In a recent interview with the Daily Star, Gerry Taggart has reckoned that Leicester City have enough depth in their squad to challenge for the Premier League title. Taggart believes the Foxes can announce themselves as serious contenders if they can get a win at Liverpool this weekend as he said,
“Depth-wise this squad is a lot healthier than five years ago.
“In terms of all-round quality, right across the pitch, it’s stronger and better than the one that won the Premier League.
“And the title race this year is the most open I can remember – definitely way more open than in 2016.
“Nobody’s running away with it this time. Liverpool are up there, Tottenham are up here, Chelsea are hovering, and then you have Southampton and, of course, Leicester.
“The game at Liverpool can be a real marker for the Leicester team. They’ve already won at City and Arsenal. Can they now go to Anfield and beat the champions?
“If they do, then everybody must start taking them seriously as title contenders.”
The East Midlands outfit has made a dream start to this Premier League campaign as they currently find themselves at the top of the league standings after picking up six wins in eight league matches thus far. In this recent run, Brendan Rodgers’ men have banged in 18 goals and let in just nine at the other end of the field. Hence, Taggart’s comments are justified as the early signs have been quite promising for his former club.
With an exciting league showdown coming up against the Reds at Anfield this weekend, Leicester will now have a great opportunity to lay down the marker by securing a win and announcing their title intentions to the rest of the chasing pack.
Does Leicester Have Enough Quality In Their Squad To Sustain A Title Challenge?
Kasper Schmeichel has been in good form in goal while the likes of Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Christian Fuchs and Jonny Evans have all stepped up as the members of Rodgers’ backline in Caglar Soyuncu’s injury absence.
In midfield, Youri Tielemans has been a real revelation alongside Nampalys Mendy as they have often dominated the battle at the centre of the park. Both of them have given Leicester a solid base to go and push for the three points week in week out. James Maddison has slowly but surely returned to his best as he remains a potent goal-threat from long range.
Offensively, Jamie Vardy has continued to carry a major bulk of the goal-scoring workload for his side up top. His form has been exceptional in the league this season, so there are plenty of reasons for the Foxes supporters to be optimistic about their team’s chances of a title challenge next year.
Is Taggart Correct With His Assessment?
With the fixtures coming thick and fast in English football after the international break, Rodgers’ squad will be tested as he will have to rotate his team during the winter months to cope with injuries and suspensions.
Both Fofana and Schmeichel have picked up knocks recently which has made them doubts for the trip to Liverpool. Hence, it is too early to consider the Midlands giants as serious title contenders as they might struggle to get results when some of their first-team starters become unavailable. However, if the Foxes can come through the busy Christmas period without losing their place at the top of the table, then they might very well put up another title fight, just five years after their last league win.
