Leicester are ready to break the myth of the top 6!
On a cold english night at Selhurst Park, Leicester put on a display of near perfect football against a brilliant individual performance by Wilfred Zaha and 10 other men representing an otherwise talented Crystal Palace unit. A 2-0 victory was enough for them to stay comfortably in the top 4 of the toughest league in Europe. Amidst all the flamboyance linked to Liverpool and Manchester City, Leicester City is a club that is almost superimposing itself in front of some of the bigger English clubs by putting in some very impressive and dominating displays of attacking and organized football, both home and away. When Leicester won the title 4 years back, everyone thought it was a fluke and it actually might have been because the next three seasons were not even remotely close to matching their heroics of 2015-16. Claudio Reneiri achieved the impossible and make no mistake about it, Leicester winning the premier league will forever remain the greatest event in the premier league history. But because of a very substandard next season, Reneiri had a sorry ending to his managerial career at the King Power stadium in the middle of the season. As many as 4 managers came and left Leicester City in just over 2 years, both seasons not yeilding any rewards. Just over a few hundred kilometers away, Brendon Rodgers had already had a page all about himself in the Scottish Football history as he had won two domestic trebles in two seasons with Celtic. On course to another dominating season in Scotland, Leicester came calling for Brendon Rodgers. It was a tough decision for him but he chose to return to England. With his experience at Liverpool for a couple of seasons, he had some idea about the magnitude and the demands of english football. Brendon Rodgers arrived at Leicester towards the end of the 2018-19 season after Claude Puel was sacked in the middle of the season. Rodgers had to pick up the pieces and try to put them right before the season was finished and the first thing he did was to change the formation to 4-1-4-1 with Jamie Vardy in front.
After the glory season, Leicester could not keep hold of N'golo Kante who was one of their best players along with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, who left for Manchester City after one more season with Leicester. Last year, they lost Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a record transfer. That was supposed to be a huge blow for them but the emergence of Caglar Soyuncu has made Harry Maguire a distant memory for Leicester fans. It is absolutely fair to say that right now the Leicester full backs Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell come very close to finishing second behind the Liverpool duo of Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson. Leicester brought Ayoze Perez from Newcastle for 33 million Euros and he has been super impressive since his arrival. James Maddison is a naturally talented footballer as he continues to mesmerise us every now and again. Kasper Schmeichel remains a reliable personal at their end of the field while at the other end, they have one of the greatest players to have ever graced English football in Jamie Vardy. Leicester's early presence in the top 4 was talked about as a fluke and then came the game against Tottenhem Hotspur in which Leicester came from behind to win it 2-1 at home. This game tested their perseverance and the never-say-die spirit. Leicester were very unlucky at Old Trafford. Apart from the early penalty, Leicester were by far the better team for the best part of 90 minutes and they were equally good at Anfield just a couple of weeks later. If it wasn't for James Milner converting from the spot in extra time, Leicester would have got a result at Anfield. The game that actually showed Leicester City's prowess was the one against Newcastle at the King Power Stadium where they won 5-0. Newcastle were smashed left, right and center as Jamie Vardy scored twice on a bright sunday in Leicester. They again achieved the impossible, this time away at Southampton. A nine goal thrashing was waiting for Southampton in their own backyard. Five in the first half, four in the second, Leicester ran riot in front of the goal and wrecked Southampton to misery. St. James' Park was stunned and fans couldn't believe their eyes as Foxes flew high with nine goals that included hat tricks from the new signing Ayoze Perez and the 32 year old Jamie Vardy. How many players can score so freely in their thirties? There are three. One is a magician with five Balon D'ors, other one is a machine with five Balon D'ors and there is Jamie Vardy! Jamie Vardy is already a Leicester City legend and by far the most respected person in the club history.
I am sure that the meyhem in Southampton is just a sign of things to come. Brendon Rodgers said after the game that his team can improve a lot and that in itself is a frightening assertion. If anyone had put their money on Leicester competing for a European spot this season, you would have probably laughed it out but they are in serious contention of finishing in top 4 this season. Leicester definitely do not match on paper with Manchester City or Liverpool but they are definitely a force to reckon with for all the other teams. With Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all in a bit of a muddle, it's time for the foxes to break the myth of the top 6 and cement their spot in the top four.
After the glory season, Leicester could not keep hold of N'golo Kante who was one of their best players along with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, who left for Manchester City after one more season with Leicester. Last year, they lost Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a record transfer. That was supposed to be a huge blow for them but the emergence of Caglar Soyuncu has made Harry Maguire a distant memory for Leicester fans. It is absolutely fair to say that right now the Leicester full backs Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell come very close to finishing second behind the Liverpool duo of Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson. Leicester brought Ayoze Perez from Newcastle for 33 million Euros and he has been super impressive since his arrival. James Maddison is a naturally talented footballer as he continues to mesmerise us every now and again. Kasper Schmeichel remains a reliable personal at their end of the field while at the other end, they have one of the greatest players to have ever graced English football in Jamie Vardy. Leicester's early presence in the top 4 was talked about as a fluke and then came the game against Tottenhem Hotspur in which Leicester came from behind to win it 2-1 at home. This game tested their perseverance and the never-say-die spirit. Leicester were very unlucky at Old Trafford. Apart from the early penalty, Leicester were by far the better team for the best part of 90 minutes and they were equally good at Anfield just a couple of weeks later. If it wasn't for James Milner converting from the spot in extra time, Leicester would have got a result at Anfield. The game that actually showed Leicester City's prowess was the one against Newcastle at the King Power Stadium where they won 5-0. Newcastle were smashed left, right and center as Jamie Vardy scored twice on a bright sunday in Leicester. They again achieved the impossible, this time away at Southampton. A nine goal thrashing was waiting for Southampton in their own backyard. Five in the first half, four in the second, Leicester ran riot in front of the goal and wrecked Southampton to misery. St. James' Park was stunned and fans couldn't believe their eyes as Foxes flew high with nine goals that included hat tricks from the new signing Ayoze Perez and the 32 year old Jamie Vardy. How many players can score so freely in their thirties? There are three. One is a magician with five Balon D'ors, other one is a machine with five Balon D'ors and there is Jamie Vardy! Jamie Vardy is already a Leicester City legend and by far the most respected person in the club history.
I am sure that the meyhem in Southampton is just a sign of things to come. Brendon Rodgers said after the game that his team can improve a lot and that in itself is a frightening assertion. If anyone had put their money on Leicester competing for a European spot this season, you would have probably laughed it out but they are in serious contention of finishing in top 4 this season. Leicester definitely do not match on paper with Manchester City or Liverpool but they are definitely a force to reckon with for all the other teams. With Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all in a bit of a muddle, it's time for the foxes to break the myth of the top 6 and cement their spot in the top four.
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