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Leicesters Premier League title charge was built on exhilarating attacking in the first half of the season, but their mean defence is coming to the fore now. Ahead of their meeting with Southampton on Super Sunday, we take a look at how the high-flying Foxes have adapted… When Leicester sat top of the table at Christmas it was largely thanks to a formidable record of 37 goals in 17 games. Jamie Vardys record-breaking scoring run had propelled the relegation-favourites to unthinkable heights, but when his goals started drying up it was widely anticipated the magic would fade and the Foxes would start to slide.Their defensive record did not exactly cry out solidity, after all. Leicester had conceded 24 times in those 17 games - the same number as relegation-threatened Swansea - and it wasnt until late October that Claudio Ranieri had to come good on his promise of pizza to reward their first clean sheet of the season. Three months on, however, and Leicesters players are dining on pizza almost every week. Last weekends victory over Crystal Palace was their fourth 1-0 win in five games, and Premier League viewers have become accustomed to seeing them at the top of the pile.The Foxes are now just seven games away from making history with a title challenge that is rapidly gathering momentum. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Games played 17 14 Wins 11 8 Draws 5 4 Losses 1 2 Goals scored 37 17 Goals conceded 24 7 Clean sheets 3 9 Leicester remain a deadly force on the counter-attack, but the statistics illustrate how the emphasis has shifted since Christmas. Before then, the Foxes were averaging 2.2 goals per game, but they have only netted 17 times in 14 outings since then at a rate of just 1.2 goals per game.Despite the drop-off in goals scored, however, Leicesters results have remained consistent, with their average points per game only falling slightly (from 2.4 before Christmas to 2.0 afterwards) while their lead at the top of the table continues to grow. Leicesters Premier League record before and after Christmas Leicester 2015/16 Before Christmas After Christmas Goals per game 2.2 1.2 Shots on target per game 5.1 3.9 Goals conceded per game 1.4 0.5 Shots on target faced per game 4.2 3.4 Points per game 2.2 2.0 A run of four shut-outs in five games has highlighted their defensive resilience in recent weeks, but the stinginess has been apparent for months. Since Christmas, and with help from midfield enforcer NGolo Kante, a first-choice back five of Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Simpson, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs has only been breached seven times.Once we got that first clean sheet, it cemented the idea in peoples heads that keeping a clean sheet is a great foundation to build upon, said back-up goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on Sky Sports News HQ. Weve got players who will always score goals, so if you can keep a clean sheet when the season gets tighter and the pressure starts to mount, you can win games by the odd goal. Mark Schwarzer highlights Leicesters defence as the key to their recent form Having found defensive shut-outs so hard to come by at the start of the campaign, Leicester have now kept nine in their last 13 games. In the same period, no other Premier League side has managed more than seven. They have the look of champions about them, noted Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in his Daily Mail column - and hes not the only one to have been impressed.They dont give a lot away, said Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew after Riyad Mahrezs first-half strike settled last weekends game at Selhurst Park. Theyre underestimated defensively. Theyve got energy and theyre up to the ball all the time. Theyre tight and its difficult to create against them. Most Premier League clean sheets since Christmas Team Clean sheets Leicester 9 Southampton 7 Arsenal 6 Manchester City 6 The two centre-halves are confident in possession, they rarely make mistakes and they dont slash at clearances. They make good clearances from their defensive third and theyre fast. They have a lovely balance to the team and you have to admire them.Leicester have also had to adapt to their opponents attempts to nullify their goalscoring threat. The Foxes thrived in the first half of the season by ceding possession to their rivals, waiting for mistakes and springing forward on the counter-attack, but since their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal the likes of Norwich and West Brom have played them at their own game. Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs have shone in recent weeks The Foxes have therefore averaged 53.4 per cent possession in the last five games compared to 40.5 per cent earlier in the season. The enforced change of approach has resulted in fewer opportunities for Ranieris attackers to get in behind, but their defensive solidity has made the difference at the other end.Leicester are now within touching distance of one of the most extraordinary achievements in football history, and while Mahrez and Vardy are likely to battle it out for the player of the year gong, they are certainly not the only individuals who are due a considerable share of the credit. Leicesters remarkable stats We look at the numbers behind Leicesters Premier League title chargeAlso See:Leicesters remarkable statsLeicester to slip up?Ranieri remaining groundedMahrez: Title getting closeAdidas NMD R1 Triple Black . