Leicester City: Familiar shortcomings haunt the Foxes again
By James Lassey
After the euphoria of last week’s 2-0 win over Everton, it was back to the training ground for Leicester City and manager Claude Puel as they drew 2-2 away to Stoke City.
The draw means the Foxes have now failed to leave the Bet365 stadium with all three points for the fourth consecutive time.
Ahead of the trip to Stoke, Puel spoke about how he wanted to see his side “fight and show desire”, although his team did display the attributes needed to be competitive,it was all to no avail.
Leicester looked dangerous on the break with Demarai Gray and Riyad Mahrez offering themselves as outlets of unpredictability and attacking nous. However, it was the occurrence of old habits that seemed to override all the visitor’s best efforts – a defensive error or a lapse of concentration proved to be the difference for Puel and his men.
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Striker’s Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki chased down every punt, deflection and bypass until the studs beneath their boots wore thin but it failed to serve a purpose.
Mark Hughes’ Stoke had set up to frustrate and tamper with the fast counter-attacking football the Foxes pride themselves on playing. They allowed the visitors time on the ball but sat deep to prevent the long sweeping pass into Vardy – the move that played such a starring role in the 2015/16 title-winning season.
It was new signing Vicente Iborra who opened the scoring with his first for the club. He slammed home from a Harry Maguire knocked down following a back post corner. From here on then, it looked to be comfortable viewing for Leicester, Gray continued to find joy down the left and Mahrez was given time and space down the right.
Gray dispatched a swooping cross to Okazaki who prompted a fantastic save from Stoke’s Jack Butland. But for all of Leicester’s dominance, the cracks to their season still managed to pave way.
Leicester looked composed in possession, but without it their defensive faults were to be exposed. Xherdan Shaqiri was allowed to eloquently trot unmarked down the right hand side and a simple round the corner ball by Eric Choupo-Moting seemed to decimate the Leicester back four.
All the Swiss international had left to do was put it beyond the desperate grasp of on-rushing Kasper Schmeichel. The prosperity of Leicester’s attack seemed to vanquish as the ball flew off Shaqiri’s boot. An impregnable force two season’s ago, now a leaky unit for goals.
Mahrez looked to be the saviour as he put the Foxes back ahead but it was Peter Crouch who was to have the final say.
He scored the goal which led to Puel’s sacking at Southampton last season, when the Potter’s finished 1-0 winner over the Saints then and the Englishman was there again to heap further misery onto the Frenchman.
His goal acted as further confirmation that the Foxes are at the epicentre of their own individual downfall. Crouch was allowed to rampage his way free, barging his way past Christian Fuchs and Maguire and even had the space to adjust his body to head home the equaliser.
Matters could have gone from bad to worse had it not been for a fantastic stoppage time save from Schmeichel.
All in all Puel and Leicester City will take this result. The Bet365 stadium has proved to be a tough hunting ground for the Foxes with their last win there coming back in 2014.
The reinvigorated form of Mahrez and the continued emergence of Demarai Gray will add hope to Leicester City’s season. But if they are to finally rid the hangover left by predecessor Craig Shakespeare, Puel will have to address the uncovered defensive weaknesses, sooner rather than later.