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PREMIER LEAGUE

Leicester’s magic numbers on way to title success

Some of Leicester’s key players who have been behind their title triumph
Some of Leicester’s key players who have been behind their title triumph
DARREN STAPLES /REUTERS

5
Known father-and-son pairs of league champions, the latest being Kasper Schmeichel, of Leicester City, and Peter, his father, a five-times winner with Manchester United in the 1990s (the only such goalkeeping duo). The other cases: John Aston (United 1965, 1967) and his father, also John (United 1952); David Herd (United 1965, 1967) and his father, Alex (Manchester City 1937); John Morrissey (Everton 1985) and his father, Johnny (Everton 1963, 1970); Ian Wright (Arsenal 1998) and his adopted son, Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea 2006).


5,000-1
Leicester’s pre-season title odds; none of the previous 12 league winners began the campaign at longer than 6-1, and ten of the 12 were 5-2 or shorter.


43
Leicester games in all competitions this season, the fewest for any champions since Manchester United recorded that number in 1955-56. Leicester neither played in Europe nor enjoyed long domestic cup runs.


64
Years (and six months), age of Claudio Ranieri, who is the second oldest league-winning manager since the First World War (after Sir Alex Ferguson). In successive seasons as a Premier League manager, the Italian has steered Chelsea to their highest league position in 49 years (runners-up in 2003-04) and Leicester to their highest finish in their 111-season league history.


1.59
Leicester’s average victory margin this season in the Premier League. Their top four rivals’ figures are Arsenal 1.95, Tottenham Hotspur 2.26 and Manchester City 2.58. Leicester’s propensity for narrow wins is matched by their rugby union counterparts. Average victory margins of Aviva Premiership’s top four: Wasps 17.3, Exeter Chiefs 16.5, Saracens 15.0, Leicester Tigers 8.7.

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1
More people from Thailand have owned the English league champions (one: Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, of Leicester) than have ever played in the top flight (zero).


13
Places Leicester jumped to be champions (14th last season). Manchester City (14 places in 1968) are the only team with a bigger leap within the top flight since Second World War. In that period three teams have triumphed after promotion: Tottenham in 1951, Ipswich in 1962, Nottingham Forest in 1978.


41
Years since previous “animal” champions: Derby County (the Rams) in 1975. Leicester are the Foxes.


8
Teams who won a first league title in the 32 seasons between the Second World War and 1978, yet Leicester are the first to do so in the subsequent 38 seasons: Portsmouth 1949, Tottenham 1951, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1954, Chelsea 1955, Ipswich 1962, Leeds 1969, Derby 1972, Forest 1978.


3
“L” league winners (also Liverpool and Leeds), joining S (Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United) as the most common initial for different champions.

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3
Leicester trophies, out of four in their history, to have been won in a leap year: 1964 and 2000 League Cups, 2016 title.


21
Years since there was a smaller average league attendance for the champions than Leicester’s 32,014: Blackburn Rovers’ 25,272 in 1994-95.


474
Leicester shots this season, 19 fewer than their opponents.
Yet the other champions in the past ten years have averaged 259 more shots than their opponents.


42.4
Leicester’s average possession percentage in league games; no other champions in the past ten years have had below 55.8 per cent.


158
Tackles made by N’Golo Kanté this season, a Premier League high. He also leads the league in interceptions, with 148.