London: Without wanting to jinx Leicester City and this superb run they are on, there does seem to be a sense of deja vu about the Foxes this season. In many ways it feels a lot like their title-winning season of 2016 when everyone was waiting for them to slip up and begin losing; as we know now, that just never happened in the end and dare we say it, this does feel like that again.
Victory over Brighton made it five Premier League wins in a row for Brendan Rodgers’ men which they have only done once before and yes you guessed correctly, it was during the 2015/2016 season when they defied 5000/1 odds to win the league. It’s enough to get Leicester fans dreaming again and imagining the dizzy heights that Claudio Ranieri took them to only a few years back.
Great to get another 3 points on the road @LCFC and thanks for your support as always!
Happy Birthday @Madders10 pic.twitter.com/itqhDRJ1SJ
— Jamie Vardy (@vardy7) November 23, 2019
At this stage, you are not going to get too much in the way of title talk out of Brendan Rodgers and it’s right he does stay away from that, for now. Instead, the Northern Irishman chooses to praise his team’s consistency and remind everyone that only 13 games have been played in the Premier League.
Of course, the 46-year-old is right to encourage caution and to keep level heads but many of us have read this book before and know that this Leicester side isn’t going to drop away. In fact, this Leicester side is just as good if not better than the title-winning one of 2016. Granted, there are some notable absentees like N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez but the likes of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison give Leicester something that they didn’t have in 2016.
The former in particular has impressed and only four players have more assists in the league than Barnes this season. What is even more admirable is that this is Barnes’ first full season in the Premier League after spending time in the Championship on loan at West Brom’s last campaign. Barnes was recalled by his parent club in January of 2019 and it’s fair to say that his departure derailed West Brom’s hope of getting to the Premier League.
Although to give the Baggies their due they are more than a one-man team and among the favorites in the English Championship odds to get promoted this season. But the point stands, Barnes is a player who influences every side he plays in and right now, his team is second in the English Premier League having scored the second-most goals and conceded the least in the league.
Harvey Barnes, stop that! #MOTD #LCFC pic.twitter.com/UXBQrrcF46
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 24, 2019
Any way you look at it, the Foxes are not where they are because they have been lucky. Jurgen Klopp may have seen off Pep Guardiola and his dangerous City side before Christmas but his rearview mirror is by no means empty. Coming up at breakneck speed and moving into the fast lane is Brendan Rodgers and his young team.
