Ranieri gives Leicester players New Year’s Eve pass

Leicester is winless and scoreless in two league games after suffering a 1-0 loss to Liverpool and drawing 0-0 against Manchester City.

With only three points between themselves and the top of the table, Man City’s players must know that a little improvement can make a major difference in 2016.

Overall, it was a great 2015 for Manchester City as they have advanced into the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League and are still in contention for the Capital One Cup and the Barclays Premier League title.

For large periods of the first half, City dominated. Newsweek draws the conclusions from the big game.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men, who had been 4-1 winners over Sunderland on Boxing Day while Leicester were beaten 1-0 at Liverpool, had the better of the first half, but found Kasper Schmeichel in fine form as Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were denied by the Dane. And yet, improbably, Leicester found its spark as the game wore on.

There was more ebb and flow about the second half as chances went begging at both ends.

Vardy’s directness and raw pace, coupled with his absolute determination to influence the course of the match, still made him a risky player and Leicester began the second half with a new impetus. “When it wasn’t possible we closed very well the space with good shape and everybody played very good football”.

Manchester City will be in action next on January 2nd, when they travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford at 12:30 p.m. ET. Fernandinho had lost possession in front of his own penalty area and Vardy, played in by Danny Drinkwater, has been so prolific this season it came nearly as a jolt that he could not punish that carelessness.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been ruled out for another three to four weeks with a calf injury.

“Even then, he showed he had the ability to play for a top team”. A hush fell over the stadium when he limped off briefly just before halftime. It is important to run and run. “At this minute he is playing but I didn’t want him to play more than 65 minutes”.

The key moment in the match came in the 63rd minute as City striker Sergio Aguero looked to have been brought-down in the box by Leicester midfielder Gokhan Inler.

The visitors introduced Wilfried Bony in place of Aguero, who fired over Aleksandar Kolarov’s low cross after Nicolas Otamendi’s downward header had been pushed away by Schmeichel.