Should Claudio Ranieri finally drop Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez?

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Current Premier League Champions Leicester City sit precariously above the relegation zone, with just one point between them and 18^th place. It has been a dire season for the Foxes’ and it doesn’t look like improving anytime soon, as they currently hold the worst form in the league, having lost four and drawn one out of the last five Premier League games.

In the relegation six-pointer against Swansea City last Sunday, the Foxes suffered a 2-0 defeat in what ended up being a comfortable 90 minutes for Swansea. If nothing else, this match highlighted Leicester’s inability to score goals due to the shocking loss of form suffered by Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

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In regards to Leicester’s attack, it is slow, sideways, and rarely shows any penetration, from either flank or through the middle. This is evident in the statistics, as Leicester remain the only team in the league who have not scored a top flight goal in 2017.

The two players that were vital to Leicester during their title-winning campaign, Jamie Vardy, who notched 24 goals and six assists, and Riyad Mahrez, who managed to score 17 goals and assist a further 11, look completely different players this time round.

Vardy seems to lack his usual passion and determination for pressing, whilst his finishing has also been sub-par. The Englishman has not had any service from Mahrez and, instead, has been chasing inaccurate long balls and trying to make something of his team-mates poor crossing. He finds himself on just five Premier League goals so far, a long way from the 24 successful strikes he managed last term.

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Team-mate Riyad Mahrez, who was last season’s PFA Player’s Player of the Year, also seems lethargic and uninterested.

He dominated games last season, constantly beating his man, driving into the box or down the flank and providing clever passes to his team-mates. The Algerian has not been nearly as effective this time round, with just three goals and two assists in 23 appearances.

Time will tell to see whether Leicester can turn it around and save their campaign. One thing is for sure, the Foxes will need their two star men to step up. As things stand, the holding champions could be in serious trouble come the end of the season.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Alex Hannam.