How can Leicester survive with no clean sheets in the last 16 games and eight losses in the last nine

There's always a way out of the dark, but for Leicester City, the light they see at the end of their tunnel is barely visible. Like a candle that's about to go out in the wind. The Foxes are in the bottom three, having conceded goals in the last 16 games and losing eight of their last nine Premier League games. They are also the worst team in the league since the World Cup break. While Crystal Palace, Wolves and Bournemouth crawled out to relative safety, the King Power Stadium club remained in the mud.

But in the next two weeks, Leicester and their newly-appointed coach Dean Smith have a lifeline they must grab with both hands. In their struggle, they have a few reasons to be optimistic.

Since former Aston Villa boss Smith's appointment, optimism has slowly returned to the squad, and the final 20 minutes at Manchester City helped a bit. Even though they lost that game, they looked like a side capable of playing decent football. Defeats suffered by Everton, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds last week. It all helps -, but nothing will save the 2015/16 Premier League winners unless they start winning some matches.

Of the bottom five, the Foxes have by far the best fixture list. It's all relative, of course - and having slightly easier opponents on paper provides no guarantees. Leicester play Wolves this weekend, and while they are still in the battle, they perhaps aren't as desperate as they once were after back-to-back wins. That should play in City's favour.

In the history of the Premier League, a club in the relegation zone has never replaced their manager from March onwards and stayed up. In that sense, Smith is after a unique achievement. But the effect of a new head coach has often proved decisive, giving teams a so-called "honeymoon period" in which results exceed expectations.

Above all, Leicester still have some very good players, who have proven many times they can perform at the highest level. James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Youri Tielemans, Jamie Vardy and a few classy players are still there - looking for their displaced winning formula.

The light at the end of the tunnel is still there.