Leicester City's Premier League campaign so far has been nothing short of egregious.
Whilst it was expected that the reigning champions would drop out of the top four this term, the Foxes being in the bottom half is simply mind-boggling.
However, looking at their performances, it's easy to see why they're having such a horrid campaign.
Horrid we say?
The Leicester faithful begs to differ, as Claudio Ranieri would assert in a spirited manner "we're in the Champions League man".
Their presence in Europe's elite cup competition has played a significant role in their league performances, but they're in it anyway, and nobody can take that away from them.
Who can blame Leicester for giving it their all in mid-week fixtures?
A top-four finish was always improbable, so why not live in the moment and enjoy the games at illustrious grounds against some of Europe's mega sides?
But at some point in the season, Leicester's players have got to start wearing their heart on their sleeves again.
The Foxes' domestic commitments have been in the air for far too long, and if they're to erase any doubt of a potential relegation scrap, then they need to start winning games.
With just three wins in the bag thus far, the league hasn't been kind on Ranieri's Leicester. The top teams have gotten much better, but since Leicester have their eye on another prize, they're much worse than they should be.
Jamie Vardy's massive dip in form can be blamed for the team's inability to score on a consistent basis. Leicester's players deserved a good long rest at the end of last season's triumph, but they returned to a league where team's waste no time in working out how to break you down, which is one of the reasons Leicester have been found out so often recently.
Riyad Mahrez, Vardy, Wes Morgan and the entire group, in fact, have been underperforming for that simple reason.
Now that Leicester are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, it's time for them to focus on the Premier League, before European action resumes and they are forced to turn their priorities elsewhere.
Salient players like Mahrez and Vardy need to step up their game now more than ever heading into the festive period. The fixture congestion could hurt Leicester in many ways; it could even leave them at the bottom of the pile going into the new year.
Surely, no matter how happy Leicester fans are with the Champions League run, being rock-bottom, or even just their presence in the bottom three, will be enough to agitate the club's supporters.
The importance of December
December is a month that historically has an enormous effect on both ends of the Premier League table.
Leicester are currently languishing in 15th place, just two points above the relegation zone. Their most recent fixture saw them succumb to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of David Moyes' Sunderland on Saturday.
It was a game Leicester expected to win fairly comfortably – on paper anyway. If we were to have made predictions based on recent form, then you'll see that a win for Sunderland was the likeliest outcome.
The Foxes have a relatively tough run of fixtures ahead of them, games against Manchester City, AFC Bournemouth, Stoke City, Everton and West Ham United. A couple of those fixtures look like easy wins for Leicester, but when you're inches away from the bottom three, every game is a hard one.
If Leicester fails to get their campaign back on track to some degree against City at home on Saturday, then they'll be in a very sticky situation.
There isn't much fun in playing Champions League football when your chances of winning it are as slim as a toothpick, and when your league campaign takes heavy blows week in, week out.
Crucial two months
The Champions League Round of 16 will commence in mid-February, before then, Leicester have to get their season together, and that involves them creating a big gap between their current standing and the unenviable drop zone.
If Leicester still lurk around the bottom three when the Champions League knockout stage begins, then it's fair to say they will be caught in a relegation battle for the remainder of the campaign.
Utilising the January transfer window to full effect will be extremely paramount for Ranieri and Leicester's chances of making it into the top half of the table and avoiding a potentially costly relegation scrap.
Wilfried Ndidi's potential arrival
Midway through the season and Ranieri has seen a reason to bring in a player of N'Golo Kante's ilk.
Whilst not exactly up to par with Chelsea star Kante, Wilfred Ndidi could be what Leicester needs to help them climb the league table.
Nigerian Ndidi, 19, plies his trade for Belgium outfit Genk but he's expected to make his way to Leicester when the winter window opens up.
Summer signing Nampalys Mendy has featured just once for Leicester this season - he was brought in as Kante's replacement - but injuries have seen him sidelined for the most part of the term.
Ndidi, though, could very well prove to be a Kante-esque player seeing as he's similar to the Premier League winner in many ways.
Leicester's current mare's nest can be attributed, in large part, to Kante's exit – the Frenchman was so imperative to Leicester's fortunes in 2015/16.
He was the heart of Leicester's midfield and taking him out of the fold has inevitably caused a disharmony in the middle of the park with no one adept in offering the technically gifted midfielders a way out to express themselves on the pitch.
If Ndidi can come in and be Kante straight away, things will begin to look brighter for the East Midlands outfit.
If he turns out to be another squad-filler like the other of Leicester's summer signings, though, then they will have to rely on Ranieri's expertise and a whole lot of luck to escape a relegation fight and a possible red face just 12 months after shocking the football world.
