Claude Puel admits frustration after Leicester draw to West Ham
Leicester City’s 1-1 draw to West Ham on Friday has left manager Claude Puel feeling as though they should have come away with more.
Puel’s side took the lead after eight minutes when Marc Albrighton stabbed the ball home from Jamie Vardy’s low cross.
However the Foxes couldn’t hold onto the lead, as Cheikhou Kouyate met a corner that deflected off Danny Simpson before flying past Kasper Schmeichel.
Leicester started brightly but faded as the game went on, something that Puel was disappointed in, and had the same signs of the 2-2 draw with Stoke City.
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"“A draw away, it’s always interesting but I think it’s a little bit of a frustration,” Puel told reporters after the game.“At the end it was a draw just like our game at Stoke. We were leading them 1-0 and 2-1 and in the end it was 2-2, it was the same thing.”"
Expected Goals had Leicester at 0.75, compared to West Ham’s 1.03 (via InfoGol), which means the result was fair based on the chances created.
"“We conceded a goal just before half time from a corner kick. We have to correct it and we have to find a clinical edge because we had a lot of opportunities and situations in the first half,” he digressed."
Taking an early lead was great for Leicester, as the London Stadium crowd were quickly on Moyes’ team’s back, but the goal before half time reversed that.
"“We had to kill the game in the first half, but they scored just before half time and came back with confidence. The atmosphere improved in the stadium and it was crucial to keep the draw,” he aggrieved."
However Leicester didn’t create as much later in the game, which would have upped their numbers and only had three shots from inside the box all game.
"“It was difficult to play the second half but the first half was promising for the future. We had good moves and found good space but at the end we have frustration,” he added."
There were a lot of positives for Puel though, as the midfield was impressive despite giving the ball away unnecessarily at times.
Albrighton looks fantastic in his new central position, meaning that he can play alongside Demerai Gray and Riyad Mahrez which gives Leicester an extra dimension in attack.
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Several of Puel’s tactical tweaks have worked well, be that Albrighton or Mahrez centrally, both have produced good results.
Promoting Gray to a starter has been hugely positive, while even small changes like allowing Danny Simpson to push forward more has improved the side.
Friday’s result moves Leicester up to eleventh in the table with fourteen points. Leaving the Foxes level with Newcastle United, but there are three sides just a point behind they approach the festive season.
The hectic winter period continues for Puel as they host Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday at the King Power Stadium.