Rodgers revival has Leicester dreaming once again
LONDON: Revitalised by the appointment of manager Brendan Rodgers and free-scoring form of Jamie Vardy, Leicester City are once again upsetting the apple cart of the Premier League’s top six.
Three years on from a remarkable title triumph that allowed football fans across the world to dream, third-placed Leicester could leapfrog defending champions Manchester City into second in the table with victory at Southampton today.
The Foxes have more points after their opening nine game of the season than Claudio Ranieri’s side managed in 2015/16 when they went on to beat odds of 5,000/1 to be crowned champions of England.
The standards set in recent seasons by City and European champions Liverpool, who already hold an eightpoint lead over Leicester at the top of the table, mean the chances of matching that remarkable feat look just as slim now.
However, Leicester do harbour realistic ambitions of a return to the Champions League by becoming the first side outside City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to break into the top four in four seasons.
When Rodgers took over in February, a squad filled with talented young players plus the title-winning experience of Vardy and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Since then only City, Liverpool and Chelsea have taken more points than Leicester.
Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Tottenham, Newcastle and Burnley have already been put to the sword by Rodgers’ men with Vardy very much the constant threat.
The former England striker has scored 15 times in 20 games under Rodgers.
“He is a remarkable player. He is a world-class striker, there’s no question about that,” said Rodgers after Vardy’s latest strike against Burnley.
“His numbers are phenomenal. He is always ready, and playing against teams that sit deep he can still find a way to score a goal.
“To be consistently at the level he can be at, it takes a huge amount of concentration.”