With 16 goals and 11 assists, Leicester City wizard Riyad Mahrez has been involved in 27 Premier League goals this season, which is more than any other player.
At times he has literally carried Leicester’s title bid on his shoulders and he would hope to finish the job in coming weeks. After impressing us with his party tricks last season, many questioned his ability to take the next step.
Speaking of next step, he has left everyone mesmerized with his ability on the ball. He can go past defenders in the blink of an eye and he has done that against all kinds of oppositions this season.
While there is no denying his obvious talent, we still decided to dig further and look at five reasons why Riyad Mahrez has been successful this season.
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Always a step ahead of the defenders
Mahrez likes to keep his skills and tricks simple and is capable of beating defenders with the same movement over and over again. With a little drop of shoulder and clever change of direction he has left many experienced full-backs for dead.
Despite knowing what will happen next, defenders fail to deal with Mahrez and his ability go past them with ease.
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Performing under pressure all the time
Leicester City do not enjoy too much possession in a game. According to Opta, The Foxes lie 18th in possession table for the season with just 43% of the ball available for them to play with.
Despite these low numbers, it is unbelievable to see Mahrez being able to affect the game as much as he has done. When he has the ball, he has an onus to deliver or else the game could drift away from Leicester. More often than not, he manages to come up with the goods.
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Goals galore
His ability to score at any given time makes him a real danger for the opponents. He is not afraid to shoot and has a good conversion rate as well. Those abilities have seen him get involved in 27 goals this season, more than any other Premier League player.
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Carrying Leicester’s title bid effortlessly
Riyad Mahrez has been solely responsible for Leicester winning 20 points this season from drawing and losing positions. Number of times he has scored the winning or the only goal in a 1-0 win is remarkable.
His form may have drifted a little in last 2 weeks but he has carried Leicester’s title bid on his shoulders making it a memorable and certainly a successful season for the Algerian ace.
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Riyad Mahrez – The story in itself
Not long ago, Mahrez was playing in the eights tier of French football. To make a move from there and to be just one step away from winning PFA Player of the season is nothing short of an incredible feat.
In a nutshell, Mahrez’s story is in itself a definition of what success really is.
Image Credit: Sky Sports, Getty
