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Leicester Stock Watch: Mahrez and Iborra hit their stride

The Foxes appear to be putting everything together, too.

Leicester City v Leeds United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Wins, wins, wins. It feels nice to have something to celebrate again.

Leicester City stepped up in response to the sacking of Shakey by beating both Swansea City and Leeds United in one week. The Foxes weren’t lucky to come away with the points either, as they played at a high level and had several standout performers:

Stock Up

Riyad Mahrez: Yes, he was on this list last week. However, then he had just improved on previously poor form with a standout moment. This week, he improved upon a solid performance by putting together two dominant displays. At Swansea, he was directly involved in both of the goals. Against Leeds he provided a vintage Mahrez wonder-goal after coming on as a substitute. If this form continues, the Foxes could be in for a massive boost.

Vicente Iborra: I told you he would adjust to the speed of the league! Although, it happened much faster than I anticipated. The big Spaniard vastly improved upon his previous performances. Early in the season, he was hampered by a lingering injury and the speed of the Premier League. At the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, he dominated the run of play with 83 touches - a significant amount more than the next-closest Fox. He also completed the most passes on the team, made four tackles, two interceptions, six clearances, and blocked three shots.

He put in a similar performance midweek against Leeds, and even contributed more directly to the end-product. He threaded a perfect ball through to Kelechi Iheanacho who then played it in to Slimani for the second goal. Iborra also whipped the ball out wide to Mahrez to start his magical run for the third and final goal.

Kelechi Iheanacho: This continues the trend of people showing up in the stock watch - good or bad - two weeks in a row. Like Iborra, he finally made a breakthrough after struggling early on. The Nigerian frontman contributed a goal and an assist in the Carabao Cup. The goal was his first official regular season goal for Leicester City. Hopefully, it will be the first of many.

Honorable Mention: Daniel Amartey - The Ghanaian utility man may have put together his best performance in a Leicester shirt against Leeds. It is possible that he has finally settled in as a right back.

Note: Shinji Okazaki - who put in a superb display at Swansea - is not on this list because he simply continued to do what he has done all season. Thankfully, people are starting to take note of his immense contributions.

Swansea City v Leicester City - Premier League
Michael Appleton (right) crisply dapping up star contributor Shinji Okazaki (left).
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Stock Down

Marc Albrighton: He never stops working. That will always be the biggest positive about Marc Albrighton. Unfortunately, he has had his struggles offensively this season. Last season, he sharpened his already-impressive crossing abilities and significantly improved as a dribbler. Now, those attributes seem to have regressed. At Swansea, he looked to shoot more often than usual and occasionally found himself in good areas. Still, he was unable to convert. He did chip in a nice ball to set up Mahrez’s assist in that game and put in one cross against Leeds that could have resulted in a goal but didn’t. But generally he was lacking. In the cup match he sprayed inaccurate cross after inaccurate cross, continuously ending possessions in disappointment.

Thankfully, there weren't many other negatives to note this week!