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Leicester should be unconcerned by the absence of Jamie Vardy

There is, in theory, more pressure on Leicester City as they chase what would be one of the most impressive achievements in Premier League history. In practice, it remains to be seen if this is not all bluster. Leicester have overcome greater obstacles over the course of the season, and that has translated into an obvious sense of confidence and belief. There are four matches left and a five point advantage over Spurs, and as big as you make Jamie Vardy’s face on the back pages, there’s still no reason for Leicester’s other, more pleasant players to panic.

The reason for that is that Leicester have four eminently winnable fixtures remaining. If they win their next match, Vardy’s absence will be almost entirely forgotten, and that will be felt even more starkly should he escape with just a single-game ban after his justified sending off against West Ham, and his pathetic carry-on in the aftermath. But their next game is against Swansea. They still have Leonardo Ulloa, a scorer of at least one vital goal this season, Riyad Mahrez, probably the best player of at least the first half of the season, and Shinji Okazaki. As Vardy’s goalscoring had dried up recently, Leicester were able to win a succession of games 1-0 without his direct assistance.

Mahrez’s 17 goals make him the most potent threat still in the team, and his presence over the last four matches - assuming no injuries or suspensions of his own - will assure those around him. They know they can cope without Vardy’s goals for the next couple of games because they have proven to themselves that this is the case.

And, let’s not forget, their remaining fixtures offer little to be worried about. Swansea are secure for another year, and have no hope or expectation of reaching the Europa League places. They have had a season to endure rather than prosper, and there would be no surprise if the squad have already focussed on which particular beach they will be drinking which particular cocktail. Or, should they be playing in the Euro 2016, only a fool would risk their fitness with excessive effort as the season runs down.

It’s not quite the same for Manchester United, but their players seem to have jettisoned the concept of effort unless it offers the immediate reward of progression to the next round of the FA Cup - compare the level of performance between their games against Spurs and then against West Ham. It seems that they are now waiting for Jose Mourinho to arrive, and doing the minimum required to prevent pitch invasions from alternately bored and furious United fans. Their chances of finishing fourth are so remote it is hard to imagine at trip to Old Trafford won’t simply end in a boring 0-0.

The following game should be where the title is decided. Everton’s players and their manager, Roberto Martinez, might also be in the FA Cup semi-final, but more pressingly they have not yet together come to an understanding that conceding goals is regarded as something as a negative by most other football teams. It is impressive that Martinez has managed to spend so long as a football manager building sides that attack attractively and occasionally devastatingly, but he has not even achieved a cursory improvement when it comes to defending. Leicester have shown themselves capable of late of breaking down sides that focus on keeping a clean sheet against them. But more worryingly for Everton, they have shown themselves even more effective at ripping up sides that offer only flimsy resistance. If Leicester do not manage to win the league on this day, it would probably be a surprise to Claudio Ranieri.

But even if they don’t, their last game is against a Chelsea side that are experimenting with young players in preparation for a rebuilding over the summer. There are several disaffected players in their squad, including Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, and if Leicester are present needing a victory, armed with Vardy back in the side, then their confidence and urgency should be enough to win the match.

Of course Spurs, who are playing the best football in the league at the moment, could earn more points that Leicester with their own remaining games. The only possibly tricky game they might have is Newcastle on the final day of the season. Should Newcastle still need points for survival, then they obviously might put in a desperate amount of effort in order to stay, but that presupposes that their effort will outweigh the fact that Newcastle are an absolutely terrible team, and they could well be relegated by that point anyway.

It is no surprise that a great deal of noise is being made out of Vardy’s suspension. He attracts deserved ire for the things he has done and said, and his reaction a deserved red was incredibly tedious. But that attention should not translate to talk about pressure on Leicester and what it might mean for the title. Realistically, it shouldn’t mean anything at all. Their remaining games are easy, and they have come through tougher barriers than this, and they have coped without Vardy’s games before now. There are four games left, and they should win every one of them.