As Saturday afternoon’s go, Saturday 13th February was one that was very special indeed. On Valentine’s weekend, Leicester City produced a second half turnaround to warm even the coldest of hearts, and ensure that the fans’ love of the club was still as strong as ever. 5 years ago in February, on the march to the title, Leicester produced a stirring display against Liverpool with Jamie Vardy memorably volleying in from long-range. It was such a display that demonstrated that this was not a Leicester team that was going to go and fall away, and needed to be shown respect by opponents and media alike. Saturday’s display provided similar comparisons.
The Incredibles of 2016’s legacy lives long in the memory of all Foxes fans. This year’s vintage is a different proposition to what was seen in 2016, as is the club itself. We are a club and team transformed, with a starting line up now envied by the majority of the league. But, just as in 2016, Leicester are upsetting the top 6 regulars and are looking comfortably at home in their lofty surroundings. Just like 2016, Brendan Rodger’s men are written off and dismissed by those who should know better. A This year’s vintage are written off to such an extent, all talk from the mainstream media of title chances as well as top 4 contenders all regularly ignore the men from LE2. If we were the Incredibles in 2016, we are certainly the Invisibles of 2021. And just like in 2016, Leicester faced off at the King Power against Liverpool knowing a victory would have huge implications for the rest of the season.
Leicester under Rodgers have made great strides forward since the man from Northern Ireland took over in 2019, and have an impressive track record against those from the traditional top 6. However, Liverpool have been the one side that they have not been able to overcome. Both, in this season’s previous meeting, and same again last year, the team have struggled against the Reds, and have put in such poor performances that one must think there is a mental barrier to overcome. Last season’s home defeat had such a negative impact, that it likely was a contributing factor to the poor form of the second half of the season.
As Mo Salah scored in the 67th minute to break the deadlock on Saturday afternoon, many a Leicester fan would have been forgiven for thinking “Here we go again.” Liverpool to that point, had very much been the team on top and doing all the running, with dominance of possession, territory as well as control of the game. To all intents and purposes, they looked like they had enough to see the game out, as Leicester again looked laboured. Yet again, it looked like the mental block against Liverpool had kicked in and prevented the team to throw a punch in anger. Yet this time, this cold Saturday afternoon was different, as an explosive 7 minutes turned the game on its head and sent the watching Foxes fans into raptures.
Ten minutes after Salah scored, James Maddison stormed towards the box, ball at his feet, only to be upended by Thiago. Instantly it looked like a penalty was the call. Upon further reflection from the VAR system, this was revised to a free-kick just on the 18 yard line. No matter, Maddison dusted himself down and the resulting kick ended up with the ball nestling in the bottom corner. Again more VAR intervention was required, however Leicester ended up with the decision to award the goal resolved. With 12 minutes left, could they hold on for a point?
Well within 3 minutes, Leicester went one step better, with a helping hand from a generous Liverpool defence. A long and hopeful punt up the pitch, innocuous even, somehow looked like a live grenade as goalkeeper Allisson and new signing Ozan Kabak crashed into each other leaving talismanic striker Jamie Vardy the easiest of jobs to knock the ball in. Vardy then created another memorable celebration with the corner flag. At this point, Leicester fans were in a mixture of dreamland and disbelief, struggling to comprehend what it was they were watching. And with 5 minutes to go, any lingering doubts were thrown out the window, as midfield colossus Wilfied Ndidi won the ball in midfield and sent young Harvey Barnes through on goal. As fans screamed for him to square the ball to the supporting Vardy, he calmly looked up and slotted home. At this moment, the cruelty that fans are kept out of the stadiums due to the horrific pandemic, truly kicked in. We fans live for these moments. These are the moments we all dream about, whether you are 5 years or 65 years old. These are the moments you grab the people near you and celebrate like you are in an out of body experience. These are the goals that make you forget where you are, these are the goals that you talk about for years to come, these are the goals that provide you with happiness at the merest thought of them.
As the final whistle blew, the enormity of what had been achieved seemed to kick in for players, coaches and fans alike. In 7 minutes, the team had gone from being pretenders to the real deal, against a team that had slain all before them last season. It was such a turnaround that had caused their opponents to crumble and collapse, that one wonders what the impact that would have on both teams for the rest of the season. Make no mistake, this is now a Leicester team that deserves respect. We may not win the title like 5 years ago, Manchester City have such a stranglehold on the league table, it is hard to see any team overcoming that gap, but that does no matter. This is a Leicester team that has quality throughout the side, and now can add steel to their armoury. Ndidi, Maddison and Tielemens are a midfield trio that have talent in abundance and one of the finest at what they do. Maddison plays with a swagger and talks with a strut. His post-match interview was a delight as per usual. He spoke without the usual clichés, and mentioned that the team now believe of their own quality. Maddison also revealed the motivation that is likely driving the team forward, as he spoke about how little attention is paid to the team nor the number of injuries they have suffered been mentioned as often as other teams, including their lofty opponents.
As for their opponents, such a capitulation will have caused serious worries. Jurgen Klopp looked a man who, like Leicester fans, could not comprehend what he had just witnessed. He will surely have been stunned by the weaknesses that were exposed so easily by Leicester. On a human element, it is easy to feel sympathy for Klopp. The recent death of his mother must surely be playing on his mind, an issue that is made worse by the current circumstances of not being able to return home. His post-interview possibly revealed the turmoil of his mind, as his criticism of the VAR system merely came across as excuse making and of a man trying to mask his own side’s failings. He will look back at horror at this game, as later on, he came to concede his side’s title chances. He will know himself how much it pains to have to say goodbye to a trophy that was 30 years in the making, and letting it go with a whimper rather than any serious fight.
In reflections of Saturday’s game, this had the hallmarks of a coming of age win for this Leicester team. They may have stumbled their way into the quarter finals of the FA Cup, to face Manchester United at The King Power, but they are still fighting away on three fronts, with the next fixture an away leg at Slavia Prague on Thursday in the Europa League. As stated, this is a team that deserves to have accolades spoken about them now. The top 6 now looks as shaky a concept as ever, with Leicester looking like they have staying power in the higher company.
On the other hand, perhaps this group of players does not want any more attention thrown at them. Maybe, “The Invisibles” tag is one that fits and one they feel comfortable in having to help drive them further on. Either way, they keep marching on. Underestimate them at your peril.
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