To be honest, no! With the departures of Nigel Pearson and Esteban Cambiasso, and the arrival of Claudio Ranieri, many thought we would struggle early on. But wins in our first two games set the tone and we’ve been performing at that level more or less ever since. Our position in the top six does not flatter us at all.

Barring injuries, I see no reason why the current run of form cannot continue for some while yet, although tough fixtures against the Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea loom towards the end of the year.. We’ve scored in every game this season and while much of the focus has inevitably been on Jamie Vardy, players in other areas of the side have also weighed in with goals at crucial times. The defence has looked a little uncertain at times, but will have been boosted after keeping its first clean sheet of the season against a Crystal Palace side who are noted for being strong on their travels.

There is a never-say-die spirit which served us so well during the second half of last season which has continued into the current campaign. We score a lot of late goals, as Albion discovered to their cost in last season’s game at the Hawthorns – the match that really kick-started our revival and eventual survival.

He’s in the form of his life right now. It’s a great achievement for any Premier League striker to have reached double figures by the end of October and even the top defences in this league have been troubled by his power and pace.

On current form, he is definitely England’s top striker, and should be in Roy Hodgson’s plans for Euro 2016. However, there are others who have served the manager well in the past and if they are fit, I suspect he will prefer to go with them.

Vardy apart, Riyad Mahrez has also caught the eye with some exceptional performances, although his form has tailed off slightly in recent weeks. Danny Drinkwater has done an excellent job in filling the role vacated by the departure of Cambiasso, while fellow midfielder N’Golo Kante has quickly become a fans’ favourite since signing from Ligue 1 in the summer.

Japanese signing Shinji Okazaki would have hoped to have scored more than one goal at this stage of the campaign, while last season’s top scorer Leo Ulloa has yet to find the net at all. But both have played key roles in City victories this season and retain the respect of team-mates and fans alike.

Top 10 finish and a semi-final (at least) in one of the cups.

Between 10th and 12th.

Manchester City

Bournemouth, Sunderland, Watford

After shuffling the pack during the early games, Ranieri has finally established his first-choice side. Expect a 4-2-3-1 formation with Vardy as the lone striker and Mahrez playing just behind him. We’ll attack with pace but may leave ourselves vulnerable to counter-attacks, which Rondon and Berahino may well seek to exploit.

I think it could be quite tense and scrappy, though Vardy may just give us the edge as he did last season. I’ll go for a 2-1 victory for Leicester. But Albion fans may wish to take comfort from the fact that both my predictions for last season proved to be inaccurate..

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