Leicester Have the Substance and Style to Stay in Premier League Title Race

In the grand picture that the Premier League will eventually form, Tuesday’s goalless draw between Leicester City and Manchester City will matter little.

Only one point apiece was gained, with neither side capable of finding the breakthrough, and yet the result said a lot about the former’s prospects for the season ahead.

Leicester are going nowhere. With every week—and every passing match—the bubble is perceived to be ever closer to popping, but if anything, the Foxes are getting stronger as the campaign progresses, not weaker. They might have settled for a point against City, but that result underlined their legitimacy. 

ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

It might be time to finally accept and recognise their place at the top end of the Premier League and their place in this season’s title race. They are for real. 2016 will come to pass with Leicester joint top of the table with Arsenal, so is it really so unreasonable to claim that they can stay up there until May?

On the face of it, the 0-0 draw with Manuel Pellegrini’s side was unremarkable, but it was perhaps the most telling result of Leicester’s season so far. It demonstrated that they are about much more than just Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, with N’Golo Kante especially impressive for Claudio Ranieri’s side. 

City are perceived by many to be the front-runners for this season’s Premier League title, given Chelsea’s floundering campaign so far, Manchester United’s winter struggles and Arsenal’s track record of faltering when it matters most. Pellegrini’s men are viewed, in some quarters, to be the only credible challengers. That’s why Tuesday’s result said so much about the Foxes.

Sergio Aguero was restored to the away side’s starting lineup, but the Argentinian was afforded very little scope to make an impression on the game. In fact, City’s entire attacking line were kept under wraps for the most part. If title-winning sides need to be adaptable, the Foxes certainly showed on Tuesday that they can claim to having such a trait.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Kasper Schmeichel was called into action several times, keeping his side’s clean sheet clean, but the Danish goalkeeper’s sparkling performance only served to underline the quality throughout Leicester’s squad.

Whether they are playing above their natural levels or not, Ranieri has strength in depth. From back to front, he has a team of exceptional players playing at their very best. 

Of course, Leicester’s success so far has been sustained by the individual brilliance of Vardy and Mahrez—both of whom could be contenders for player-of-the-season awards come May. Should either player drop below the standard set for themselves this year, the Foxes could suffer something of a collective dip, too. That is certainly a possibility.

But their performance against Manchester City had its basis in defensive solidity and tactical assurance rather than attacking flair. 

Leicester have stumbled across a golden generation, and they might just deliver the silverware to accentuate that shimmer. Qualitatively speaking, worse teams have won the league—although they certainly wouldn't boast the usual calibre of most Premier League winners.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

In seasons gone by, overachieving teams have ultimately been tethered back to earth by the Premier League’s gravitational pull. The top four might as well be another world for some sides, such is the financial difference between the division’s elite and the rest. Leicester, though, have seemingly found a way to break past convention—they could be a historical exception.

What is most refreshing about Leicester’s unlikely title challenge is the manner in which they have mounted it. Despite the building pressure on his side, Ranieri remains adamant that his players will stick to the attacking principles that have got them there in the first place.

Ranieri told BBC Sport after the game on Tuesday evening:

"

We want to continue, we want to carry on. We want to fight until the end, but it is difficult to put us at the top.

Of course, this title is for the big teams but that doesn't always happen. That doesn’t mean we can’t fight against City, Arsenal, these big teams because when they make some changes out comes one champion and in comes another champion—that is the big difference.

We spend a lot of energy in every match because we want to press high. It is important to have the right mind and when it is not possible to play in this way, it’s important that we stay calm and keep possession of the ball.

"

It is indicative of how far Leicester have come this season that some will view Tuesday’s result as a missed opportunity. City are still looking for their groove on the road this season and could easily have suffered defeat at the King Power Stadium had Joe Hart not been in top form. The Foxes could have found themselves as outright leaders of the Premier League title race heading into the new year.

But the mere fact that such a discussion has any kind of credence provides a gauge as to the extent Leicester City have overachieved this season.

The Premier League is arguably the most marketed product in the sporting world, and yet no level of advertising or PR talk could have promoted the division in the way the Foxes have over the last few months. They are the epitome of English football’s underdog spirit, and the very best of the game. They are everything there is to love about football.

The halfway point has been passed in this season’s Premier League campaign, and Leicester City have undoubtedly made themselves the story of the year so far.

But up until now their ascent has been regarded with a sense of novelty, in the assumption that they will eventually fall away. It might be time to review such assumptions, though.