Rodgers’ Leicester City are surpassing the standard of their title-winning season

Whether or not Leicester City can catch Liverpool in the Premier League title race, what the Foxes are doing this season is even more impressive than their miraculous title run of 2015-16.

Not even when Leicester City pulled off the greatest upset in Premier League history, writing a barely believable fairytale as they marched all the way to the title in 2016, did they win eight games in a row. Back then, Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes found a level of consistency that nobody else, not Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United or Tottenham, could match, but they never set a standard quite like the one being set by Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Sunday’s 4-1 away win at Aston Villa saw Leicester tighten their grip on second place in the Premier League table, keeping them within eight points of leaders Liverpool. A developing narrative is unfolding with Rodgers ironically cast as the only man who can possibly stop the Anfield club from claiming their first league championship for 30 years.

Of course, for all Leicester City have done to keep up with Liverpool better than any other team in recent weeks it’s unlikely that they will be able to catch the runaway Reds.

Even if they finish this season empty-handed, though, there’s a strong argument to be made that this is a better Leicester City team than the one that sensationally won the Premier League three years ago.

There was an element of fluke to Leicester’s title win of 2015-16. Not only did the Premier League suffer a real drop in quality, particularly near the top, that season, but players like Wes Morgan, Danny Simpson, Danny Drinkwater and Christian Fuchs found performance levels that nobody believed they were capable of. While others like Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were able to sustain their form beyond that title-winning season, most reverted to default after getting their hands on the trophy.

Rodgers’ Leicester City team, on the other hand, is full of exceptionally talented players who either boast a proven track record at the top of the game or are destined for that sort of level. From front to back, the Foxes are a quality outfit. On the basis of their starting lineup it’s unsurprising that they are competing near the top end of the Premier League table.

At the back Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu have forged one of the strongest center back partnerships in the division. Ben Chilwell is England’s first choice left back while Ricardo Pereira is admired to such an extent that he is speculated to be Jose Mourinho’s number one target as Spurs’ new manager this January.

Then there’s Wilfred Ndidi, the natural heir to N’Golo Kante at the King Power Stadium, Youri Tielemens, a first-team figure for Belgium, and James Maddison, the cocky playmaker thought to be on Manchester United’s radar. As a trio, they are perhaps the best-balanced midfield unit in the Premier League right now, protecting the defense just as well as they support the attack.

Jamie Vardy remains an elite goalscorer, with the 32-year-old scoring 11 times in his last eight league appearances and leading the top flight with 16 goals.

Leicester City don’t have the depth of some of the teams around them in the Premier League table, but the likes of Harvey Barnes, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho have proven themselves to be more than useful.

It’s not just in terms of personnel that this Leicester team is better than the 2015-16 side. While Ranieri’s counter-attacking style was extremely effective, Rodgers has coached his team to be able to implement a number of different game plans. They can play on the break like the team of three years ago, but they can also control matches and pick apart opponents using a low defensive block.

The impact made by Rodgers at the King Power Stadium since his appointment in February has been remarkable.

This is by and large the same group of players that struggled for results under Claude Puel, but now, with back-to-back fixtures against Man City and Liverpool looming over Christmas, they are widely seen as the second team in a two-team title race. Even if they don’t cross the line first, the achievement of this side will be historic.