Charlton face the 2016 Premier League winners at the weekend.
We travel to the King Power Stadium for another early kick off, facing the 2016 champions in a fixture that once might have been seen as a clash with Championship royalty. This season, however, has been a far more sobering experience for Leicester City, and this weekend’s clash has the feel of a royal blue battle near the wrong end of the table.
Leicester have very definitely not lived up to pre-season expectations. Like Charlton, they find themselves stuck in the bottom half of the Championship, with 38 points compared to our 32. For a club built on Premier League wages, Premier League ambitions and Premier League memories, that is a deeply uncomfortable position.
For us the backdrop is also difficult. Last weekend’s derby defeat at Millwall was a painful one, with the Addicks bullied out of the contest in a 4–0 loss. With that following so soon after an FA Cup defeat to Chelsea, there's a sense that January has delivered more than its fair share of blues. Blue Monday, often labelled the most depressing day of the year, fell on 19 January this year. For Addicks, however, it has felt like a sequence of blue Saturdays as well.
So let's hope the winter blues end at The King Power and we do have reason to believe they might. Leicester are hardly a picture of confidence themselves. After their defeat to Oxford at the weekend, the BBC warned that there is a real recipe for trouble brewing at the King Power, and events since have only underlined that sense of instability. Manager Marti Cifuentes was sacked after last weekend’s defeat - a result that sharpened fears of a genuine relegation scrap. Cifuentes lasted just seven months in the job, a short reign that reflects how quickly the once-mighty have fallen.
The BBC article mentions Leicester’s looming points deduction as a result of alleged breaches of financial rules with a potential penalty of between six and ten points being discussed and one former player has already warned that the club is sleepwalking towards danger. Charlton, by contrast, may feel they are stumbling rather than sleepwalking, but we as fans are very much awake to the seriousness of the situation and the scary prospect of revisiting League One.
In the short term, Leicester will be led by a familiar face. Andy King - a member of that remarkable title winning side of 2016 - has taken interim charge and, despite their struggles, Leicester still carry big names and big wages. Harry Winks is reportedly the highest paid player in the Championship, earning around £90,000 a week. They are a squad paid for promotion battles not relegation scraps.
For us then, this trip represents both danger and opportunity. A win would not just be three points. It would throw the cat among the pigeons in a congested bottom half that includes big names such as Norwich, West Brom and Blackburn. Staying above that pack is vital if we are to remain above water and use this nervy season as a platform for rebuilding. However, many fans are worried that the flurry of signings this window might be a sign of instability or, even worse, demonstrate an element of panic. Nathan Jones is however adamant that the signings are not a knee-jerk response to his team's capitulation at Millwall.
Energy, confidence and belief have been questioned at both clubs in recent weeks. With Leicester in managerial limbo and Charlton desperate for momentum, this could be a strange, edgy contest rather than a polished one. Winter blues are real in January, but football has a habit of turning moods quickly. A win here would leave our position a lot healthier and give us a good spring in our step as we head into February's fixtures.
It is hard to predict which of our new signings will make an appearance or have an impact on Saturday. The first 45 minutes against Millwall showed how much balance a proper left wing back can bring. Tyreece Campbell was released to run at centre backs and full backs and provided some bright sparks. A similar plan will be utilised against Leicester, especially with an ageing Ricardo Pereira at right back. The key to this tactic working is width on the right too, either Harry Clarke or new signing Jayden Fevrier will need to provide it. More importantly, the rest of the team need to use them. Clarke has been seen screaming for the ball only to be ignored, that will need to change if our season is to be turned around.
If Charlton can find a way to beat a fragile Leicester side, it would not just lift spirits, it would give us a boost in the relegation fight, points wise and psychology wise. Also it would be a stark reminder that recent history and high wages do not win matches. On a cold afternoon at the King Power, that may matter more than anything else. Let's banish the blues; Reds!