Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has moved to take the pressure off his shock Premier League leaders by tipping Tottenham Hotspur as title favourites.
Ranieri’s side are two points clear of second placed Tottenham and host West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday with Mauricio Pochettino’s men facing West Ham United on Wednesday.
Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Swansea City on Sunday kept the pressure on Leicester, who beat Norwich City 1-0 on Saturday, but, in a transparent attempt to ease the burden on his own players, Ranieri insisted the North Londoners are frontrunners.
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“Tottenham, in my opinion, are favourites then Arsenal, Manchester City,” he told reporters.
“Tottenham are strong in every situation. When they defend and when they attack they know what they want. Everyone is speaking about Leicester but nobody is speaking about Tottenham.”
Despite widespread thought Leicester would inevitably tail off as the season’s end grew nearer, Ranieri’s men already battled through a rough patch and emerged as strong in their lead as ever.
The team took just six points from an available 15 in their matches following Christmas, in a stretch that also saw replay and then bow out of the FA Cup to Spurs.
But instead of wilting, they have reeled off four wins in five matches, including over Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City in the Premier League since January 23.
Nevertheless, Ranieri continues to insist his side are mere temporary gatecrashers.
“We are the surprise, that is fantastic, a good energy, but if we are realistic the real competitors are City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
“Our job is done, we wanted to be safe and now there is something new. You can achieve something new if you think match-by-match.
“Now we are focused on West Brom, we know we can win, lose or draw but it’s not important what the other teams do.”
With Watford following West Brom, and a stretch including Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Sunderland, Leicester could actually increase their lead by a healthy amount between now and early April.
They will likely need it, too, with West Ham, Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea counting four of their final five opponents.
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