Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
At the time of writing (Saturday Morning) Leicester find themselves 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League. Depending on how things go at Anfield that gap could be as small as 2, conversely if results go their way by Sunday Evening they could be 8 points clear and have more than one hand on the trophy.
They’ve managed to keep that cushion due to a string of 1-0 victories. It’s 4 out of 5 and more importantly a points haul of 13 from a possible 15 which keeps them sitting pretty at the top of the table. They seem to be doing just enough to cross the line each week but ultimately that’s all they need to do.
They may have lost the pace that they showed in the first half of the season but at this point it’s all about points not performances. The work ethic throughout the team is still there but now the focus seems to be more on Defence rather than attack.
Before the break they added another 1-0 win to that list with the defeat of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, although they were on top for large periods of the game it was a nervy ending which saw Damien Delaney hit the bar with the last kick of the game.
Jamie Vardy may not have scored in the last 5 matches but he is doing the next best thing and that making goals. His assists for Shinji Okazak and Riyad Mahrez have been an integral part in the clubs previous two victories and after his fantastic goal against Germany last week confidence will no doubt be sky high
The leaders go up against a Southampton side which is in the hunt for a Europa League place at present but in their current position will probably have to hope the F.A. Cup winner is either Manchester United or West Ham as otherwise 7th place won’t be good enough.
They find themselves in 7th thanks to a fantastic comeback victory at home to Liverpool before the International Break. After finding themselves 2-0 down they came back in dramatic fashion to win the game 3-2
A brace from Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle saw them overturn their first half deficit. Yes they may have been ably assisted by the woeful performance of Martin Skrtel but Sadio Mane also missed a spot kick so in the end a win for The Saints was just about the right result
They’ve hit a decent run of form as of late and one that has turned their season at the turn of the year it was looking a season of mid table mediocrity. Neither challenging for Europe nor troubled by relegation but just two defeats in ten matches has given the season some extra impetus
They will look to continue that form and take the scalp of the Premier League leaders this Afternoon. North London will definitely be watching with interest as they hope Ronald Koeman can do them a massive favour
We’ve been saying all season that ‘this is the game where Leicester slip up’ but it never happens, therefore there’s no reason why it will happen today. My money is on a Leicester win, I just hope it means the gap from Spurs stays at 5 points. Home win for me.
