Are Leicester genuine title contenders?

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Spurs, Arsenal, City all losing. Shame they couldn't get the win last night

[genome]

Jeff Stelling going on about how it's a pivotal night in the title race - I don't see it. Nothing's really changed except Leicester gaining a point which Spurs can still catch with one game. They will go top with a win in the early kick-off on Saturday and then the pressure's back on Leicester. Not quite so pivotal just yet.

[seahawk10]

Spurs, Arsenal, City all losing. Shame they couldn't get the win last night

Yes, but what a let off, you could not ask for better results if you are pulling for the Foxes.

[genome]

Matthew Stanger ‏@MatthewStanger 48 mins48 minutes ago
BT saying Wes Morgan was at the cinema tonight. If he wanted to watch London Has Fallen he should have just stuck the football on #sorry

[tidus_mi2]

Jeff Stelling going on about how it's a pivotal night in the title race - I don't see it. Nothing's really changed except Leicester gaining a point which Spurs can still catch with one game. They will go top with a win in the early kick-off on Saturday and then the pressure's back on Leicester. Not quite so pivotal just yet.

It's pretty pivotal with the fact the London derby is on Saturday, Spurs win and it might turn into a 2 horse race, Spurs fail to win and Leicester have the opportunity to open a 5/6pt gap.

[genome]

So yesterday was pivotal because Saturday is pivotal?

It was pivotal anyway.

The word pivotal has lost all meaning.

Pivotal.

[Sanguine]

Jeff Stelling going on about how it's a pivotal night in the title race - I don't see it. Nothing's really changed except Leicester gaining a point which Spurs can still catch with one game. They will go top with a win in the early kick-off on Saturday and then the pressure's back on Leicester. Not quite so pivotal just yet.

It's pretty pivotal with the fact the London derby is on Saturday, Spurs win and it might turn into a 2 horse race, Spurs fail to win and Leicester have the opportunity to open a 5/6pt gap.

Quite. They have a tough game at Watford - but the London derby is a brilliant fixture, every outcome has some benefit to Leicester as it stands, if they get the win at Vicarage Road.

[No Fixed Abode]

Spurs, Arsenal, City all losing. Shame they couldn't get the win last night

City were as poor as the Anfield atmosphere last night. What has happened to that place. Really used to be a cracking atmosphere.

Just before kick off - Sing Walk on
During the game - boo Sterling
Just before 90 mins - sing Walk on

Nothing inbetween.

[Vision]

Right, so, journalists have presented Claudio Ranieri with a bell...

The reason? Foxes midfielder Danny Drinkwater said earlier in the week that the manager uses an imaginary bell to get their attention during sessions. Seriously.

"From the beginning, when something was wrong, I said dilly ding, dilly dong, wake up during training sessions," Ranieri explained. "So for Christmas, for every player and every member of staff I bought a little bell as a joke."

Ranieri is a Mentalist. Every day that goes by I want them to win this more and more.

[Maneki Neko]

yep

[John Smith]

I really can't imagine what their fans are going through. This season has restored my faith in the Premier League. They have to win the title, it's so important. Not just for the Premier League but for every single child under the age of 10 that looks back on this period and remembers Leicester City were a driving force in and amongst the repulsive, repugnant, media-swamped, glorified corporations that are "the big four". They have to do this.

Someone please tell me if they're going to do it or not because this roller coaster is too much for me.

[Sanguine]

Agreed. It's why, to a lesser extent, Liverpool winning in 13/14 would have been great for the league, a team with 2 good players and a fading Gerrard who screams 'we go again' at his players; now we have Leicester proving to be a sum greater than their parts, nearly relegated last season, with Wes Morgan at the centre of defence for god's sake, and a manager who shouts 'dilly dilly dong' at his players.

It has to happen. Please.

[No Fixed Abode]

A bump to beat the spammers.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Spammers 'ammers.....same thing

Wrttop ....yes

[AthleticoSpizz]

.

[From Despair To Where?]

Totally agree, he's a cracking little player.

Man City are now something like 5/1 if anyone thinks they're favourites! I wouldn't be ruling them out mind...

That's really good value but would be even better value if Kompany wasn't made of Weetabix.

IIRC, City still have to play Man Utd, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea. Admittedly, they also have to play 5 of the bottom 6 but most of them are away where they are flakey as oxf*rd. Plus they have 10 points to make up. I think they've got far too much to do.

No team's run in is easy but if Arsenal don't win this weekend, I can't see past Spurs or Leicester.

Spurs have the slightly easier run in on paper IMO, but Leicester have a lot of mid table teams who could be mentally on the beach by the time they play them.

I'd love them to do it. What a message it would send out to everyone outside the moneyed half dozen or so clubs.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Pretty flat until now. But when you have the quality of Mahrez to pop up with a nice goal like that, then you don't need to panic

[Royal Ginger]

It's going to suck when they beat us in the Community Shield.

[seahawk10]

Someone else on another forum wrote the following about Leicester:

Meanwhile Leicester won another typical Leicester game.  By many measures of success (time of possession, shots, shots on goals, saves made by the opposition goalie) the visitors should have won.  

If you watch them, they don't have near the talent of most teams in the EPL.  Heck, Newcastle is in a relagation battle and in many ways outplayed Leicester while being away.   But this game defined them.  Pack it in, limit opponents really good chances, and hope for a moment of glory.  No team has taken advantages of their chances as much as Leicester has this season who seemingly gets out shot, out cornered, out possessed every game but find that one quirky goal to win.

What is amazing, is this style of play is typical for a team of their overall talents against better clubs.   Get 10 men behind the ball, hope for a free kick, breakaway, corner and sneak a win vs. a team pretty much everyones eyes tells them are the better team.   It has historically worked a few times and allowed bottom dwellers to beat the Chelsea's, Man U's of the world. 

But this is Leicesters entire season.  Even against teams lower in the table rarely to they "look" like the better team.   But somehow, they keep winning.  Any other season I would be rooting for them, but my team Tottenham is in the chase for a title and thus I can't.

To use an analogy more US sports fans may understand- Leicester is the mid major Cinderella who has had a mind blowing run to the final 4. 

That's ridiculous right? I haven't started watching them until recently but they certainly don't play pack it in football to my eye. They attack! They have skill with their top players but just not a ton of depth. They have been very lucky with so few injuries but to say they park the bus seems far-fetched.

Am I wrong?

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Nah you're right.

Aside from the last couple of games where they're getting nervous and clearly under more pressure, they've played with a fantastic (counter) attacking style and seemed to really be enjoying themselves