Daniel Storey: Now is not the time for Leicester to lose their bottle
Leicester City's Marc Albrighton looks dejected after Newcastle United's Callum Wilson (third left) celebrates scoring their side's third goal of the game. Picture: PA
Last weekend's draw at Southampton, despite playing for more than an hour against 10 men, was sold as an irksome misstep but nothing more. Beat Newcastle United at home and Champions League football would almost certainly be theirs.
Now Leicester are on the verge of calamity. It was not just that they lost so comprehensively to Newcastle, but that the manner of their defending made such a defeat inevitable. With Jonny Evans out injured, Brendan Rodgers' team fell apart.
Their hold on the top four is weakening badly. A six-point lead over Liverpool could soon be three, with Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United their last three league assignments. Now is not the time to lose your bottle.
It says plenty about this bizarre season that Liverpool have lost more than a quarter of their league games but still have a chance to save their season. Leicester's wobble has opened the door for West Ham and Liverpool; Jurgen Klopp's side face the easier run in if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picks a reserve team to face then on Thursday.
Saturday night's victory over Southampton was surprising because it was so unsurprising. Gone were the slip-ups and lapses in concentration that have haunted Klopp's side at Anfield this season. Liverpool won a home league game by more than a single-goal margin for the first time since December 6.
There was even a meaningful interchange between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who combined to assist and score a goal for the first time in the Premier League this season. Much has been written about the apparent unease of their working relationship, but getting high output from them over the remainder of the season will be key to Liverpool’s chance of retaining their Champions League participation. That would have a huge impact upon Liverpool’s summer.
Over the last fortnight, there has been swell of goodwill towards Ryan Mason that suggested he may become a candidate for the Tottenham job on a full-time basis. Mason was originally picked as caretaker over Chris Powell, who was more qualified, an insinuation that Spurs were trying to mould Mason for the top job.
That job may well come in time, but not now. There is no great shame in being outclassed by Marcelo Bielsa, but the manner in which they were picked off and their defence exposed proved a naivety in Mason's management. He has certainly tried to be more attacking; here was the kicker.
Tottenham originally leaked that they wanted to complete their managerial search by the end of the season, but this is a monumentally important decision from a chairman who is facing criticism and pressure like never before. Right now it's hard to even pick a top three of likely targets. That doesn't suggest a natural successor or conjoined thinking.
There may have been no better time for Chelsea to play Manchester City. Not only did Pep Guardiola pick his reserve team, as had become the norm during City’s canter towards their league title being mathematically secured, he also picked players in odd positions. The assumption is that Guardiola was refusing to give Tuchel any pointers before the Champions League final.
And still City could have won the game. Sergio Aguero will leave the Etihad as a hero, but in choosing to Panenka his penalty and have it go so badly wrong he wasted City’s chance to establish a two-goal lead before half-time that would surely have led to comfortable victory. Chelsea used that penalty miss as fuel to surge on after the break.
But Tuchel deserves enormous credit for his work since being appointed. Chelsea stand on the verge of a domestic and European Cup double and now have a commanding hold on a top-four place that would be virtually secured with victory over Arsenal in midweek. When was the last time a new manager had such a positive reaction in midseason?
It is probably the standout statistic of this Premier League season, even considering Manchester City’s phenomenal winning run and Liverpool’s post-title slump. Manchester United are setting new records for the number of points they have clawed having trailed in their matches.
Firstly, the numbers. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have conceded the first goal in 14 of their 34 league games this season. They have won 10, drawn one and lost only three of those matches. Their points-per-game record in those matches (2.21) is not only double the number of any other team in the Premier League, it’s a better points-per-game record than half the league has in games that they score first.
Obviously, that record should be a cause of great celebration at Old Trafford, but it also suggests that United could have come much closer to winning the league. If you have such a superb away record and the ability to haul yourself back into matches like them, you should be seriously challenging for the title. How costly were those home defeats to Sheffield United and Crystal Palace?
