How Leicester City should approach their next two games

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City celebrates his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City at Anfield on January 30, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

It is no secret that Leicester City face a tough slate of games over the next two weeks, but if there is anything the Foxes faithful can cling to, it is that Leicester have pulled off the improbable before this season. Leicester should approach their next two games full of confidence that they can come away with at least a win and a draw against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Leicester fought valiantly at Anfield

Leicester, despite the weather and tactics by Jurgen Klopp, pulled out a 1-1 draw with league leaders Liverpool on Wednesday night. It was a result that most fans didn’t see coming after Sadio Mane scored from inside the penalty spot in the second minute. Leicester have now given up yet another goal in the first 15 minutes, by the way.

Even though it was a fantastic result on the road for Leicester, they could have easily earned or dropped all three points Wednesday. Kasper Schmeichel had to be in top form to make couple top saves to keep his side in it in the first-half.

Claude Puel also got a bit lucky with his tactics early on when he had Marc Albrighton playing through the middle and Maddison out wide on the left in a 4-3-3. They corrected it at half-time, but against an opponent like Liverpool, having Albrighton on the wing with his work rate and ability is a must. Finally, not starting Hamza Choudhury after he played brilliantly in previous matches was a head scratcher. He deserved to start against the Reds because of his tackling ability, as well as his work rate and eagerness to track down runners. Don’t be surprised if you see him in the starting line-up Sunday against Manchester United.

Positives from the game included Ben Chilwell keeping Mohammed Salah, as the saying goes, in his pocket the entire game, Harry Maguire scoring another goal and the backline staying strong throughout the game, especially after conceding an early goal.

In addition, Ricardo Pereira and Albrighton are forming a nice partnership on the right side for Leicester and were consistently a threat going forward and communicated well when under pressure. Although much of his game does not show up on the stats sheet, Nampalys Mendy had another quietly efficient game snuffing out Liverpool’s counter-attacks and attacking movement. If Leicester are to start climbing their way up the table, he will need to keep form over the final months of the season.

It goes without saying that Leicester have been an inconsistent side to say the least this season, but with wins against Manchester City and Chelsea as well as a draw with Liverpool, there is hope that Puel’s side can grind out results against United and Tottenham.