Emile Heskey thinks Leicester City are fearing relegation from the Premier League after a poor start to the defence of their title.
Sunday's 2-1 home loss against West Brom left Claudio Ranieri's men only two points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place.
A slow start has seen Leicester win only three of their 11 top-flight matches despite their fine form in the Champions League, which has seen the Foxes pick up 10 points from four games without conceding a goal.
But Heskey, who won the League Cup twice with Leicester in his playing career, thinks avoiding a drop to the Championship is now a priority.
Asked about the possibility of relegation, Heskey told Sky Sports: "It's always a fear, especially when you are in the bottom half of the table.
"If they had not won the Premier League, they would be looking to get to that 40, 42-point mark and taking it from there.
"Knowing the owners and some of the backroom staff, I know last year they were looking to get to 40 points, but they kept on winning games and the next minute they won the league.
"Really deep down they should be looking at the 40 points and then taking it from there.
"I think they are probably concerned now. It is very tight at the bottom so one win can take you to mid-table and you look relatively OK but then two losses can get you sucked back in again."
Leicester's defeat to West Brom ended a 20-match unbeaten league run at home which stretched back to September 2015.
