Albrighton: Expecting Foxes to defend title was naive

Leicester City winger Marc Albrighton believes it is almost job done for the Foxes after their 3-0 victory over Watford secured Premier League survival just weeks after being in danger of the drop.

Albrighton scored the Foxes’ third goal to wrap up their seventh league victory in their last ten outings under Crag Shakespeare, after Wilfred Ndidi and Riyad Mahrez netted to put Leicester in the driving seat.

And the winger insisted a top-ten finish – as well as reaching the last-eight in the Champions League – would be mission accomplished just 12 months on from lifting a shock title under Claudio Ranieri.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

“The top six or seven sides are probably ones you’d look at and say that’s where they should be,” said Albrighton.

“We set ourselves standards with how we played and what we achieved last season

“Everybody then automatically wants you to go and do the same again, because that’s what champions have done in the past.

“I’d be very surprised if I see another 5,000-1 team win it in my lifetime. To expect us to go and win it a second year was a bit naive.

“Everybody in football and in sport knew that our last season was fantastic, but probably a bit of a freak season

“If we can finish in the top half and with what we’ve achieved in the Champions League we can sort of say it wasn’t a bad season after all.”