Sky Sports' Johnny Phillips: Flying Foxes back in the hunt again under Brendan Rodgers
Manchester United’s meeting with Arsenal on Monday night was a tough watch for most observers, not least supporters of the two clubs involved. But for those connected with Leicester City it was a night to savour.
Here was another clear indication of this fledgling season that the men from the East Midlands have what it takes to challenge for the Champions League places once more.
The Old Trafford match followed on from Leicester’s stunning 5-0 demolition of Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium a day earlier. Here was a team intent on taking the game to their opponents, dominating from the outset and making their superiority count from first minute to last. The inquests that have gone on up on Tyneside since illustrate just how much Leicester tore their opponents apart.
Huge credit must go to Brendan Rodgers for the way he has developed the team in the short time he has been at the helm. When Rodgers left Celtic last February, with the Glasgow club heading for a third successive domestic treble, there were many eyebrows raised about the timing of the decision.
That decision to leave mid-season has proved to be a particularly shrewd one. It gave Rodgers the chance to work with the players in a Premier League environment before he began his main work of the summer. Rodgers went into the pre-season knowing much about the squad on the back of those few months in charge.
Now, they appear to be one of the most well-balanced sides in the Premier League. In front of the reliable Kasper Schmeichel is a back four that is arguably much better than the one which one the Premier League title back in 2015/16. The full-backs Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell are as good as any combination outside the top two teams in the league. The emergence of Çağlar Söyüncü at centre-half has allayed any fears that Harry Maguire would leave an unpluggable void. Next to the Turkish youngster is the reliable senior man Jonny Evans.
The midfield is finally starting to look the part again following the departure of N’Golo Kante three years ago. Wilfred Ndidi has grown into the role, and he is clearly benefitting from the talents of Youri Tielemans alongside him. The £40million outlay on Tielemans this summer illustrated that Leicester can compete at the top end of the transfer market and it has been money well spent. Another Belgian, Dennis Praet, arrived with less fanfare but he has taken no time at all to adapt to the demands of English top flight football.
Further forward, Rodgers has reignited Jamie Vardy’s flame. The striker lost his way somewhat under Claude Puel but is once again thriving in his role as the lead striker playing right at the top of the attack. His 14 goals from 17 appearances is the most by any player in the league since Rodgers took charge. Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez have been working well either side of Vardy. Perez was never going to be a goalscorer in Vardy’s mould but his work-rate as one of the wide front-men has been invaluable.
The strength of a substitutes’ bench is often a good guide to a side’s qualities and, against Newcastle, there were plenty of options to call upon, with Demarai Gray, Marc Albrighton and Hamza Choudhury amongst those waiting in the wings.
And it says something that the rout of Newcastle was achieved without James Maddison, who sat out the game with an injury. The former Norwich midfielder is one of English football’s most exiting talents. His dead ball prowess is, right now, the best in the Premier League but there is much more to his game than a deadly free-kick.
Only Liverpool and Manchester City have acquired more points since Rodgers arrived in the East Midlands. It makes today’s clash at Anfield against Jurgen Klopp’s side particularly intriguing. Liverpool’s 16-game winning streak in the league has included victories over Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs, but today’s game against Leicester represents a bigger test than any of those.
Rodgers will be enjoying the moment, but he is refusing to entertain the idea that his side are ready to challenge at the very top again, despite his side having accrued two more points than the 2015/16 vintage at the same point in the season.
“We’re not getting carried away,” said the manager after the win against Newcastle. “We’re in the process of getting better and improving, but there’s a lot of work to do. The top two teams are at a very high level. For us, our job is to be as competitive as we can and let’s see where we are at the end of the season. I think the players are inspiring the supporters with how they are working and how they are playing.”
There has been plenty of focus on the struggles of his peers this season. Men like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Unai Emery, Mauricio Pochettino and Marco Silva have struggled to get to grips with the challenges so far this season. Rodgers’ work has been impressive. A win today will surely make everyone sit up and take notice of Leicester’s second coming.
