When you think of Leicester City’s biggest names, most of the attention usually goes in the direction of Jamie Vardy and with the former England forward being so instrumental in their success of recent times, you can understand why.
The 33-year-old was a key component in Leicester’s Premier League title win of 2016 and with the Foxes having reached the promised land in the past, they are now looking to repeat that achievement this season.
While although Vardy is undoubtedly the star name within the squad, he is flanked by a large supporting cast and if they all do their jobs correctly, it allows Leicester’s attacking unit to flourish at large.
One of the names in that pack is Wilfred Ndidi and after missing eight of this season’s Premier League games through injury, his return has been a timely boost to manager Brendan Rodgers, as a busy festive period is soon on the horizon.
The Nigerian international is usually one of the first names on the Leicester teamsheet and this was evident at the start of the campaign, as he featured in Leicester’s early season wins against both West Brom and Burnley.
With the 25-year-old patrolling the centre of midfield, he offers the perfect screen in terms of defensive coverage and because of this, it also offers confidence for any of his teammates looking to surge forward.
Unfortunately, that screen was unable to be called upon after the home win against Burnley, as Ndidi picked an injury to his abductor muscle and this subsequently meant an absence of nearly three months.
Absence that certainly knocked Leicester off their gallant stride and it came as no coincidence that they lost four league matches with Ndidi out of the team, with such a downturn only further highlighting his value to the starting eleven.
Thankfully, those connected with the club were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief in December, as the midfielder was given a clean bill of health and even though his return saw him on the losing side in Europe, domestic matters have been far more positive.
The former KRC Genk came on as substitute in his side’s narrow win away at Sheffield United and played the full quota of minutes against Brighton, as they made light work of their opponents at the King Power Stadium.
That 3-0 win over Brighton, saw a trio of first half goals recorded and with Jamie Vardy and James Maddison causing such a headache for the Seagulls defence, they did so knowing that a key component was marshalling the middle of the park behind them.
That victory has seen Leicester move to third place in the Premier League table and reignited any flickering hopes of landing a second title in six season – hopes that could increase by the end of the week.
— Leicester City (@LCFC) December 15, 2020
With table toppers Liverpool and Tottenham facing each other, it has provided the perfect opportunity for the East Midlands outfit to pounce and if results go their way on Wednesday, they will find themselves top of the Premier League table.
For this to happen, the top of table clash at Anfield needs to end in a draw, while Leicester need to beat Everton and with the Toffees getting the better of Chelsea in their last outing, that might be easier said than done.
Then again, Leicester are the favourites at BetOnline against Everton and with Wednesday’s visitors being rather inconsistent, this is a trait that could largely work against Carlo Ancelotti and his players.
Ultimately the focus will be on just completing the task in hand and not necessarily worrying about what might or might not happen on Merseyside. However, there is no denying that the potential of going top, is something that will be in the mind of manager Brendan Rodgers.
For a club that looked almost guaranteed to finish in the top four last season and subsequently qualify for the Champions League, their end of campaign collapse would have been an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.
However, if the likes of Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi can lead the club back to the top four at the end of this season and perhaps surpass all of that by landing another league title for Leicester, it will certainly be worth the wait in the end.