Premier League 2022-23 preview No 11: Leicester

Guardian writers’ predicted position 9th (NB: this is not necessarily Michael Butler’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position 8th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker) 200-1

After last year’s difficult season ended in an eighth-place finish, this is a huge campaign for Leicester City. Do they re-emerge as a challenger for Europe or continue to fall back into the stress-free comfort of mid-table mediocrity? Remember, it was only just over a year ago that – with largely the same squad and manager – they blew the chance to qualify for the Champions League on the last day in 2020-21.

Injuries hurt them last year – key players such as Jamie Vardy, Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Jonny Evans and Ricardo Pereira were all among those who missed large chunks of the season – and while there have not yet been any summer additions, a fully-fit Foxes can hurt any team, as Liverpool found out after Christmas.

However, frustration lurks. Leicester were eliminated from the Europa League in the group stage, and despite being the FA Cup holders, were completely outclassed by east Midlands neighbours Nottingham Forest in the fourth round, losing 4-1. The Europa Conference League run to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by eventual winners Roma, provided some solace for Brendan Rodgers, who found himself under pressure as Leicester’s season petered out.

The reliance on James Maddison is considerable. Nobody in the squad comes close to the 30 direct goal contributions (18 goals, 12 assists) the No 10 made for City in all competitions, while it will be interesting to see if Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall continues to progress after his fine breakthrough season.

The debate over whether Brendan Rodgers is elite