Hi ,
Leicester Can Win the Title Tomorrow When Not Playing
At about 4pm today live on Sky Sports Leicester City could clinch the Premier League if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford to complete the biggest upset in sports betting. Three points for the league leaders would give them a lead over Tottenham that could not be overhauled and the 5000/1 chances at the start of the season would win the title for the first time in their history. Leicester were favourites for relegation at the start of the season but are now the best team in England.
Bookmakers are betting when the championship will be decided and there is a difference of opinion. Some prices show this weekend is the favourite and others suggest the Foxes will have to wait another week before they can start celebrating one of the greatest stories in professional sport. A team made up of players that have been rejected by other clubs have gelled under the management of Claudio Ranieri to turn the form book totally on its head. For about the last nine months pundits have been expecting the bubble to burst but Leicester have been unflappable.
Leicester are now unbackable at 1/20 to win the Premier League and no side has won a professional football league ever when quoted at such big odds at the start of the season. You can now back them at 25/1 to win the title next season and they are 50/1 to be relegated. They are 2/7 to finish in the top ten and 5/2 for a bottom half finish. They could be one season wonders but what a season that is which is being captured in a Hollywood movie with Jamie Vardy the leading man. Rags to riches does not scratch the surface of the Vardy story which can continue with England in the Euros.
There is a saying that the table never lies and Leicester have earned every point and deserve to be top. However, Tottenham have conceded fewer goals and scored more but Leicester are the most consistent team in the league and have won most points. They have won more matches than any other side and lost fewest and three defeats in 35 fixtures to date is a record that warrants winning the league. Towards the end of last season they showed top four form but that was required to get out of the mire. Leicester were bottom at Christmas and then won more points over the remainder of the season of any team in the bottom half of the league.
Leicester finished 14th last season which was six points above the drop zone. The club were embroiled in a sordid scandal involving squad players and unprofessional behaviour which contributed to Nigel Pearson losing his job as team manager. Ranieri came in and changed little so the team has been settled and not suffered through injuries. The absence of Vardy for a number of games due to a sending off against West Ham and his reaction has not been critical as almost enough points are in the bag. His loss for silliness will devastate punters who backed him to be top scorer.
Manchester United have the third best home record in the Premier League, having lost just 2 of 17 fixtures at their own ground. Only Leicester have accumulated more points at home and they have played one more match at the King Power Stadium than United have played at Old Trafford. However, no other side has won more points than Leicester on their travels. They have lost just 2 of 17 fixtures, scoring 31 goals and conceding 16. A draw is feasible which means Tottenham must beat Chelsea on Monday to keep the pot boiling. Chelsea are only playing for points and prize money.
Tottenham seemed to run out of ideas against West Brom at home on Monday. They had to keep winning to put any heat on Leicester who were nerveless in beating Swansea 4-0 the previous day. West Brom were committed while Swansea were already on the beach but Leicester looked after business while Spurs floundered. The star players didn’t quite deliver and Dele Alli could miss the rest of the season if a sly punch in the stomach of an opponent is reported to the disciplinary authorities.
There is no love lost between Chelsea and Tottenham and although Chelsea have little to play for in Monday’s fixture they will be up for it and Leicester will be the main beneficiaries. Two home wins would not change the points’ differential but Leicester would be seven points clear with only two fixtures remaining. A more likely scenario is two draws in the crucial fixtures and that would be enough for Leicester who could win the league while their players are watching television on Monday evening.
