Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The final game of this busy Premier League Sunday sees champions Leicester take on West Brom at The King Power. Tony Pulis men travel here starting the weekend in 16th after a run of games which has seen them fail to win in their last five outings.
The run isn’t quite as it bad as it sounds with it being made up of three draws and then back to back defeats but that said the fact that they haven’t won since September 17th and now sit only three points from safety will begin to once again bring pressure to Tony Pulis’ job status.
I wouldn’t say his job is in any immediate danger but the new Chinese owners who took over the Summer will want to see a positive return on their investment and not have their new plaything dragged into a relegation scrap, one that would mean a backwards step for West Brom after finishing 14th last season.
But what a difference a win could also make as with just three points separating Southampton in 9th and West Ham in 17th at the start of the weekend then getting a win over Claudio Ranieri’s men could paint a brighter outlook going into the international break.
Last weekend they were soundly beaten by Manchester City at The Hawthorns with Sergio Aguero ending his scoring drought and Ilkay Gundogan getting his first goals for the club as Pep Guardiola’s men eased to a 4-0 win to stay top of the table.
At 2-0 down, The Baggies did show something of a spirited attempt to get back into the game as in fairness they had nothing to lose at that point but they failed to score a vital goal to give them a foothold in the game and then in the final minutes they wilted to concede a further brace from German international Gundogan.
Their opponents and hosts Leicester come here today off the back of a Champions League stalemate in midweek when they were held to a goalless draw by Copenhagen. That draw means they lose their 100% record in the group stages but they are still sitting very pretty at the top with 10 points.
With two games to go they will now only require a point to secure qualification to the Round of 16 but they will look to not only qualify but top the group to avoid the so called big guns of European football. And it was a point they earned last Saturday against fellow Champions League participants Tottenham.
That point was there first on the road this season as Ahmed Musa’s second half strike cancelled out Vincent Janssen’s debatable spot kick just before the break. Leicester away form has been far short of last season efforts so this first point on their travels will have been very welcome.
It’s the home form that has made sure their defence of the title hasn’t been a complete washout with three wins and two draws coming at The King Power to add to their point from White Hart Lane last weekend. The Foxes started the weekend in 11th but a win today could see them move into the top half.
And you would imagine if Leicester can get into the top 10 before the international break then Ranieri can begin to use that as a platform to build on in a bid to aim for the next level which would be the top 6 and a European place but with the way they are playing in the Champions League they may not need to worry about finishing in the top 6 or even the top half for that matter.
But first they must focus on the matter in hand being West Brom this afternoon. Leicester have the better form certainly at home and with West Brom not winning in their last 5 matches I can’t see that run coming to an end today. I’ll go for a home win for the Champions and possibly in the top half should results go their way.
