leeds United - as Lee Johnson's side confirmed their Premier League status next season in the process.

We made the trip to St James' Park on the final day with hopes of finishing the season strongly and recording an eighth place finish. Unfortunately, we succumbed to the pressure of the home crowd on the day as the hosts defeated us 2-0. A quick-fire combination of Andreas Pereira and Lewis Holtby in the opening twenty minutes put us to the sword in an underwhelming finish to our season. As a result, we slipped to tenth - with Southampton finishing eighth and Everton narrowly behind in ninth.

Wolves missed out on the top-half altogether despite spending the majority of their season in the top ten. Following a 2-1 win against Cardiff City on Boxing Day, Wolves remained tenth until mid-April before a 1-1 draw to Southampton meant they sacrificed their position to us.


Arsenal clinched the Premier League title for the first time since 2004 as they lost just one game all season - a 3-2 loss to Everton at Goodison Park - to finish ahead of Manchester City. The Gunners recorded an exceptional tally of 95 points in-order to lift the title at the end of the season in Zinedine Zidane's debut season as Arsenal boss after joining in June 2020 following his departure from Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti's men were unable to retain their crown following last season's heroics. They finished seven points behind the leaders, but managed to fend off pressure from Liverpool to finish in second after winning six of their last seven games.

Under the guidance of Unai Emery, Liverpool improved on last season's fourth-place finish, yet finished two points better off the previous season, as they finished on 84 points. Roberto Firmino and Alisson were attributed as two of Liverpool's standout performers at the end of the season as they comfortably claimed a place in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Manchester United completed the top four as they took advantage of Spurs' drop-off towards the end of the season. Spurs won just one of their last seven games under Jürgen Klopp as their Europa League campaign proved to be influential in their downfall. After defeating Everton 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, Spurs do have the opportunity of claiming Champions League football. A victory against Benfica in the final would ensure they feature in the group-stages next season.

Chelsea and West Ham United both clinched spots in Europe next season as they finished sixth and seventh, respectively, as Manchester City won the Emirates FA Cup to enable the Hammers to qualify. Southampton, Everton and ourselves, Leicester City, completed the top-half.

Fulham's relegation was confirmed at the start of May. Back-to-back losses for Watford also witnessed their relegation to the Championship after a six-year stay in the Premier League. Cardiff City prolonged their survival bid after a dramatic victory against Chelsea going into the final day, as James Garner - on loan from Manchester United - scored his first Premier League goal in the 93rd minute to give the Bluebirds hope, in spite of Crystal Palace's victory against Everton.

However, it was Crystal Palace who were be relegated alongside Watford and Fulham. The Eagles fell to a 1-0 loss at Craven Cottage, whereas Cardiff City celebrated a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers to avoid immediate relegation back to the second-tier.

Brighton & Hove Albion won the Sky Bet Championship with an astonishing points total of 106. They were accompanied by Stoke City who finished their season on 100 points. The pair blitzed past their opposition this season as City finished fifteen points ahead of third-placed Norwich City. The Canaries were accompanied by Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town in the play-offs.

Middlesbrough were the first side to book their place at Wembley after defeating Bristol City 1-0 on aggregate. After a 0-0 draw at the Riverside, Lewis Wing scored the all-important goal at Ashton Gate for Steve McClaren's side.

Huddersfield would be Boro's opponents as they defeated Norwich City 3-2 on aggregate. Steve Mounié and Lee Evans cancelled out Marco Stiepermann's strike in the first leg at The John Smith's Stadium, before Adama Diakhaby equalised for the Terriers after Zlatko Junuzovic's initial goal in the second-leg at Carrow Road.

A second-half double from the Championship's top goalscorer Steve Mounié sent Huddersfield Town back to the Premiership at Wembley. Garry Monk is to lead his side into the top-flight next season for the first time since 2019, as Huddersfield finished bottom with just twenty-three points to their name at the end of the 2018/19 season.

We look forward to welcoming all three sides to the King Power next season. However, it's now time for a well-deserved break for everyone associated with LCFC!

Replies

Syb: Arsenal were just an exceptionally good side, it has to be said. Usually conceding four is a nightmare scenario, but when you're playing against a side with the quality they have at their disposal and they're on form, it's a tough ask to stop them. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so on the day.

Slipky: A tenth place finish really sets the foundations for next season. Max will now be able to assess the squad over the summer and look to improve.

Justice: Maddison is an excellent player and really showcased that towards the end of April. I'm looking forward to more from him next season. He's established himself as an important player in Max's system after struggling under Rodgers, beforehand.

LFC: It was a great month of results which enabled us to finish where we did! We really improved going forward post-January, definitely.

Scouter: It is, indeed. But the last few months have shown that Leicester have the capability to do very well next year.