Stephy’s lovely arrogance: Leicester City are back to creating iconic moments
When Leicester City launched the 2022/23 home shirt, they called the campaign "Create Iconic". The design of the shirt apparently incorporated elements of the 2016 title win, Jimmy Bloomfield side of the 1970s and the early 1980s shirt worn by Gary Lineker.
That was the shirt the players wore while carrying out one of the most ridiculous relegations in the recent history of English football.
But those words did sum up what football fans want. We want footballers to create iconic moments.
It may be harder for them to do when they're playing The Likes of Rotherham most weeks, but Stephy Mavididi achieved it at St Andrew's.
When Mavididi leapt over the advertising boards to sit with his arms folded staring at the Birmingham City fans, it was a statement.
It may have just been a copy of Mohammed Kudus's celebration the previous day for West Ham against Wolves, but it's another thing to do it at an away ground, with nothing separating you from the home fans.
Enzo Maresca didn't like it. The Leicester City fans absolutely lapped it up though. In that sense, it was a bit like a 15-man brawl on the halfway line when the commentator says it’s not the sort of thing we want to see in the game while we’re all waiting for the replays from as many angles as possible.
Admittedly, Mavididi’s actions could have backfired spectacularly had he been given a second booking for a possible dive later in the first half, but his celebration was the sort of thing Brendan Rodgers might have called "lovely arrogance".
As Leicester fans have pointed out since, largely in reference to Abdul Fatawu marauding around in front of the away end with the social media team's phone, this is exactly what we needed this season. The connection between the players and fans had been lost entirely. Now it's back with a vengeance.
Isn't this what we're all in football for? For those memorable moments, the ones that stay with you and make it completely worthwhile how much this football club gets into your veins and obsesses your thoughts.
As yet more fans have pointed out, Mavididi's celebration also felt like a fitting tribute to the injured Jamie Vardy given the spotlight on the Wagatha Christie saga due to Wayne Rooney's presence in the home dugout. No Vardy, no party became no Vardy, no problem.
The other end of St Andrew's was the scene of one of Vardy's breakthrough moments in a Leicester City shirt when he latched onto a Riyad Mahrez pass and fired into the bottom corner back in 2014.
There have been glorious echoes of recent history in the past couple of weeks, sandwiching a pair of fairly routine home victories over lowly opposition - the Winks winner at The Hawthorns and the series of devastating counter-attacks at St Andrew's bringing back memories of the two league-winning campaigns in 2014 and 2016.
In fact, these post-match comments could have been made by Rooney last night.
"The scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. In every aspect of the game Leicester's confidence was sky high. We had a go in the second half but they were always the dominant side. The league table doesn't lie. They have quality all over their team."
But this is actually what Lee Clark, then manager of Birmingham City, said about that Leicester win 9 years ago.
The feeling in the away end that night was exactly the same as what we're experiencing with this current side: a team too good for its opposition.
And the win that night took Leicester 11 points clear of third place, with 63 points from 28 games. Last night, we went 13 points clear of third place, with 55 from 22.
When you're a club in the wrong league with players in the wrong league, you need the dull 2-0s against opposition you've forgotten by the time you've got home. But then you also get nights like Monday when those players make it feel like your club again. When the home club bring out the pyrotechnics for the television cameras and before they know it, the ball's in the back of their net and the goalscorer is sitting in front of their fans.
It was all the better for the threat of a late onslaught into our penalty area, the memories of that ploy working recently for Sheffield Wednesday and the result it had for West Bromwich Albion. Our players are facing adversity and right now, they’re rising to the challenge.
If, as seems likely, this season ends in success, the image of Mavididi at St Andrew's is one that will come to mind to sum up Leicester City getting back to being Leicester City.
12 Days of Christmas at The Bridge
For the past 10 years, The Bridge Homelessness to Hope has served a 3-course Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings to hundreds of people in Leicester who are experiencing homelessness.
This year, they want to go one better and offer their guests (service users) not just one day of celebrations but 12 days of festive events over the month of December.
If you’re enjoying The Fosse Way, please consider donating to The Bridge’s Christmas appeal:
