Leicester City 2, Albion 0

No points, no goals, no surprise.

That is a realistic assessment two games into Albion's quest for Premier League survival.

Manchester City at home and Leicester away were always going to be tough assignments.

Tougher than those faced by Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, who are both far more established and yet have suffered the same fate.

Safety will almost certainly hinge on a healthy number of wins at the Amex against teams in the bottom half and scrapping for points here and there on the road.

In terms of the latter, Albion will have to improve considerably on what they produced at the King Power Stadium.

Their work in the transfer window is not finished, which is just as well.

Chris Hughton and the recruitment team are well aware - and have been from day one - that more pace is needed through the middle in attacking areas to cause discomfort to opposing defences.

The Argus: It is a difficult and expensive position to fill as they continue to beaver away at a list of similar targets, including Cardiff's Kenneth Zohore (red shirt above)and Everton's Oumar Niasse.

Leicester, aside from their shock title success of two seasons ago, are several years ahead of where Albion eventually want to be.

The difference in experience and quality showed in a comprehensive defeat. The home side were never required to move out of second gear.

Hughton said: "I know how tough it is and, if anything, if I look at my experiences before it's probably even tougher now.

"But I certainly believe there are a big group of teams outside of that top six. That doesnt mean we can't get points from those top six but realistically our points are going to be against the team out of that top six and the experience we get from defeats like this have to make us better.

"It's trying to get to that level and aspire to be what Leicester are. If you take out the season in the middle when they were exceptional, of course, they have become a very consistent and strong Premier League team.

"If I look at the way they do it, generally it's a form of 4-4-2. They know what they are good at and they have taken the qualities they had from the Championship into the Premier League and improved it by better players.

"Nobody expected the season before last they had. That stands them above Burnley, Bournemouth, Watford that have come up and stayed up but they have done it in a way that suits the club.

"They have a philosophy, a way of playing, that hasn't veered too much and it's a good example for anyone."

It helps when you have the rapid Riyad Mahrez weaving magic and a poacher like Shinji Okazaki playing off the electric Jamie Vardy.

Leicester had no need for £25 million signing Kelechi Iheanacho, absent from the squad with a toe injury. It will be a gradual process for Albion to acquire similar talent.

It is still very early days for their new signings, who were collectively found wanting.

The Argus: Mathew Ryan and Markus Suttner were culpable when Okazaki pounced (above) after just 52 seconds. In midfield, Davy Propper faces an adjustment in intensity from Dutch football.

Pascal Gross, who has made an encouraging impact in the No.10 role, looked pedestrian on this occasion and was substituted.

The four players who have coped most effectively with the step up so far across the two games have been Bruno, Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy and Solly March.

Conceding inside the opening minute away from home in preventable fashion is a cardinal sin at any level.

Mahrez beat Suttner far too easily on the inside. The shot went through a crowd of players, but Ryan should have dealt with it better than spilling a tap-in for Okazaki.

The goal stemmed initially from an Albion attack. Leicester, even at home, tend to play more like an away team - they only had 45 per cent of the possession.

Their capacity to turn defence at one end swiftly into menace at the other has become a trademark.

Hughton said: "They can do that with what they've got and the pace of Vardy. I thought we coped with that quite well.

"It's a good way of playing if you can counter-attack away from home but not everybody does it.

"More importantly, you have got to be a team that stick in there, which ever way. Whether that's great hold up play or stretching teams."

The Argus: Albion managed to stay in touch until ten minutes into the second half, when Harry Maguire (above) headed in a Mahrez corner at the far post via a slight deflection off Shane Duffy.

It was another soft goal and the ball retention, particularly in the opening 45 minutes, also fell well short of the standard required at this level to achieve results.

There will, as Hughton observed, be many more days like this. Albion will need to conjure a result from some of them to finish above the bottom three.