Pundits normally state that an indication on who will challenge for the Premier League title can be signaled after 10 matches. With 13 matches already played this season, the race to the league title is as open as never before as four teams are leading the table within a two point gap. To everyone’s surprise the league leaders are Leicester City, enjoying a one point advantage on Manchester United and two points on Manchester City and Arsenal. Many still consider Leicester to be a side that can’t compete for the title but some facts do give reason to a possible title challenge.
Let’s start with the obvious, Leicester have no European matches which means that they may concentrate exclusively on doing well within the league. Not participating in European matches also decreases the chances of players picking up injuries. When one looks at some statistics, it can be noticed that Leicester together with Tottenham are the only sides to have lost only one match. All the other sides have lost more than one match. Leicester are also the side that scored most goals in the Premier League. They are also experiencing a great season on a personal basis as some of their players are experiencing their best season ever. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are two examples with Vardy free scoring in the Premier League having already banged in 13 goals. Riyad Mahrez has scored another 7 goals and also contributed heavily in terms of assists. Lastly, it’s important to keep in mind that Leicester are being managed by an experienced manager in Claudio Ranieri that will assure that his side stays with their feet on the ground.
It’s still early to state if Leicester can challenge for the title till the very end but should they remain first till New Year they may really make a surprise run towards the Premier League title.
