Game In Focus: Leicester City vs Chelsea - preview, analysis and prediction

14 December 2015 16:35

The Premier League season has moved into it’s 16th game and on every single match week there has been a multitude of surprises. This weekend alone has seen Bournemouth triumph over Manchester United, Everton spurn a number of glorious chances in their eventual 1-1 draw with Norwich and Manchester City almost dropping two points at home to struggling Swansea before a last gasp Kelechi Iheanacho goal stole all three points for City.

Monday’s game between Leicester and Chelsea will be sure to throw up a number of surprises too. The Foxes have been in the ascendancy since the end of last season and a new manager along with a fresh start this term has brought unforeseen fortunes. After 15 games Leicester sit third in the table, level with Manchester City on 32 points and a single point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. The fact Leicester are still rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal almost half way through the season is testament to their incredible turn around in form.

Their run of a single defeat from their 15 games is in no small part due to Premier League’s top scorer Jamie Vardy. His incredible run of 11 goals in 11 games came to an end in the Foxes 3-0 win over Swansea but his influence has in no way diminished. The forward has galvanised his team’s performances and his energetic and tireless displays have summed up his team’s style of play.

While their defence may not be as sturdy as Manchester United who have conceded 12 in 16 in comparison to Leicester’s 21. However, irrespective of how many they concede, they refuse to stunt their own attacking intent in favour of sitting on a slender lead. This impetus placed on attack was shown most prominently in their 5-2 home defeat against Arsenal in September. The Foxes went toe to toe with the most free flowing and offensively coherent team in the league. While they were eventually beaten, the fact they refused to set up in a more defensive shape when Arsenal took the lead displays the entertaining and end to end style of play they now employ. Leicester have been widely praised for their offensive play style and it is easy to see why with 32 goals so far, the same as the multi-million pound strike force of Manchester City.

Jamie Vardy has been amply assisted this term by the emergence of Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian international has 10 goals and six assists and has, along with Jamie Vardy, been one of the strongest performers in the League this season causing both to be linked with a number of the top clubs in England. There were rumblings that Real Madrid had been scouting out Vardy recently too, however this may have just been churned out of the infamous media rumour mill. It is fair to say then that Leicester are a team in hot form and are a match for any opponent in the league with their free scoring play.

At the other end of the table are Leicester’s opponents. So much has been written about Chelsea and their problems. Jose Mourinho has endured questions about his position, Eden Hazard has been the subject to one of the most remarkable drops in form, Diego Costa seems more intent on starting fights with his opponents, while Chelsea’s formerly water-tight defence has struggled due to teams targeting John Terry’s lack of pace and the loss of form of Branislav Ivanovic.

Chelsea currently languish in 16th, averaging a point a game. They have also conceded 24 goals which is inconceivable when taking into account the fact that it is the same defence which walked to the Premier League title last season. They currently sit two points above the relegation zone and, interestingly, are a single point and place above Swansea City who severed ties with manager Garry Monk in the week. This latest managerial casualty has quite likely added a little more pressure onto the already overburdened shoulders of Jose Mourinho.

However there has been somewhat of a revival in the Chelsea camp in recent weeks. A victory and then a hard earned draw over Norwich and Tottenham respectively preceded a last gasp defeat at home against Bournemouth. It seemed that just as Chelsea’s season was beginning to look up their optimism was dashed. However a superb performance against Portuguese side Porto in their must win Champions League game yielded a 2-0 victory and the team’s improved performance was supplemented by Eden Hazard and Diego Costa finally showing signs of resurrecting their form. If the victory over Porto is anything to go by then Chelsea do have a chance of beating Leicester, albeit a slim one. When one of the Premier League’s form teams comes up against a team at the bottom of the table though it is rarely a foregone conclusion. This was reinforced as Tottenham’s 14 match unbeaten run was ended by their 2-1 loss to a Newcastle side which looked dead and buried two weeks ago.

Chelsea are the Premier League’s reigning Champions and every single player is a World class talent which would be coveted by any team. Their form will have disappointed no one more so than themselves and every player in the squad will be itching to atone for the errors that have blighted their season.

Leicester go into the game as favourites and rightly so. A solitary loss so far this season is in comparison to Chelsea’s eight while no side has outscored Leicester’ 32 goals this season. An argument can be made for the game being a claustrophobic encounter in which chances are few and it is likely to be settled by a single goal while it could also be a goal fest with Leicester’s pace and will to attack causing Chelsea’s defence problems. However the Foxes would also struggle in a very open game with the pace of Hazard and Willian likely to culminate in chances against a defence which is not as sure as the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. The home advantage will be vital for Leicester who will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League while a win is also important for Chelsea who still have hopes of pushing for a top four finish with the Premier League being so hotly contested this year.

Final Score: Leicester 2 Chelsea 2.

Source: DSG