Time to give Foxes respect they deserve

WHAT do you look for from the Premier League champions? The first thing you expect them to have is one of the leading scorers in the division, a man who has made the difference in the big moments. Next you would anticipate them having the best player in the country, someone whose performances have lit up the campaign and inspired those around him. After that, you would assume they would have the fewest losses and win the games that matter. Leicester City tick every single one of those boxes. Jamie Vardy has been the striker of the season, his 18 goals being worth an extra 18 points to his team; Riyad Mahrez — 13 goals, nine assists — must be a contender for the PFA Player of the Year, while they have only lost two of their 24 matches. So why are they still not being taken seriously? Some opposition fans are thinking: ‘It’s only Leicester’, as if to imply they should be beating them easily. They wouldn’t be that way before a game against Manchester City or Arsenal, so why be like that before facing the league leaders? Look at how Liverpool played at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday. Would Sergio Aguero or Alexis Sanchez have been given the space to run into that Vardy was afforded for his first goal? No. If City’s defenders don’t show Leicester respect, Vardy will tear them apart. Teams keep treating them without the respect their league position demands. What really impresses me is that every time a question is asked of Leicester, they answer it firmly and emphatically. When everyone said the Christmas period would find them out, they went on a sequence of results that has taken them three points clear. When questions were asked about their defence — Leicester went 11 games in all competitions at the beginning of the season without a clean sheet — Claudio Ranieri addressed the issue by changing his full-backs and the results are there to see. Leicester’s recruitment has also been outstanding, spearheaded by Steve Walsh. The prices they have paid for excellent players, such as N’Golo Kante (£5.6million from Caen), puts others to shame. So now comes their next big assignment and today’s trip to the Etihad Stadium. The biggest obstacle to Leicester becoming champions is Aguero staying fit, but even if he helps Pellegrini’s side win this one, it won’t be the end of the world.