Pressure Doesn’t Faze Us – Vardy

Jamie Vardy is adamant Leicester City remain unfazed by the mounting pressure of the Premier League title race as the shock leaders prepare for a summit meeting with Arsenal on Sunday.

For the first time this season, Claudio Ranieri’s side find themselves the bookmakers’ favourites to be crowned champions after their fairytale rise reached a new high with last weekend’s stunning 3-1 win at title rivals Manchester City.

The Foxes sit five points clear of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur and third-placed Arsenal with just 13 games remaining and the previously unthinkable prospect of the unfashionable outfit winning a first ever top-flight title is now a genuine possibility.

But the task of successfully completing an unexpected title bid proved too much for Liverpool in the closing weeks of the 2013-14 season and many pundits still believe Leicester’s unheralded players, who only last year were fighting to avoid relegation, will crumble in similar style.

However, England striker Vardy, whose 18 goals and effervescent displays have been the driving force behind Leicester’s surge to the top, insists there are no signs of any nerves in the camp ahead of this weekend’s crucial clash with the Gunners in north London.

“We’re just enjoying it aren’t we? We’re enjoying the ride,” Vardy said. “If you start thinking about it too much it’s going to affect you, it’s as simple as that.

“We’ll just continue to do exactly the same thing we’ve done all season.

“Arsenal are up there, we’re up there, (Manchester) City are. We’ll just take every game as it comes, knuckle down and hopefully keep picking points up.”

Arsene Wenger’s team pounded Leicester in a 5-2 victory inspired by an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick in September and in the process extended their 22-year unbeaten league record against the Foxes to 18 matches.