Leicester City remain the team to beat in the Championship this season, Enzo Maresca’s side winning 13 of their 16 English second-tier fixtures already.
Despite seemingly streaking ahead in the division, they’ve been pegged back a little with two defeats in their last two matches, meaning that they’re currently level on 39 points with second placed Ipswich Town, and just eight points ahead of Leeds United in third.
The top two face each other twice in the space of 25 days either side of the new year, and the results in those two games in particular could well go some way to defining how the second half of the league season might pan out.
One of the staff members that Maresca isn’t able to call upon is Jack Lyons, who Brendan Rodgers has confirmed is back with him at Celtic.
“I have been impressed with all the coaches,” Rodgers was quoted as saying by The Scotsman.
“John Kennedy is brilliant, and I saw that in my first spell. He is an outstanding coach and has an incredible thirst to continue learning and developing. He works as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone work in football. Besides all of that he is a good man. A very loyal man.
“I didn’t know Gavin and Harry. I met Harry prior to taking the job and had a chat with him at my house down south.
“And I have to say, for a player who was world class in his pomp, the commitment he has to being here at Celtic and helping all our wingers, he is very good. And I think (former) players like him give you that bit of gold dust. He shares that with the players and he is good for our team and gives a different viewpoint.
“Gavin is an excellent coach, very diligent and has lovely human qualities. He is always there for the players. And obviously Jack Lyons. I brought in Jack as a really young, talented coach who is analytically brilliant. He can analyse and present that to players too.
“So the team is very good and that’s why I didn’t just single out Harry! The dynamics of it all make it work.”
Leicester’s loss would very definitely appear to be Celtic’s gain, with Rodgers clearly glowing in his appraisal of his analyst.
That said, the Foxes don’t seem to be doing too badly at all without him, so there’s an argument that, in fact, the Midlands-based side have ended up with the better of that particular arrangement.
In any event, with both teams top of their respective leagues, it’s a win all round at present.