As Sunday’s PFA Player of the Year was announced, there was an expected name read out - Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian was the strong favourite to secure the gong having thrived for the title-chasing Foxes and it so came to pass as the Leicester star picked up his award at the end of the weekend, almost a year to the day that the player as an unused sub in a 1-0 win against Burnley. Just hours before his acceptance speech, Leicester rampantly dispatched of Swansea 4-0 to maintain their pursuit of the Premier League title with Mahrez playing a starring role once more.
The 25-year-old netted the opener to set Claudio Ranieri’s side on their way to another vital three points as the season nears its climax. His performance at the King Power Stadium earned him a WhoScored rating of 9.74, enough to gain his 10th man of the match award of the campaign - more than any other player - and it’s fair to say there isn’t a player more deserving of the accolade this season.
A starring role in the opening day 4-2 win over Sunderland back in August set the standard for what has been an unexpected, but superb campaign so far for Mahrez. He’s the Premier League’s highest rated player (7.84) and the 9th best in Europe’s top five leagues this term. The Leicester attacker is the only player to register double figures for goals (17) and assists (11) in the top tier of English football football this campaign, further highlighting just why Mahrez deserves his individual award.
In the grander scheme of things, his individual impact has helped play a vital role in helping Leicester to the Premier League’s summit. Ranieri has set his side up to soak up pressure and hit teams on the counter attack, with the likes of Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton crucial in the attacking phase of the Foxes game plan. Biding their time before maximising the speed of the trio allows for Leicester to blow teams away and while it’s become easy to read, few have successfully managed to stop it.
Mahrez in particular is tailor made to such a style of play. His willingness to remain as far wide as possible before driving at the opposition defence means he can receive the ball in ample space and maximise his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘dribbling’. Indeed, only Wilfried Zaha (127) has completed more dribbles than Mahrez (111) in the Premier League this season. With opponents unable to limit his attacking threat, it’s merely a case of Mahrez picking the right pass to present his teammates with a goalscoring chance.
It’s for that reason that nine of his 11 Premier League assists this season have been from open play; only Mesut Ozil (13) has registered more. This ties in nicely with Ranieri’s counter attacking plan, with Mahrez able to exploit the space left behind by opponents pushing higher up the pitch. This plan of attack has helped Leicester score 43 Premier League goals from open play this season, a return bettered only by Manchester City (47), while no team has scored more counter attacking goals than the Foxes (5) in England’s top tier this term.
This further signifies Mahrez’s importance to Leicester, with his individual performances driving the Foxes to the brink of domestic glory. Harry Kane, Mesut Ozil, Dimitri Payet, N’Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy each made a strong case for their PFA Player of the Year nomination, but all have been outshone by Mahrez this season. He may have endured a tough run of form over the festive period, only to bounce back accordingly, particularly with Ranieri admitting he is more closely marked by opposing players.
A dip in form and a tight watch did not affect the player’s mental fortitude, however, with Mahrez overcoming all obstacles to reaffirm his status as the Premier League’s best player. “Without my teammates I wouldn’t get this award,” the Algerian said upon receiving his individual accolade. Humility to match his obvious talent has helped Mahrez endear himself to football fans - and clearly his peers - up and down the country. Very much a worthy winner of the accolade, this award should prove to be the icing on a Premier League looking cake this season.
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