Leicester City kicked off their Premier League season at Old Trafford with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Although Leicester showed their fighting spirit, the same problems they had faced at the end of the 2017/18 season have bled into the current campaign.
Leicester City Vs Manchester United: As it happened
An unfortunate result spoiled what was a rather promising display of the new look Foxes. A harsh handball call against Daniel Amartey led to a Paul Pogba penalty, and a Luke Shaw strike, which was reminiscent of a blind squirrel finding a nut, left the visitors in a 2-0 deficit.
An extra time header in the ending moments by Jamie Vardy sparked hopes of a late comeback for Leicester, but that was not enough to overcome Mourinho’s side.
Though Leicester ultimately failed to secure any points against United, they looked like a team full of promise. New players like Ricardo Pereira and Rachid Ghezzal produced moments of great quality, while the young players like Ben Chilwell, Wilfred Ndidi, and Demarai Gray created a dynamic partnership on the left side of the pitch.
However, the star of the match for Leicester was 21-year-old James Maddison. The former Norwich City player was the creative spark that the Foxes faithful hoped he would be.
A win by the numbers, a loss in reality
Much like the second half of last season, Leicester based their game on possession rather than relying on counter attacking, which helped them control the game; however, these statistical successes on the pitch did not necessarily lead to points.
Against United, Leicester had more possession(53.7%-46.3%), more shots (13-8), more passes (543-485) and more touches (744-697) than their opponents. Still, they left Old Trafford with no points and have continued the trend that plagued the end of last season by winning the statistical game but losing the game itself.
When comparing the stats of Leicester against United on Friday night with Leicester’s final ten games of last season, it seems as if nothing has changed.
Statistic Leicester City Vs Manchester United Last ten games of 2017/18
Possession: 53.7% 52.7%
Shots (on target): 13(4) 13.2(4.6)
Passes: 543 416.4
Touches: 744 614.8
Corners: 5 6.6
Goals: 1 1.6
Total Points Won: 0 1.1
With the exception of passes and touches, Leicester’s stats from the last ten games of the previous campaign, and the game against United are eerily similar. To put it simply, Claude Puel prefers quantity over quality.
Though the Frenchman has spent £104.3 million on seven new players, the problems that led to his side’s stagnation at the end of 2017/18 remain the same. Due to this, reports of the Leicester Board contemplating the sacking of the gaffer have already surfaced.
Back on the hot seat
Since the beginning of the year, Claude Puel’s job has been in jeopardy. Reports of the former OGC Nice manager being sacked only intensified in the final weeks of the 2017/18 season; however, good performances against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly saved the Frenchman’s job for an important summer transfer window.
The Leicester Board backed Puel this summer and let him spend as much as he thought was fit during the transfer window. By allowing the 56-year old to spend a little over £100 million this summer, it appears as if the Frenchman is seen as the long-term managerial answer at the club. The opening day defeat, however, has already led to reports that the gaffer may be sacked as soon as the first international break in mid-September.
The Daily Mirror reports that if Puel cannot start winning before the international break, then he could be replaced either by Belgian international manager Roberto Martinez or his assistant and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
The reports haven’t surprised anyone, as the Leicester ownership and board are notorious for sacking managers at the first sign of trouble. Since returning to the Premier League in 2014, they’ve got rid of Nigel Pearson, Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare. If Puel is sacked, then the Leicester Board would have fired four managers in under five seasons.
Puel now may have three games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Liverpool to prove that he is the right man for the job. It would be interesting to see a proven Premier League manager in Martinez return to England, and it would be a romantic story to see Henry get his first chance as a manager in the country where he became arguably the world’s best player. However, the Leicester owners would still need to be the one thing they have never been: patient.
The Board needs to relax
The constant changing of managers and play style has hindered Leicester’s growth. Seeing as Leicester have shown moments of great quality and progressed under Puel, to sack him after only four matches would be an impetuous decision.
Yes, if the East Midlanders continue to lose consistently, then Puel deserves the sack – but the board needs to wait at least ten matches before they make such a dramatic move.
With a strong transfer window under his belt, Puel has a team he believes can play and succeed at the highest level. It is only right to give him some time to prove that he can transform all of this quantity into quality. If not, then the managerial carousel of hirings and firings in the East Midlands will continue.