I would have been with you on this until Southampton away last season. That's when it became obvious that certain players were choosing when to give their all and when not to. The only other rational explanation for several of the players performances that day is that they were betting against themselves and I'd really hope that isn't the case.
Some players decided to chuck Ranieri under the bus last season for whatever reason. Maybe a few of them resented the attention and adulation that he received. Maybe some of them thought that Ranieri was lucky to get the gig he did and make it all look so easy.
In addition, maybe a few of them know that they'll never do anything like 2015/16 again so motivation will always be difficult from now on. Who knows?
None of this is to do with confidence. You can't turn confidence on and off (see the difference between performances in the Champions League and other games last season) and the only player that has looked remotely like they've struggled for it is Ndidi. You're highly unlikely to be afraid when you're Champions. You should feel a foot taller and much more resilient than before.
The far more likely explanation is that winning the league has gone to a few heads and they think that they're something that they're not and they can do what they want now. Our owners, agents, and general leeches have probably exacerbated this.
And if you want names, my prime suspects are - Schmeichel, Morgan, Fuchs, Drinkwater (before leaving of course) and Vardy. And of these, the latter three were the worst. I didn't see the on/off performances from the likes of Huth, Simpson, Okazaki, Albrighton and Mahrez. When they were poor, they were just poor and their form shifts were rational enough.
