Leicester City took the Premier League by storm last season, shocking everybody by winning the league at odds of 1000/1.

Their 'back-to-basics' approach was refreshing to watch in an era of fancy football. However, 17 points from 17 games is a far cry from where the winners were this time last season. Last year, they were 2 points clear at the top of the table.

According to manager Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes are now in a relegation battle. What has gone wrong for the champions?

Are the new signings to blame?

The club spent over 50 million pounds in the summer transfer window, a staggering amount of money for a club like Leicester.

Record signing Islam Slimani has put in some good performances in the Champions League and scored 4 Premier League goals in 11 appearances. The same cannot be said for Ahmed Musa, who has been deployed in a number of positions and struggled to make an impact. Ron-Robert Zieler and Luis Hernandez have filled in when needed, but lack the quality needed to be starting 11 players.

There has been a lot of uncertainty around the signing of youngster Bartosz Kapustka, with Claudio Ranieri admitting that he is not ready for Premier League football. It is fair to say that the new signings are not fitting into the Leicester City way, which points the finger at the manager.

Have other clubs worked them out?

Teams have worked out how to play Leicester because their system has hardly changed since their title-winning campaign. The starting 11 this season is mostly the same as last season. However, they have struggled to provide top scorer Jamie Vardy the same service that he received last year and other teams have begun to man mark the England striker and teammate Riyad Mahrez.

One suggestion is that managers in the Premier League have become wise to Leicester's style and are setting up their own teams in a way that keeps the playmakers quiet.

Do they miss N'Golo Kante?

Kante leaving the club for Chelsea in the summer has been one of the main reasons attributed to Leicester's current form. His stats from last season speak for themselves - 175 tackles, 156 interceptions, and 277 duels won.

The defensive midfielder allowed Danny Drinkwater to push forward, often feeding the long ball over to Jamie Vardy.

The club purchased Nempalys Mendy in the summer but the midfielder has been plagued by injuries since. Daniel Amartey has been promoted to the starting 11 but hasn't had the same impact. With the club heavily linked with Wilfred Ndidi of Genk, it looks like the club is trying to fill the void in the central midfield. Ndidi's style of play is most similar to that of Kante, so he could be what they have been missing.

What's next for Leicester?

Leicester City fans will be comforted by the knowledge that they are not the only club that have struggled to mount a title challenge, but will be praying their club does not end up playing second tier football, like Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers.

The aim for the Foxes will be to avoid relegation. Now that they have reached the last 16 of the Champions League, any progress they make from there will be a bonus. The January transfer window is fast approaching and Leicester will no doubt be doing more business than just confirming Ndidi's arrival. New signings in January and a chance of system could be what the Foxes desperately need. If they find some good form soon, a top 10 finish would not be out of reach.