How will England fare this week? Fancy a bet? How about a bonus as well?

It is time for international friendlies and I must admit I haven't watched a lot of these since the time of Sven Goran Erikson as England manager and the amount of substitutes he used. I understand that the England manager has conversations with club managers and tries to keep them onside, especially at this crucial time of the season, but these matches must mean something to the supporters, the players and the England team. This is particularly relevant in the run up to a major tournament, so let's take a look at what England and Roy Hodgson might find out from the upcoming friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands.

With an injury to Joe Hart, this is a chance for the other goalkeepers to stake their claim as the official number two in the squad. Hart's form has been indifferent this season and he has grown more susceptible to injuries so the position as back-up has a value in the England squad. Jack Butland appears to be at the front of this queue at the moment, but I see Fraser Forster as the best keeper in the squad at the moment. It will be an interesting watch.

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The other area of complete interest in these two friendlies is the attack. Competition exists elsewhere in the team but the fans most want to see is if we can survive (or even thrive) without Wayne Rooney. His powers are definitely weakened by the year and his place is under real threat for probably the first time.

I would like to see Roy Hodgson pair Harry Kane with Jamie Vardy for as long as possible in both games to find out if these two can cut it against some of the best teams in the world. Germany away is much tougher then the Netherlands at home but both games will be test of whether these guys can get us far into the Euro 2016 tournament or fall at the first stage again.

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Is this now Leicester's title? See the three matches that will decide it.

Could this have been the weekend that changed the title chance in favour of Leicester City. I blogged previously to say that I didn't think Leicester could even finish in the tip four. Those doubts have gone and they have been installed as favourites for the title with some bookmakers. This is a remarkable turnaround for a team that was fighting against relegation at the end of last season.


Much has been written about their star players such as Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. The manager Claudio Ranieri has also been in the spotlight.







In my blog today I am going to look at the three key games that they gave between now and the end of the season. There are thirteen games left as we stand. All will be "cup finals" for them, but three stand out-


Sunday 14th February - away to Arsenal
In the week after Leicester have notched wins against Liverpool and Manchester City, they face a third massive challenge in three games. If they beat Arsenal and Spurs draw with Man City in the other massive game this weekend then Leicester could finish the week 7 points clear at the top. If Leicester lose and Spurs win then the gap will be only 2 points. Without looking at the opposition you can see what a big game this is. I would say that Leicester have to make sure they don't lose. But they don't seem to play the game that way. I think that Mahrez and Vardy will be going all out to beat the Gunners.


Saturday 30th April - away to Manchester United
It's not that there won;'t be any crucial games in between Arsenal and Man United, it's just that this game could be when Leicester are looking to tie up the league title. If results go as expected then Leicester could be needing a win at Old Trafford to win the league with 2 games to spare. I suspect that by this time we will already know whether United are in the Champions League foe next season ans whether Louis Van Gaal will be be the manager.









After destroying Man U 5-3- last season I would expect that this is another game when Leicester attempt to set Vardy free to torture the opposition.


Sunday 15th May - away to Chelsea
Yes, I've picked 3 away games as those that will decide the fate of Leicester because this will be where they possibly drop some points. To be crowned as champions at the home of the outgoing champions would be a fantastic achievement. The home form of Chelsea this season has been really patchy, so if Leicester come here needing to win I wouldn't back against them. It could be the last game for Guus Hiddink and for John Terry though, so it may not be as easy as they would like.

After 12 games of the season it's my part-season progress report

When Arsenal v Tottenham and Liverpool v Crystal Palace finish their games today, we will be at the 12-game mark in this season's Premier League. The international break is next so it's a good time to look at where things are and what might transpire between now and the end of the current campaign. The league table looks like this-

Premier League

Pos.	Team	P	GD	Pts.
1No movement	Man City	12	17	26
2No movement	Arsenal	11	13	25
3No movement	Leicester	12	5	25
4No movement	Man Utd	12	9	24
5No movement	West Ham	12	7	21
6No movement	Tottenham	11	10	20
7No movement	Southampton	12	6	20
8No movement	Everton	12	4	17
9No movement	Liverpool	11	0	17
10No movement	Crystal Palace	11	1	16
11No movement	Watford	12	-1	16
12No movement	Stoke	12	-2	16
13No movement	West Brom	12	-6	14
14No movement	Swansea	12	-4	13
15No movement	Norwich	12	-7	12
16No movement	Chelsea	12	-7	11
17No movement	Newcastle	12	-9	10
18No movement	Bournemouth	12	-13	8
19No movement	Sunderland	12	-13	6
20No movement	Aston Villa	12	-10	5

I'll start here with my awards for so far this season and my predictions for the end of the season.

Over achievers 

This is a close-run thing but I think that by virtue of having four more points, I'll give this to Leicester City over West Ham United. Mahrez and Vardy in particular have been great going forward but the thing that has put Leicester in their lofty position is their spirit. They just don't know when they are beaten.

Under achievers

This isn't a close-run thing at all. To go from comfortable champions to 16th place is terrible. It's never happened before. I put the blame squarely at the manager's feet. He has undermined the staff, upset the players, blamed everyone except for himself and disrupted a team that looked so unified last season.

Player of the (part) season

The exploits of Jamie Vardy have been remarkable but the stand-out player in the matches I've watched has been Dimitri Payet. His skill, running and vision have been a delight to watch and have transformed West Ham from average to very good.

Relegation candidates

I said at the start of the season that I thought Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa would be relegated. I stand by two of these but I think that Newcastle United have shown enough progress under Steve McClaren to survive. Bournemouth have has a rotten run of injuries and I think that losing Callum Wilson is a blow they can't recover from.

Champions (and Champuons League)

I think that there many be a new face in next season's Champions League as I think Spurs can make the top four this year. In my opinion they will be joined by the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal. I think that Chelsea have left themselves too much to do, even at this relatively early stage. My tip for champions is Manchester City again, but I think that Arsenal and Manchester United will run them close and make it a fight right up until the last couple of fixtures. Sergio Aguero remaining fit will be the deciding factor as neither of the other clubs have a goalscorer that can compete with him.

Let's see how things go!