Leicester City, a breath of fresh air

Most would have predicted Leicester to struggle like last season where they looked set for relegation for most part of the season only to put in a strong end towards the end to drag themselves to safety.

A pre-season which saw three players sacked for racist orgy and the manager leaving as an aftermath of the fiasco, only strengthen the belief.

One can only rubbed their eyes in disbelief, even the most ardent of supporters, when they see the table with a third of the season gone. Top of the table and two points clear of the second place Arsenal.

So what happened that drastically change the club's fortunate?

First is the appointment of Claudio Ranieri. The "Tinkerman" has often been ridiculed for his habit of tinkering with the team's formation and lineup but fact is he ain't too bad a manager.

In his final season at Chelsea, he led the team to a second place finish with the least goals conceded. Most importantly, he laid the foundation, including identifying Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben as the players to sign, for title winning team the following season.

Second is the form for the players, especially Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. While the game is base on the entire team's effort, both are without doubts the standout stars.

Currently the top scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals, Jamie Vardy scored in 11 consecutive games, breaking Ruud Van Nistelrooy's record of 10 games. Vardy also became the first player to do so in a single season (Van Nistelrooy's 10 games was at the end of the 2002–2003 season and the beginning of the 2003–2004 season).

Riyad Mahrez contributed 10 goals to the cause and according to WhoScored.com, the Algerian scored an average point of 8.33, the highest performing player in the Premier League and second to Neymar in the European scene.

The question now is can they maintain the form and break the big four strangle-hold?

One argument is that the fixture list has been kind to Leicester and the litmus test is when they face the big 5. So far, they have only played Arsenal and Manchester United and the results read 1 lost (Arsenal) and 1 draw.

At the point of writing, they are scheduled to play Chelsea. Chelsea has been in such poor form whereby a Leicester won't send shockwave across the country but it will at least somewhat put rest the argument.

While the fans and purists will hope they can do the unthinkable, I guess is that they won't last the distance and I hope my prediction won't return to bite me.