There was a sense of inevitability about Leicester’s victory over Sunderland on Sunday. It was so nearly their fifth consecutive 1-0 win, with Jamie Vardy only scoring their second goal of the game in the final minute of injury time.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have now gone 490 minutes without conceding a goal. While they still have a way to go before they break Southampton’s record of 708 minutes from earlier in the year, the shift in Leicester’s approach has been dramatic. With their frantic and free-scoring style in the first half of the season winning them a lot of friends and points, there seemed to be little reason to adjust. Nevertheless, Ranieri’s clear instruction for his side to sit deeper and protect Kasper Schmeichel has proven inspired.

The manager knew that Jamie Vardy’s form in front of goal – setting a new record of scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League appearances – couldn’t continue. He also knew their defensive record was weak and realised they would have to change their approach to win matches. A move to a more defensive shape has helped Leicester hold their lead in the second half of the season.

When Leicester lost 1-0 to Liverpool on Boxing Day, people suggested that they would begin to fall away. They were still two points clear at the top of the league but their defensive record ranked 14th in the Premier League, with 25 goals conceded, and they did not seem to have the solid backline needed for a title push.

Since that loss at Anfield, however, there has been a change in the side’s results, if not their attacking approach. In the first half of the season Leicester were the comeback kings, often falling behind before salvaging a point or three with a second-half surge. Ranieri rightly observed that the energy required for these comebacks would catch up with the club in the New Year. It was time to learn to defend from the very first whistle.

Leicester had kept just three clean sheets in their opening 18 games, up to and including that defeat at Liverpool. In the 15 league matches since then, they have kept a remarkable 11 clean sheets – four more than any other team. In these 15 fixtures they have conceded the first goal of the game just once (in their 2-2 draw with West Brom) and have trailed opponents for a grand total of 19 minutes.

Comparisons have been drawn with Chelsea’s title-winning campaign last season, but Leicester’s change in approach has been more stark and far more impressive. The consensus was that Chelsea focused more on their defence in the second half of last season but that was less by design than the current league leaders. Chelsea didn’t so much switch from attack to defence as struggle to maintain the same quality of their play. They actually conceded more goals per game in the second half of the season (0.95) than the first (0.74).

The same cannot be said of this Leicester side. José Mourinho’s team were considerably worse in the second half of last season, having set the bar impressively high, but Leicester have arguably improved their gameplan. They have become ruthlessly efficient following a period of reckless abandon.

So should clubs who want to challenge for the Premier League title prioritise attack or defence? Chelsea’s triumph last year was the first time in six seasons that the league’s top scorers did not lift the trophy. Since the turn of the century only five league winners have not scored the most goals in the season. In that time no team ranked outside the top two in terms of goals scored has won the league. Leicester are currently the third top scorers this season, with 57 goals, behind Tottenham and Manchester City.

By comparison, having a tight defence has been less crucial in recent times. Only two of the last six Premier League champions have ended the season with the meanest defence: Manchester City in 2011-12 and Chelsea in 2014-15.

With Leicester also ranking third in terms of goals conceded at present (31), they are on course to become the first side since Arsenal in 2001-02 to win the league without boasting the best attack or defence. Poor old Tottenham, meanwhile, could become only the second team in Premier League history – joining the 1997-98 Manchester United side – to score the most goals and concede the fewest without winning the league.

A look back at the numbers suggests that Leicester might be a tad fortunate if they do win the league. The truth, however, is that this has been a masterclass in how to come out on top, and in two completely different ways. They have employed attacking and counter-attacking styles to perfection and the league table shows they have been the best side so far.

Ranieri’s tears of joy at the full-time whistle on Sunday may seem premature but he may be coming to terms with the fact that this achievement belongs to him as much as his players. It was tempting to think that Leicester were merely continuing their terrific end-of-season form under Nigel Pearson’s but it is the Tinkerman’s tailored tactics that look likely to win the Premier League and give Ranieri his first top-flight league title in management.

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