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Cheap NMD For Sale .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-adidas-nmd-human-race-china.html . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Adidas NMD Womens Pink . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Fake NMD R1 For Sale . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford.Welcome to an NFL huddle, Mr. Goff .Your assignment, as No. 1 overall pick in Aprils draft who has not gotten on the field yet, but starts Sunday for the Rams against the Dolphins, is simple: win.Doing so against a Miami team that has won four straight makes your task a bit tougher. But never mind, Jared, go out and play like fellow rookie quarterbacks Dak Prescott in Dallas and Carson Wentz in Philadelphia.Its been a long time, it feels like, since Ive gotten out there and played, says Goff, and hes right -- it was the preseason when he last took a meaningful snap. Im excited to get back out there and play.Ive been working hard to get to that point. Im glad its finally come, glad theyve given me that vote of confidence and the nod. Im ready to go and proving them right.The Rams (4-5) come off a 9-6 victory at the Jets, hardly a boost of confidence for the offense. So coach Jeff Fisher made the switch.The opponent has looked formidable the past month. After winning last weekend at San Diego, the Dolphins (5-4 ) stayed in California this week to train.Its a different week for us just being away from home and being out of our normal facility, quarterback Ryan Tannehill says. Its definitely a challenge for us, but I think we have the focus to get it done the right way.I think thats one of the benefits of being out here together is we have time to spend together, to go to dinner, to hang out and build that team unity.The action began with Carolinas 23-20 home victory over New Orleans.Cam Newton threw for 192 yards and a touchdown in the game marred by injuries to key players. Newton was 14 of 33 and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. to help the Panthers (4-6) pull even with the Saints for third place in the NFC South.The Panthers lost former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly (concussion), two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil (shoulder), defensive end Mario Addison (foot) and cornerback Leonard Johnson (chest) to injuries. Kuechly left the field on a cart while tears streamed down his face. The Saints lost running back Mark Ingram to a concussion in the third quarter.Off this week are the Falcons (6-4), Chargers (4-6), Jets (3-7) and Broncos (7-3).Houston (6-3) vs. Oakland (7-2) at Mexico CityFootball returns to a mecca of futbol, when the Raiders host the Texans at Azteca Stadium -- the first regular-season game south of the border in 11 years.I like to watch soccer, so Im wondering is it going to be like a soccer atmosphere where they have the horns playing and stuff like that, Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye says. I looked at the field just to see what its like and everything. Im already visualizing everything on what its going to be like.At the end of the day, you just got to expect the unexpected, you know, packed crowd. You dont know what type of atmosphere youre going to have or how loud its going to be, so its exciting and you try not to think about it. At the same time, you just try to focus on the task at hand.The Raiders have impressed with their high-powered offense and opportunism in the leagues best division, the AFC West. Dont expect Houstons Brock Osweiler, averaging a league-low 5.6 yards per pass, to keep up with that.Pittsburgh (4-5) at Cleveland (0-10)Sure, the Steelers have lost four in a row. In Cleveland, they are saying So what!The Browns never have been 0-10 i n a season and they enter the game with a 416-416-10 record for the two installments of the franchise. They have never been below .500, but are 14-44 since Jimmy and Dee Haslam took over as owners.To get off this schneid, they must figure out how to beat Ohio native Ben Roethlisberger, who is 20-2 against them overall. The Steelers are 28-6 against the Browns since Cleveland returned to the league in 1999.Baltimore (5-4) at Dallas (8-1)The Ravens and Cowboys each are division leaders. Similarities end there.Dallas is the NFLs hottest team, not having lost since the opener. It has that dynamic offense led by the leagues best line and sensational rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott. Home-field advantage in the NFC is there for the taking.Baltimores only reason for being on top in the AFC North is how poorly the other division members have performed. The Ravens are too streaky, winning three, losing four, then winning two.Jacksonville (2-7) at Detroit (5-4)Detroit is another first-place team with few credentials to be thinking January success. Again, a weak division, the NFC North, has helped the Lions, who play nothing but tight games. All nine this season have been decided by seven points or fewer and Detroit has been trailing or tied at some point in the final two minutes of regulation in each of them.Jacksonville has struggled in great part because it has not had a takeaway in the past five games. Thats