The real Riyad has stood up.
Welcome back, Riyad. The Premier League has missed you. Then again, the Premier League missed Leicester City too, when last season was all ugly sackings and trying to fill the N’Golo Kante-shaped hole in the midfield.
Now, there’s a new man in the dugout in Claude Puel and he’s managed to get the Foxes showing their teeth again. On Wednesday night, Puel’s side ran riot over his former employers Southampton. They won 4-1, but the performance was ironic in that Puel parted ways with the Saints at the end of last season because his brand of football was perceived as boring.
But there is nothing boring about his Leicester. They’ve found their mojo again and, much like that historic league title-clinching campaign, they are a joy to behold.
Riyad Mahrez back to his best. It's as if there's a transfer window around the corner or something…
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) December 13, 2017
The club were rudderless under Claudio Ranieri’s successor Craig Shakespeare, but they are up to eighth under Puel. What a transformation. Central to that has been the form of Mahrez. The Algerian winger struggled to find his best form last season and drew ire from his own supporters when he angled for a move away in the summer.
After a few indifferent performances this season, he has been unleashed once again under Puel. He opened the scoring against Southampton, firing an unstoppable left-footed effort into the bottom corner. It follows on from his goal against Newcastle, while he also scored a few weeks ago in the win over Tottenham.
In short, he’s enjoying his football again. But while it would be churlish to merely suggest that he is auditioning for potential future employers, it is difficult to escape the feeling that he will be the subject of intense transfer speculation in January if this current vein of form continues.
5 goals ⚽️
4 assists 🎯Riyad Mahrez has already been involved in as many Premier League goals (9) this season as in the whole of 2016/17 👏 pic.twitter.com/LWX8QZ6Ook
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) December 13, 2017
It’s a mixed situation for Leicester. With Mahrez in full-flight, they are a slick and wonderfully effective attacking unit. But with him back to his best, clubs around Europe are certain to have taken notice. Roma were the closest to signing him in the summer and they may yet return with a bid for the former PFA Player of the Year.
For now, it’s just refreshing to see Mahrez back doing what he does best: terrorising defenders and bringing Leicester fans to their feet. He is one of the most exceptionally gifted attackers in the Premier League after all.
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