It’s been interesting to have Claudio Ranieri back in the Premier League. It was an unexpected move, but I feel like he chose a squad with great team spirit and an insatiable thirst to fight.

Leicester City finished strong last season and restarted this campaign with that same momentum – a factor that makes or breaks a team like Leicester. Competition is intensifying for the clubs expected to finish in the bottom half of the table, as the so-called “weaker” teams get stronger and stronger.

The new Premier League television deal has filled clubs’ pockets and provided greater transfer budgets, and as a result, the smaller clubs have been able to attract top European talent that would at one time have been available exclusively to the club’s with realistic prospects of European football.

Stoke City now have five Champions League winners in their side, while Crystal Palace have bought from PSG and West Ham have bought from Juventus. Every club has very good players and predicting relegation contenders is harder than ever.

That’s why it’s crucially important for clubs like Leicester to gather as many points as possible at the start of the season. If they encounter difficulties further down the line, the points they have gathered at the beginning will be the pillow catching them in their fall.

Jamie Vardy stands out as one of the leading forces. He’s a hard player to play against, not because of his tricks and turns, but because of his relentless fighting spirit. A tricky player might have an off day or even just slip away from the action for a short period, but a persistent fighter like Vardy gives his all during each of those 90minutes.

Players like that don’t let you take a breather – and that’s how the weaker teams of the Premier League will feel this season. Every game and every point is vitally important.

#mmlove