Vardy sold his soul to the devil for this season.
Mahrez looks like Baby Ozil.
Mahrez looks like Baby Ozil.
They haven't really had luck though. They have the goal differential to be legit. THey seemingly score 2 or 3 goals every game and concede about 1. The most goals they've scored in a game is 4. Tottenham has put up some crooked numbers, as they've scored 4 in multiple matches, and have a 5. SO I guess the luck is that they're spreading out goals, but to me that's not really luck, it's how they play. They don't have a particularly proactive style of play and are happy seeing games out.
I do think the small club mentality is a thing. I forget which match of theirs I was watching, I think it was their defeat of City where City came in there thinking they'd have their way and Leicester had their way.
The biggest thing for Leicester though (IMO) has been they have no real weakness. Their defense has been strong, anchored by castoffs like Danny Simpson and Robert Huth. THeir midfield has been really strong with with Mahrez and Kante arguably being their 2 best players. And the life Vardy found at 29, don't think this can stated enough, here's a guy who 5 years ago was playing inthe fifth league. And now he's the top scorer in the premier league.
To me the 2 stories of the premier league have been the stunning performances of Vardy and Dembele. Just last year Dembele was considered garbage by many Spurs fans (including yourself) and now he's arguably their team MVP.
Goes to show you that anything is possible.
Leicester has 48 goals. Opta has their expected goals at 41. They have conceded 29 goals with and expected goals conceded of 36. So instead of a GD of 19, they should have one about 4-5. You do the math on what their record "should" be.
Arsenal could have score just as many but couldn't finish.
Barca was up 79-21 in possession the first half but Arsenal was threatening just as much as Barca.
When watching Barca possession is misleading as they usually pass more than anybody.
Survey of 25% of MLS players was conducted:
Most underrated - Dax McCarty
Most overrated - Mix
I've been banging those drums for a while; glad to get a certain amount of validation from the players in the league. Altidore came in 2nd after Mix, and Bradley and Dempsey finished in the top 10. Sacha Kljestan made the underrated list, along with guys like Nagbe, Acosta, and Nguyen.
When players are in Europe, it's easy to give them the benefit of the doubt and just assume that they're better than the players in the domestic league. What's happening is these guys are coming back home in droves, they're expected to be a cut above the guys already here, and when they're not, the shine wears off.
Anyone who watched a lot of NYCFC would have to concede Mix was just dreadful last season. The numbers back that up. Now, he's still young, but my question is at what point does JK change his opinions on players based on new evidence? It's easy to stick with a guy when he's the only American playing in a foreign league. But when he comes home and is getting thoroughly out-played by other Americans, don't you eventually have to update how highly you rate him? Not just Mix, I'm talking in general.
I was a JK supporter, but the more I watch MLS and look at his team selections, I can't help but scratch my head. Beckerman over McCarty? Please tell me one thing Beckerman can do more effectively on the pitch at this point in their respective careers. Does JK watch MLS games and look at stats/available analytics?