Leicester City 2016 Premier League Victory Analysis

1. True or False: Leicester City's 2016 Season

Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to support your answers.

• 1. Leicester City could not afford to buy any new players before the 2016 season. F: “Before the 2016 season, Leicester City spent under £55 million on their team as opposed to the £420 million invested by Manchester City.”
• 2. Leicester City were more focused than other teams. T: “… unlike some of their rivals, they were not participating in a European competition and as a result, they were able to concentrate all their energies on the Premier League.”
• 3. The Leicester City team had fun during the season. T: “Spectators could not help but notice the amazing team spirit demonstrated by the players and the fact that they seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely on the pitch.”
• 4. The writer doubts that teamwork affects a club’s success. F: “There can be no doubt that good coaching and great teamwork also played a central role in their success.”
• 5. Some people believe that Leicester City’s win has nothing to do with the players. T: “Yet there are those who have another explanation for the rise of Leicester City. In 2012, archaeologists from the University of Leicester discovered the remains of England’s King Richard III buried under a local car park… And it was then that the local football team started winning.”
• 6. Only the English were excited by what happened to Leicester City. F: “Leicester City captured the imagination of people all over the world and proved that the impossible is sometimes possible.”

2. Comprehension Questions

1. Why was Leicester City’s win in 2016 a surprising victory? At the start of the season, they were given very little chance / 5,000-1 odds of winning the title.
2. Why are certain clubs paid very large amounts of money? They are paid large sums of money for the rights to broadcast their games.
3. What is the connection between Leicester City Football Club and King Richard III? After King Richard III’s remains were found under a car park in Leicester and reburied in Leicester Cathedral, the club started winning.

3. Vocabulary and Expressions

Find words or expressions in the text that mean:

• 1. Amounts (paragraph II): sums
• 2. In addition (paragraph III): what is more
• 3. Opponents (paragraph III): rivals
• 4. Part (paragraph IV): role
• 5. Parts of a dead body (paragraph V): remains
• 6. Improbable (paragraph VI): unlikely