Leicester City won the FA Cup two years ago – but fast-forward 24 months and the Foxes are tied up in a relegation dog fight.
It was a Youri Tielemans screamer that separated Leicester and Chelsea two years ago in the FA Cup final – and now the Foxes find themselves in an excruciating relegation battle, with the Belgian potentially on his way out of the club for free.
Here, StoryHub takes a deep-dive into the past and the present…
Fast-forward two years after Wembley…
Almost everything has changed for the East Midlands side since that special day at Wembley; a new manager, no restrictions in stadiums, half the starting eleven is out of contract this summer and, more importantly, there is a crisis at the club.
Dean Smith’s Foxes now prepare to face Liverpool in a potentially season-defying game where a win would lift them out of the relegation zone.
Back at base 🏡#LEILIV pic.twitter.com/X4adYqZDEk
— Leicester City (@LCFC) May 15, 2023
However, lose, and Leicester will find themselves two points adrift from safety with two games left to play. Relegation would set up an even bigger summer for Leicester than previously anticipated, especially with seven players running out of contract at the end of June.
Scoring has not been the problem for Leicester, and it never has – they have just not been able to defend for two seasons which ultimately has caught up with them.
Leicester’s last game against Fulham saw them defeated 5-3, with the players booed off the field at half time by the travelling Foxes faithful.
After the game, star player James Maddison spoke to the BBC. He said: “We weren’t aggressive. We weren’t at it. We weren’t hungry enough to win the game”.
Smith was later asked about Maddison’s post match comments…
He was asked about James Maddison’s comments about the team’s ‘hunger’: “It's always hard for players, they’re emotional after the game. None of them want to be in the position we’re in, so they’re searching for answers. All the lads care, they just show it in different ways. pic.twitter.com/CWGwYprhNp
— BBC Sport Leicester (@BBCRLSport) May 12, 2023
It’s the equivalent of three ‘cup finals’ for Leicester before now and the end of the season as they bid to save their Premier League status. However, running into a Liverpool team on a six-game winning streak could prove tricky.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have had a poor season going by their usual standards but six wins in their last six games has put them back into contention for a late top-four push.
A win for the Reds at the King Power Stadium would move them within just one point of Manchester United in fourth.
Impact of an FA Cup hero
Going back to Tielemans, he’s been a special player for Leicester since his arrival in 2019 and has been pivotal in Leicester’s recent success. With the 26-year-old not set to sign a new deal this summer, the club will be sure to miss him, and can always thank him for THAT goal in the FA Cup final.
#OnThisDay in 2021, Youri Tielemans wrote his name into the @LCFC history books as The Foxes lifted the #EmiratesFACup for the first time! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/WsV0BtCNSH
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 15, 2023
The game against Liverpool will be his penultimate home game for the club and he will likely lead them out as captain in a bid to do everything in his powers to help the team.
