Leicester’s unrelenting title charge has captured the imagination of all football fans and today’s top of the table clash at Manchester City will be one of their toughest tests so far.
Andy Gray and Richard Keys, who front beIN Sports’ EPL coverage, discuss whether they can go all the way.
Andy Gray: I don’t know if Leicester will win the title but whatever happens I can’t see them finishing outside the top four now so, unless they choke, they have Champions League football to look forward to, and that, in itself, is incredible when you think where they were a year ago.
This time last year this would have been top against bottom which is an extraordinary transformation for the Foxes… There are still obvious weaknesses that could trip them up when you look at Leicester’s players who are playing well above their levels.
How they have got away with Wes Morgan and Robert Huth in the centre of defence is beyond me. Last year Morgan was making mistake after mistake and looked to be his way out of the club and Huth wasn’t much better but now they are at the heart of a team at the top of the league with 14 games to go.
Robert Huth and Wes Morgan is the centre-back pairing top of the Premier League in February. I demand answers.
— Karl Matchett (@karlmatchett) February 2, 2016
Everywhere else you look they work really hard to make up for any lack of ability and in Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez they have two stars who are playing out of their skin.
One position where they really look strong is in goal – I really like what I have seen from Kasper Schmeichel this season. He has maturity, is an imposing character and makes big saves when he needs to. Along with Vardy and Mahrez, he has probably been Leicester’s most important player. So the only vulnerability for me, is at the centre of defence and, today, my worry is that the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Raheem Sterling will cause mayhem if they get at them.
This a huge test for Leicester against a top quality side that has only lost two and won nine at home so far this season. City are in decent form and I still think they can win the title but they will go into this game giving Leicester the same sort of respect they would have for teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
City are suspect in defence with a lack of pace and without Vincent Kompany they tend to struggle a bit so expect Leicester to sit back and try to hit Manuel Pellegrini’s men on the break which they are particularly good at but I think City will have too much of the ball and will win this 2-0.
Richard Keys: Like Andy, I am gobsmacked by the fact that this time last year Leicester were fighting for survival and now look at them. There can no longer be any doubt that this is a genuine title challenge from Claudio Ranieri’s team and I can no longer see any reason why they shouldn’t stay the course.
They have City on Saturday and Arsenal next week and if they can get through those unscathed they the face teams they will fancy beating and they have absolutely no distractions like Champions League football.
When Jamie Vardy scored that amazing goal against Liverpool the other night you could see the pure joy and togetherness in this team, it really is a pleasure to watch them. They are living the dream and having tipped Arsenal, I now want them to win the title and give football a real shot in the arm and give every other team hope.
I agree with Andy on the two centre-backs who, on paper, aren’t very good but everywhere you look at that team you scratch your head and wonder ‘how?’ but they are absolutely committed to it and there are no signs that the pressure is getting to them.
If you think about it, what is greater – the pressure of survival last year, knowing they had to win games to remain in the Premier League or going for the title which after what they went through last season is probably a walk in the park.
They have a happy dressing room, which is important, and I see Vardy is saying he will sign a new deal which is great but there will almost certainly be a release clause in his new contract so I can’t get too excited about that.
There is no question that, on paper, City are the better side and their home record is good, but I have no confidence in their defence and Vardy has all the ammunition he needs to embarrass them. 1-2.
