Jamie Vardy scored a goal on the break to give Leicester the lead against Arsenal back in September. It was the opening goal of the game, but Arsenal came back strongly.
A 5-2 win for the Gunners was Leicester’s first defeat of the season. They’ve only lost once since.
The devastating counter-attack that saw Vardy open the scoring at the King Power Stadium that day has since swept the Premier League aside, beating opponent after opponent. Nothing much has changed since September, and Arsène Wenger knows what Arsenal have to do to stop Leicester again.
Boss on Leicester: “They are more convinced with their quality. Their belief has been strengthened.” Watch LIVE: https://t.co/wwGxfNRCQm
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) February 12, 2016
Wenger on Leicester: “We have to nullify their pace and counter-attacking potential.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 12, 2016
That will probably mean another nod for Gabriel ahead of Per Mertesacker, and we may well finally see the combative Francis Coquelin start another Premier League game. Arsenal need legs all over the park to keep up with Leicester’s most dangerous players, namely Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, and stop their attacks at source.
As for attacking ourselves, that can wait. We only need to score once to win, however unlikely a clean sheet may seem. First things first, don’t allow Leicester to score. Don’t allow the title race to slip away.