Last time out, Aston Villa beat Southampton to pick up their sixth league win under the Emery era. Next up is another relegation threatened side in the form of 14th placed Leicester. The Foxes last league win came back in November however their last two results have been a draw and a win in the cup.
I spoke to Leicester City Extra about their thoughts about their turbulent season so far.
UTV PODCAST X LEICESTER CITY XTRA
Leicester’s results so far this season have been nothing to write home about. Just five wins in twenty games leaves Leicester in a dangerous position on the table. Do you think that recent performances have been enough to secure your place in the Premier League for another season?
“I think we’ve had spells in games were we have looked like our old self it’s just about consistency we have the players to stay up this season it helps with James Maddison returning at the perfect time”.
Leicester has the joint second worst defence in the league so far this season. This is evidently where the problem lies with Leicester, as the attack is proving dangerous with James Maddison being particularly impressive. Which of your players would you say has been impressive but hasn’t been given the media attention they deserve?
“Bouba Soumare has replaced Ndidi really well and living up to the potential Leicester fans had for him. He’s a confident player on the ball, doesn’t mind driving with it or playing east bounces passes to keep the ball moving“.
After playing Aston Villa, Leicester’s next five league fixtures include Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea. How important is it to pick up the points against Villa ahead of this tricky schedule?
“You look at that fixture and it’s hard one. To pick up a win against Villa on Saturday would be huge to get the confidence in the squad and to push on in February and pick up wins against the traditional top six and struggling a Southampton side“.
Finally, what’s your score predictions?
“My prediction for the game 1-1 Villa park is a tough fixture away from home for any team especially if the fans get on board and support the home team”.
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OPPOSITION FOCUS | WHAT’S GONE WRONG?
So far this season things have not looked good for Leicester at all. They have struggled to make an impact against lesser teams as well as currently having the second worst defence in the league.
Despite pressure from the fans to change their manager, Leicester gave decided to stick with Rogers in the hope he can turn it around. But what can Rogers do to turn their season around? What is going wrong at Leicester City?
The most startling problem that is clear to see to all Leicester fans is their defence. Leicester have conceded 35 goals in 20 games so far this season. This averages out at around 1.75 goals per game. Worrying. But what is wrong with Leicester defence? Why are they letting so many goals in? To try and find out the problem, I want to look at the defence that Leicester players with last time out.
Against Brighton, Leicester lined up with a back four consisting of Castagne, Amartey, Faes and Thomas. This has been the back four that Leicester have mainly used since the restart of the Premier League. This shows that it isn’t a problem of inconsistency. This is as they have had a chance to adapt to each other’s playing styles and to form a relationship.
So let’s look at it from a player by player basis. Castagne and Amartey are both playing in a position which isn’t exactly natural to them which could be costing Leicester City. Castagne is comfortable playing at right back however much prefers utilising his creative ability and playing higher up the position. Amartey on the other hand is new to his position as he is usually accustomed to playing further out on the right.
Having said that, I don’t think the problem lies with the defenders. Instead, I believe that it lies with the man behind the defenders. Whilst Danny Ward has definitely improved since the start of the season, it is clear that he is not good enough for this level yet. Furthermore, when you consider who Danny Ward replaced, Kasper Schmeichel, the problem explains itself further. The Danish international could always be relied on to save the day for Leicester. It’s clear that right now, Leicester do not have that same trust in Ward.
So it’s simple, right? Leicester have used the January market to their advantage and signed a highly capable goalkeeper that will see them well clear of the relegation zone. Well like all things in football, it’s never quite that simple. As of September 2022, Leicester have declared debts of around £119 million meaning that Leicester have had to be very careful, precise and accurate with their spending to avoid Financial Fair Play troubles.
So it’s clear that poor financial planning has severely limited Leicester for a few seasons now. However the full effects hadn’t become obvious until now. Whilst Leicester have a team which some may argue is far too good to go down, their next few fixtures will go along way to sealing the fate of the former Premier League champions.
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MY PREDICTION
Leicester’s next few games could leave them in a very dangerous position in the table. This means that it is vitally important that they start to add points to their tally. Having said that, Villa are in a very good position having gone on quite an impressive run of form. That said I can see it being a difficult match but one that Villa will deal with. I’m going for a 1-0 win, Watkins grabbing the goal.
AUTHOR | ELLIS BURNETT
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