There’s not been a Premier League season quite like this one and with reigning champions Chelsea well and truly out of the race, Manchester United failing to deliver the consistency that has seen them so successful over the years and Liverpool having yet another season in which they ‘also ran’, the battle for the title includes two teams who you’d expect to be up there, one that you might think could stand a chance and another team that started the season as 5,000/1 outsiders.
The race to get over the line and lift that trophy is between Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspurs and Leicester City and it’s the Foxes that lead the way as we head into a weekend of FA Cup action, giving teams a Premier League break. You’d expect City and Arsenal to be up there, and indeed they are, and Spurs have in recent years always had a top four finish in mind, however it’s Leicester City who have taken the league by storm, and right now even the Bovada bookies are thinking that the team that started out as 5,000/1 shots are in with a chance....more than a chance!
In Jamie Vardy they have a natural goal scorer and in Mahrez they have his perfect striking partner. From battling relegation last season to being top of the league with just 12 games to play, the appointment of Claudio Ranieri is being seen as a masterstroke, of some proportions, and it’s not just the fact that they’re sitting pretty at the top with the end in reach, it’s the way in which they’ve gone about it. Against teams big and small they’ve provided the sort of counter attacking soccer that both produces the results and delights the fans, with Vardy finding the net 19 times, and Mahrez not far behind on 15 goals so far this season.
There’s more than that great pairing up top however as with Kante delivering battling performances week in and week out, Schmeichel on top form and the solid Morgan, Fuchs and Huth holding a great defensive line, there’s quality all over the pitch. Leicester sit 2 points clear at the top and their next Premier League match is at home to Norwich, a game that they’ll be looking to pick up maximum points from, and should they do that then they’ll be a step closer to rewriting the rule books and making Premier League history.
