Can Leicester City hold on?
By Paul Burrowes
StatsPac
Leicester City are on their way to clinching their first English Premier League title, if they can maintain their current trajectory in the remaining nine games.
The Foxes could wrap up the league by the first week in May for early celebrations, after taking on Manchester United and before meeting Chelsea at the end of the season.
Claudio Ranieri's men have two crucial matches next month, the first against visitors Southampton on April 3 and the second facing an expected-to-be-tougher West Ham United who will travel to King Power Stadium on April 17.
Yet none of these teams challenging the Foxes for the remainder of the season have beaten them and their 64-year-old Italian manager hopes to keep it that way.
Best Away Record
Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy have given Leicester City the best award record in the league, scoring 11 and eight goals respectively on the road, for the Foxes to so far amass 31 points, ahead of Tottenham Hotspurs, 26 points, and Arsenal, 25 points.
They have scored at least one goal in 93 per cent of their away games. In simpler terms, only Liverpool (on December 26) have prevented Leicester City from scoring on the road.
The Foxes have four away matches: Crystal Palace on March 19, Sunderland on April 10, Manchester United on May 1 and Chelsea on May 15, their final game of the season.
For the remaining five home matches, they will take on relegation-bound Newcastle on March 14, Southampton on April 3, West Ham on April 17, and Everton on May 7.
Leicester City have the third-best home record, garnering 29 points, the same as the Spurs with only Manchestet City better on 31 points, but only from 14 matches, compared to the 15 already played by the Citizens and Spurs.
A Second-Half Team
The Foxes, in their 10th season in the Premier League era, have made their mark in the second half, scoring 33 goals compared to 19 in the first half. And their average time to opening the scoring is in the 54th minute. Between the 60th and the 75th minute, Leicester have scored most of their goals (14).
Even so, what has helped Leicester is that in 66 per cent of their matches, they will score first and win 77 per cent of those matches on the back of Vardy and Mahrez. Only twice have the Foxes lost when they took the lead - both against Arsenal on February 14 and September 26.
Match-Winners
Mahrez and Vardy have been match-winners for Leicester, scoring six and five deciding goals respectively, while Leonardo Ullloa is proving to be a super-sub.
Penalties matter
Leicester City's scoring duo Mahrez and Vardy thrive on penalties, eaching scoring four goals by that method, and defenders need to take that in mind when they attempt to slow them down.
Foxes Stats
Goals Scored - 52 (Rank #1)
Goals Conceded - 31 (Rank #14)
Goal Conversion - 17% (Rank #2)
Total Shots (included Blocked) - 390 (Rank #8)
Clean Sheets - 10 (Rank #5)
Average Age - 26.39 (Rank #8)
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