Leicester do not need to prove themselves any more – they already have, and a slimline fixture list could help Claudio Ranieri’s side land the biggest prize

Manchester United put in a decent performance for once at home against Stoke City, and in the press room after the match the in-house television channel was naturally full of it. We are back to our best, was the slightly premature MUTV message, while up in Sunderland the noisy neighbours had only managed to “scrape a win” by a single goal.

Everyone laughed at that, believing it was routine pro-United, anti-City bias, yet blow me when we all got home and watched Match of the Day on catch-up it was apparent Manchester City had only scraped a win. But for some Joe Hart heroics in goal Sunderland would have had at least a share of the points, and as Sam Allardyce said afterwards with any sort of finishing the relegation strugglers might have taken a giant stride upwards.

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The other thing that was apparent from the MotD highlights – well, more obvious actually – was that Leicester City are still not having any problems in the finishing department and are still on course for the shock of the new millennium. Jamie Vardy is now a contender to win goal of the season as well as player of the year, the Foxes have become the first Premier League team to hit 50 points, a five-point gap has been opened on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal and their nearest challengers, Manchester City, lie in wait at the Etihad on Saturday.

“Yes, of course,” said Claudio Ranieri, who possibly needed no reminding that the next two fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal could define Leicester’s title challenge. “But we are in good condition and under no pressure.” The next two games will not define Leicester’s season – Ranieri, Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and a strong supporting cast have already done that – but if last season’s relegation escapees are still top by close of play on Valentine’s Day all the questions along the lines of “can they do it?” will have to stop.

Because they will be doing it. Valentine’s Day, by the way, could have a major influence on the way the title and the top four work out. While Leicester travel to the Emirates, for what one imagines might be little reward given the way Arsenal carved them open to win 5-2 at the King Power back in September, Manchester City entertain Spurs so that all the present top four are in action against each other on the same Sunday.

But first comes Saturday’s aperitif at the Etihad. The December meeting between the clubs was goalless and inconclusive, with Leicester glad of a point after suffering only the second defeat of their season at Liverpool the week before. This time practically everything is at stake, and though both managers would doubtless pooh-pooh the notion that titles can be decided in February, it should certainly provide a pointer as to who might finish on top.

Leicester seem to be returning to peak form after a slight dip in effectiveness, personified by Mahrez performing at his best again after a quiet January. They are now out of the cups as well as out of Europe – not that they were ever in Europe – and, as Jürgen Klopp so succinctly remarked, their task now is simply to play a match a week while all their major opponents tie themselves in knots with fixture pile-ups.

Manchester City may well view their next two games – against Leicester and Spurs, do try to keep up – as the last before their fixture programme becomes hectic. They have the small matter of an FA Cup tie at Chelsea on 20 February, followed by a trip to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League and then the Capital One Cup final against Liverpool at the end of the month.

And they have just announced a managerial change, not exactly an unexpected one but a development that has been known to impact adversely on teams’ concentration and results in the past, especially as it has been widely suggested that when Pep Guardiola takes over he will have a significant amount of money to spend on new players. If the City squad all love Manuel Pellegrini as much as they say they do, the most desirable outcome would clearly be to win the title and perhaps another pot or two and dedicate the silverware to the outgoing manager.

With the best of intentions, that is what the City squad will probably try to do, but it is easier said than done. Think back to when Sir Alex Ferguson said he was bowing out at United (several seasons before he actually did) then had to change his plans about retirement because his team’s attempt to win every game in his honour went so spectacularly awry.

An outgoing manager, no matter how popular and successful, subtly changes the normal dynamic. An incoming one with money to spend does the same. Manchester City are not going to turn into a team of also-rans overnight; it is possible in fact that Pellegrini went public with the Guardiola news because he feared rumour and conjecture was already proving a distraction, but his team was not at its best on Wearside on Tuesday night and it could turn out that City are below par again at the weekend.

Whereas the one thing Leicester have never been this season is below par. They have been fabulously above par, if that is not a golfing contradiction, punching above their weight from day one and using their relatively streamlined fixture programme to ensure they perform at their best for 90 minutes when a league game comes along.

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They are not so good as to go into Saturday’s game as favourites, but Manchester City will have to be at their best to beat them, particularly if Vardy and Mahrez get in among the still somewhat ponderous home defence. That is a huge compliment to Ranieri and his players, but only one of dozens they have thoroughly deserved all season. Regardless of the result at the Etihad, Leicester seem nailed on for a Champions League place whether they win the title or not.

Yet Leicester would do well to shut their ears to such talk and concentrate on the main prize, in case they subconsciously begin to accept that finishing second or third would still be an outstanding achievement. It would, of course, but the outstanding achievement to end all outstanding achievements is still on offer. Ranieri is smart enough to know that, and so are his players. Klopp sounded like he had been mugged on Tuesday night, which is exactly the effect a team like Leicester should be aiming for.

They are tough customers, you cannot argue with their approach, and at the moment no one is doing so. Manchester City, Spurs and Arsenal all have stronger squads but Leicester have proved brazenly effective at 11 v 11 contests over 90 minutes. There is still a way to go but if titles were won on verve and confidence the bookies would probably be paying out already.