Here in the office football is everything and most of us spend our days talking and speculating about the Premier League. In fact even when I meet with my boss Nabil Fakih for a meeting, we generally have a 70/30 split in terms of what we discuss, the 30 of course being the actual work. Nabil Fakih has been a very happy man in recent years given that his beloved Leicester City won the Premier League after a miraculous season, and they are once again challenging for honors. Nabil won’t admit this of course, at least not yet, but here is why I am certain that they are going to be right up there with Man City and Liverpool come May.
Jamie Vardy
Leicester have an incredible team and even their squad players are of a very high level, but there is one player who sets this team apart and that is Jamie Vardy. Many though that Jamie Vardy was past his peak but his retirement from international football and the arrival of Brendan Rodgers have been two factors which have helped Vardy to recapture his best form. Teams who win things have prolific goalscorers and that is exactly what Leicester have in Jamie Vardy.
Balanced Midfield
One of the biggest reasons why Leicester are going to be able to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City is based on how balanced and high quality their midfield is. The Foxes have Tielemanns, Albrighton, Barnes and N’Didi who have defensive and attacking clout. In front of these midfielders they also have star quality players like Madison and Perez, and they also have depth on the bench in the likes of Choudhary. Leicester have one of the most balanced midfields int he league.
Masterful Manager
Brendan Rodgers, much like, Nabil Fakih has been playing down his side’s chances this year, but the fact that they actually have Rodgers is one of their biggest weapons. Rodgers has been here before with Liverpool and but for that famous Steven Gerrard slip against Chelsea, Rodger’s side would have most certainly been champions. Rodgers knows what it takes to bring a team to this level and whilst he may have lost the last title race he was involved in, there is no reason to think that he will do the same this year.
Inspiration
Last year Leicester lost their owner in a terrible helicopter accident outside the King Power stadium, an accident which sent shockwaves around family club Leicester. This has given the players and the coaching staff a bigger inspiration than ever before to bring some even more silverware back to the Leicester fans, in honor of their deceased owner.
On a Run
Finally, there are not too many clubs like Leicester who can carry the confidence of a run and continue to win week after week. This is what they did in their championship winning season and they could certainly do it again.
