Like the proverbial nose hair that stubbornly refuses to be plucked or coaxed out, it would appear Leicester City are here for the duration of this title race.
Not the most flattering analogy, granted, but one that perfectly sums up Claudio Ranieri's side. Their performance away to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League earlier this month acted as a microcosm for their displays this season, particularly against opponents perceived as superior to them: soak up pressure; surrender the majority of possession; hit on the break with devastating effect.
That we are 22 games into a 38-game season and Leicester are level on points, and second only on goal difference, to leaders Arsenal is testament to the players’ indomitable spirit, character, self belief, and, more importantly, ability.
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Although they have go-to players in top scorer Jamie Vardy and flying Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez, most of the rest of the team would perhaps best be described as “committed”, “gutsy” or some other non-fluffy adjective people scramble around for when they struggle to say something complimentary about players who are not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
That Leicester lack players of stardust is undoubtedly true, but there is more than one way to play football and eke out results. Leicester are, to quote Aristotle, a team whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Most sceptics believed that the busy Christmas fixture list would severely stretch Ranieri’s squad, that the wheels would come off and we could give that plucky East Midlands club a congratulatory pat on the back for entertaining us so much for the first half of the season, but now it was time for them to know their place and get back to being happy with securing another season in the Premier League. Although a defeat and a pair of scoreless draws over the holiday period hardly screams title-challenging form, Leicester remained.
Those same sceptics also identified that when the goals dried up for Vardy (15) and Mahrez (13) the wheels would definitely, definitely come off: Vardy has not scored since a 2-1 victory against Chelsea on December 14, seven league games ago, while Mahrez’s drought is one game less. The latter has also missed two penalties in that time, the latest in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa that would have guaranteed them three points instead of one.
So a team with goalscorers who are not scoring, and yet somehow Leicester still remain in the title equation. It may be more a damning indictment of their opponents, the fact that neither Arsenal or City have managed to take advantage of their blip to turn the title chase into a two-horse race.
The whole season Ranieri has stuck to the party line that survival was the club’s priority, effectively achieved with half the season still to play. Now the veteran Italian has told his charges the target is securing 79 points for the season. Considering that they reached the start of 2016, the halfway mark, on 39 points, and have since accumulated a further five points in three league outings, that leaves them needing 35 points from their remaining 16 fixtures.
Can they do it? Who would dare go against them now?
Just like that rogue, ugly, tickling nostril hair, do not expect Leicester to budge any time soon.
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