Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/Isriya Paireepairit
It’s not every day that Leicester City find themselves top of the Premier League table, although it has happened quite a few times already this season.
Manager Claudio Ranieri has masterminded a phenomenal ascent to the summit with just a few weeks left until the turn of the New Year, but the Foxes boss has refused to entertain much talk of a genuine title push, remaining unmoved by any wishful thinking, opting to spout grounded sound-bites of pragmatism instead of aiming for the stars.
But is the likeable Italian setting his sights too low? Can this club actually go for the jugular and do the impossible by making a mockery of their underdog tag? Let’s examine.
Being top through December ought to be main target
Most clubs refuse to dwell too long on being top at any point before the final day, and although the statistics show that being top at the end of December it’s not always a prelude to silverware, the view from the top of the Premier League table is rarely a disappointing one.
It’s not a given that it makes everything easier but at least it underlines a team’s capacity to mix it with the best early on. Unfortunately, history hasn’t been kind to Leicester’s sort in their endeavours to sustain a high altitude course.
Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/LUCA
Way back in the 1998/99 campaign, there was another minnow doing its best to upset the status quo – Aston Villa. Picking up an impressive 39 points from 20 matches, they were marginally ahead of the chasing pack as the last year of the millennium crept into focus. The Villains were in dreamland as they stormed to an unprecedented position in the league, and all after allowing Dwight Yorke depart for eventual champions Manchester United.
Ultimately, the wheels came off and the Birmingham-based club wound up finishing in sixth place. Interestingly, their final placing that season is the worst ever suffered by a team to have led at Christmas time which makes one wonder: Is there a lesson to be learned here?
With so many of the league’s top teams constantly being linked with a move for both Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, Ranieri would do well to heed the cautionary tale of history’s nearly men who could well have marched on to glory with an intact squad of the best possible offensive quality.
Villa’s is a similar tale of woe to both Norwich City and Leeds United (two teams now a world away from even the mere thought of winning titles) who would have found themselves on the EPL winners’ roll-call had they managed to keep it together when they climbed to the top of the Premier League peak. United were on course to etch their names into the history books in the 1999/00 season only to ultimately slump to third by the time the season had ended. The Canaries, too, soared high before being satisfied with a runner-up spot in the league’s debut season.
Basically, the Foxes’ fixture list is chock-full of tough games, something Ranieri has been quick to point out, but if they can come out the other side with top spot still in their grasp then anybody would be foolish to write them off. It might sound naive, but it’s a target they shouldn’t be afraid to aim for. After all, why should they fear Chelsea, Everton or even Manchester City, for that matter?
Foxes’ firepower can be their saviour
This is precisely why they shouldn’t view the idea of a title push as nonsensical – they have the net-shaking power to make it a reality. So far, they are the highest-scoring team in the division with 32 goals to their name. Not only this, but they have scored in every single league game so far, and are one of only four European teams to do so – not a bad habit to get into.
Obviously, Jamie Vardy has been a really important reason behind this with his 14 league goals (which memorably included a record-breaking streak of scoring in 11 consecutive league matches). A menace for almost every defence in the league, his darting runs, unending energy and eye for goal have ensured the 28-year-old has sky-rocketed himself and his team to the top of the charts.
Riyad Mahrez has also been a terrific offensive outlet and has ensured Vardy is not the only Leicester team-mate making history as he recently became the first-ever Algerian to net a hat-trick in the Premier League when he slotted a trio of strikes past Swansea City.
This bodes well for them because, historically, the EPL has favoured the brave or at least the attack-minded. Only six clubs have failed to win the crown having scored the most amount of goals with Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal (twice), Manchester United (twice), Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers all making the list. Generally, then, those who score the most goals win the title and although it’s not a guarantee, if they can keep hold of their two best marksmen they stand a great chance of upsetting the odds.
What’s more, the worst-placed finish of any of these teams was by Rovers when they finished fourth with 68 goals in 1993, so even if the title does evade them, European football looks a good bet should they keep scoring with regularity.
Breaking the mould is nothing new for them, so why not smash the final frontier?
The conversation from many quarters has so far centred on why the odds are stacked against Leicester, but their ability to already rise above normality and exceed expectation should have dampened all of that talk long ago.
This is a different breed of small fish and they have proven their capacity to challenge our collective expectations of normality.
Doing their best to turn the entrenched elite on their heads Leicester have added an extra dollop of excitement and giddiness to the already helter-skelter action; they’ve been a revelation and have injected an unexpected but welcome shot of romanticism into proceedings.
Continue to play the way they have been – without fear and in a gung-ho manner – and there’s little reason to doubt their title credentials.
Great read, thanks.