tied for the longest drought since the 1970 merger. The Jaguars are an NFL-worst minus-14 in turnover differential.Philadelphia (5-4) at Seattle (6-2-1)Both come off impressive victories, and Pete Carroll could get his 100th NFL win on Sunday. It looks as if hell have regular RB Thomas Rawls back from a Week 2 leg injury, and rookie C.J. Prosise gained 153 yards from scrimmage inn the win at New England.dddddddddddd They could provide balance to an offense that QB Russell Wilson had humming against the Patriots.Philadelphia won its fourth straight at home by beating Atlanta, but is 1-4 on the road. Wentz has been up and down, though the team has scored at least 20 points in 11 straight games, the longest streak in the league. Defense and special teams have been solid for the Eagles.Green Bay (4-5) at Washington (5-3-1)The previous time they met, the Packers won a playoff game here in January. Now, Green Bay is reeling, losing three straight, the ground game mediocre, the blocking unsteady and the defense keeping them competitive much of the time.Eddie Lacy has missed four games with an ankle injury, and the Packers signed running back Christine Michael after Seattle waived him.Aaron Rodgers will need for his line to come together this week because Washington has three sacks in five consecutive games. Redskins tight end Jordan Reed had nine receptions for 120 yards and a TD in that wild-card game.Tennessee (5-5) at Indianapolis (4-5)Some good things are happening in Nashville, and to punctuate that, the Titans also could end a 10-game slide against the Colts. Marcus Mariota and DeMarco Murray have the offense hopping -- Tennessee has scored 35 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time in a single season in franchise history. Mariota has thrown an NFL-high 17 TD passes over the past six weeks and Murray is second in the NFL with 930 yards rushing.Indianapolis was off last week. It won the Week 7 matchup when TE Jack Doyle caught a 7-yard TD pass with 1:55 to go. The Colts will honor the 10-year anniversary of their 2006 Super Bowl championship team.New England (7-2) at San Francisco (1-8)Coming off that bruising home loss to Seattle, the Patriots might take out their frustrations on the 49ers. Tom Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area, has never played at San Francisco. With a win over a team that has dropped eight in a row, Brady would tie Brett Favre for second in victories by a quarterback with 199. Peyton Manning holds the record with 200.The 49ers come off a strong but losing performance at Arizona. QB Colin Kaepernick should have fond memories of the Patriots: Kaepernick threw four TD passes in his only meeting with them, in 2012, a season the 49ers went to the Super Bowl.Buffalo (4-5) at Cincinnati (3-5-1)Two slumpers. Buffalo has dropped three straight and comes off a bye. The Bungles, uh, Bengals, have won only one of their past five, against inept Cleveland.The Bills have found ways to score, getting at least 25 points in each of the past five games, and are second in rushing behind Dallas with 155 yards per game. QB Tyrod Taylor comes off a strong outing in a loss to Seattle.Since opening last season 8-0, the Bengals are 7-10-1, including a playoff meltdown loss to Pittsburgh. Of note, though: A.J. Green is 36 yards shy of joining Randy Moss as the only NFL receivers with 1,000 yards in each of their first six seasons. Green ranks second in the league with 964 yards and third with 66 catches.Chicago (2-7) at New York Giants (6-3)New York has taken four in a row and has shown a penchant for big plays on offense, defense and special teams. The previous time the Giants won five straight, they also won the championship in 2011.Safety Landon Collins has sparked the defense with four interceptions in the past three games and excellent pass coverage and run support.Chicago has shown nothing on the road, dropping all five contests. The Bears seem to have found a running back, however, in Jordan Howard, who rushed for 100 yards in a loss to Tampa Bay last week. Howard ranks second among rookies with 605 yards rushing.Arizona (4-4-1) at Minnesota (5-4)Whats the deal with these two 2015 playoff teams?For Minnesota, awful blocking and injuries have contributed to four straight defeats. A defense that looked impenetrable earlier this season now looks vulnerable at times, and the kicking game has been woeful.Still, the Vikings are tied with Detroit atop the NFC North.The Cardinals have lost all eight meetings in Minnesota since their move to Arizona in 1988, and havent won at the Vikings since 1977 as the St. Louis Cardinals. For them to make any headway in the NFC playoff race after being a preseason favorite, they must prosper on the road: five of their final seven games are away from Arizona.Tampa Bay (4-5) at Kansas City (7-2)Dont look now, but the Chiefs are tied for the AFCs best record. And they could get back their star pass rusher, Justin Houston from a lengthy injury rehab. Regardless, they are getting major contributions from safety Eric Berry, who had his fourth career interception return for a TD in last weeks win at Carolina, and LB Dee Ford, whose 10 sacks are tied with Buffalos Lorenzo Alexander for the NFL lead. KC leads the NFL with a plus-14 turnover margin.The Buccaneers have won four straight in this series.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '