Written off countless times already, Claudio Ranieri’s flying Foxes still lead the Premier League going into three games against teams expected to be above them

If all eyes have admiringly and disbelievingly been on Leicester City for a great deal of this Premier League season, the focus is about to get that little bit sharper. England’s buccaneering pacesetters have in front of them a large hurdle that has all the makings of an important signpost in this remarkable campaign.

Jamie Vardy set to sign new Leicester contract tying him to club until 2019 Read more

Within the space of 12 days Leicester confront three difficult assignments. “Three unbelievable matches,” emphasised Claudio Ranieri. Liverpool at home on Tuesday, followed by Manchester City away and Arsenal away. That little flurry includes the only two sides to have beaten them in the Premier League so far this season, with the bookies’ favourite to finish top sandwiched between. “It’s important to be ready,” added Ranieri, making all the right noises about his team feeling strong at the moment. Come teatime on Valentine’s Day, at the end of this mini-series, it will be very revealing to see if he can still make light and chuckle away at the questions about Leicester’s title hopes.

Think they are bound to falter? Think again. Of course, this being unscripted sport none of us have the slightest clue really, but the big positive Leicester have going for them is they were supposed to drop off a cliff once already this season and they managed to maintain their footing.

Not so long ago, beginning in late November, a bunch of tricky fixtures loomed over the course of a testing month, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City. Leicester came unstuck in only one of those fixtures – losing narrowly at Anfield. They began that period top by one point, and ended it second only on goal difference, so any expectations that they would have a serious wobble were adeptly answered.

Leicester’s fortune in keeping so many crucial players fit enough to play the majority of the games has given them a great foundation. Naturally, any serious injuries will test Ranieri’s resources, but the purchases of Daniel Amartey and Demarai Gray during January are promising ones. Judging by the way most of the summer signings have shone, with N’Golo Kanté, Christian Fuchs, Robert Huth (who made his successful loan from Stoke a permanent move) and Shinji Okazaki all becoming mainstays in the team, the manager has shown a great touch for bringing in players who are ready to adapt quickly to the fast, determined tempo that has served Leicester so well. Joining a settled and optimistic dressing room, the vibes around the team continue to be upbeat and fiercely driven.

Although the Premier League summit remains, quite rightly, their priority, Leicester ought to be keeping a eye on the distance between them and the team fifth in the table, currently Manchester United. Could there be a greater confidence boost in the last few weeks of the season than confirming a place in the Champions League?

The gap over United at the moment is 10 points. Keeping a comfortable cushion should be a huge incentive, because, irrespective of how the title challenge ends up, a Champions League position would in itself be a staggering achievement.

It has been an age since a team from the Midlands has been represented in Europe’s elite competition. None of Leicester’s current players were even born around the golden age in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa flourished. More recently, following the modernisation of the European Cup from the 1990s onwards, English football’s modern history has no precedent for a club outside the traditional power bases, one without a domestic title on its honours board, qualifying for the Champions League. It has never happened before.

Leicester City and Carolina Panthers: a friendship founded on underdog success Read more

When English football first saw its number of qualification spots increased to four, during the 2001-02 season, it was reasonable to imagine a greater spread of teams could gain access to the prosperous, luxurious, promised land of the Champions League. In reality the opposite occurred. Since 2001-02, a Champions League ticket has been claimed 57 times by English clubs (this includes a bonus spot, when Liverpool won the competition in 2005 so even though they finished outside the top four they were allowed special dispensation to join in). The usual suspects – Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City – have taken up 53 of those 57 slots. Outside that list of heavyweights, Newcastle qualified twice (failing once to reach the group stage), and Everton (also failing to reach the groups) and Tottenham once each.

Back in 2001-02, Leicester City were anything but one of those clubs hungrily eyeing up a Champions League position. They were relegated, the first team to drop out of the Premier League that season, and finished in bottom place. It was a doleful and worrying way to bid farewell to their ancestral home, Filbert Street. With spiralling debts as they endeavoured to pay for a new stadium, they went into administration.

The weeks ahead offer tantalising opportunity. A shot at history. The chance to do something nobody thought possible when Ranieri was appointed to take over from Nigel Pearson continues to be astounding.