The great inconsistent enigma that is Leicester City, the same ones who scored five at The Etihad have since gone 180 minutes with zero goals following their second defeat in a row to an in-form Aston Villa, a game that came with a £14.95 price tag. Where has it gone wrong since then and what three things did we learn from another home defeat?
Ricardo, Ndidi, Soyuncu & Vardy were four first team players that played key roles in two lots of hammerings of Aston Villa last season. All four were absent tonight and it showed. Before the game there were doubts over Jonny Evans & Dennis Praet, both of those played and looked sluggish at best with Evans picking up his customary yellow and Praet clearly carrying a knock and having little influence in midfield.
The Injury situation is reaching crisis point
Then there’s James Maddison who once again started on the bench. A player that is widely considered one of the best players in the Premier League, is once again starting from the bench with no real explanation why. A strong and fit eleven against a sluggish patched up one normally ends one way. Defeat to Aston Villa was entirely expected and the truth is they shaded a tight game.
Expectations of the team need to be adjusted as players that seemed to have no future are finding themselves in key areas not because of their form but merely because of desperation. On the positive side that lead to a fairly solid debut for Wesley Fofana who looked assured in his position. But on the downside seeing Islam Slimani taking to the field and chasing shadows at the end of the game was embarrassing for everyone.
Following the defeat Brendan Rodgers revealed that Soynucu won’t play until the new year meaning centre back options are once again in a desperate situation (anyone seen Benkovic anywhere?).
There is a real desperation to the team selection right now and Rodgers is having to be more and more creative in how he sets the team up. Rest isn’t going to be forthcoming anytime soon with the Europa league campaign starting on Thursday. Team selections are going to have to be even more creative in the coming weeks and don’t be surprised to see youth players drafted in.
Strikers are an issue that isn’t going away
Jamie Vardy is the talisman of the team and whenever he’s absent the team nearly always suffers. With Vardy a few months away from his 34th birthday it seems the club is suffering from that old Nigel Pearson syndrome ‘The Ostrich’.
Kelechi Iheanacho has had his fair share of critics in his 3 years at the club but last season was a genuine success with him offering up goals and assists and proving to be a menace against teams, particularly Aston Villa. Villa now look a far better outfit in the Premier League with their defence snuffing out all threats and reducing Leicester to long range efforts (1 from Kelechi). He dropped into pockets of space to pick up the ball and brought his teammates into the game, but he also gave away several cheap fouls and still hasn’t found a way to worry defenders with his power and pace. Kelechi continues to be an enigma that we will have to be patient with as he will be needed more and more.
When Iheanacho was subbed, he was replaced by the former record signing from Algeria over two years since he last wore a Leicester shirt. Its quite shambolic that this is happening, i’d rather see a youth player given a run out. He looked eager, but also sluggish and following a breakaway chance just couldn’t get the ball from out of his feet and let it pathetically slip from his grasp, causing chuckles from the stand. Whoever put Slimani on a 5 year contract in 2016 should be further embarrassed that the club hasn’t been able to get rid of him. Brendan Rodgers literally said in a recent interview that he had no future at the club. Now he’s being asked to play as a lone striker chasing down centre backs pinging the ball around him. It’s a sorry situation.
In the Villa side is a young and dynamic striker by the name of Ollie Watkins, a player that Leicester should definitely have been considering signing. With his expert running into the channels, pace and aggression he would be a perfect foil for a Jamie Vardy. Although admittedly this was a far quieter game for him than THAT 7-2 mauling of Liverpool. Watkins was a player that Leicester never even attempted to sign and questions should be asked as to why.
With Vardy’s contract even being extended it seems the club are just going to bank on his fitness and worry about his absences as and when they happen. That next worry will be in the European game at home to Zorya Luhansk where Vardy will once again be absent and Leicester City will have to try and look more than toothless up front.
Creating chances is the real issue for Leicester City
The standard argument against the strikers lacks consistency though. Of the three strikers this season only 6 shots on target have been achieved with four of them being penalties. The current run is unsustainable. But where should the creativity be mainly coming from?
The lack of a consistent number ten has left Leicester in a puzzling paradigm since the season started. That creative mantle hasn’t really been taken up by anybody.
Harvey Barnes shows much promise and enthusiasm, but is kind of still trading on the fact of his baby face and that he is young and eager (He’s 23 in 6 weeks). In key positions against Aston Villa he too often plumped for the wrong decision by misplacing a pass , cross or striking a hopeful shot high into the stand. His excited demeanour when he gets the ball in the final third is starting to ruin many Leicester attacks as he struggles to calm himself down before making a decision.
Where’s that ruthless streak as well? As soon as Cash was booked first half for trying to yank his shorts down he should have targeted him with his pace, but not once did that happen in the second half. This sounds very harsh for a recent England international but the lack of chances being created needs to be asked of someone in a Leicester City shirt.
Ayoze Perez is quickly building some fan hate on social media (never a good place to gauge real opinion, it could be a lot of bitter Geordies in disguise). He shows much eagerness and works hard but with him not offering much going forward, bar a squirmed deflected shot in this game nor any chances created its becoming painfully obvious how little effect he is having on games. Link up play is nowhere as effective as the erratic Barnes and his chasing back leaves little to be desired. What exactly is his job supposed to be?
Maddison just isn’t on the pitch long enough to influence games, which is leaving many of us to suspect deeper fitness issues. Tielemans seems to be dropping deeper and deeper in the absence of Wilfred Ndidi and Mendy and Praet are too busy snuffing out oppositions attacks to offer anything meaningful going forward. Also, where is Cengiz Under when we need him?
The main attacking threat in many of the games has come from the full backs Justin and Castagne and against the Villains they rarely got in attacking positions as they both held strong to nullify the roaming Grealish.
Things aren’t all doom and gloom with 9 points in the bank already and European football to come. But injuries and a lack of attacking threat is starting to take over the season already in a spectacular fashion. The starting eleven against the Ukranians will surely indicate who is being pencilled in for a difficult trip to the Emirates next Sunday.