After Leicester City failed to capitalise on a dominant first half performance, they ended up having to be thankful for a point after Harvey Barnes equalised Wilfred Zaha’s opener
With seven changes to the side that played so well against Manchester United, Leicester City kicked off at Selhurst park without many of their big hitters. That rarely showed though with a first half display that was as dominant as you’d expect.
Balls were being spread wide at will by Barnes, Mendy was snuffing out all Crystal Palace opportunities but unfortunately in front of goal the chances weren’t being converted with Iheanacho the main culprit. A missed penalty, a near post header and a blocked shot were all that Kelechi had to show for his efforts with Dennis Praet also firing a shot high over the bar.
The Eagles were grateful to go in at half time level and came out second half determined not to be taken advantage of again. This time the Eagles were more in the face of the foxes not allowing them to settle on the ball. This new attitude reaped rewards in the 58th minute as Wilfred Zaha started and finished a quick attacking move with a near post volley that Schmeichel should have saved.
Despite having several chances, Leicester rarely troubled ‘keeper Vicente Guaita. But still they pressed on and with the introduction of Youri Tielemans and Jamie Vardy they pushed Palace further back towards their own goal. That pressure reaped rewards on the 83rd minute with Harvey Barnes weaving a dribble outside the box before hooking a well placed left foot shot into the bottom corner. Leicester City and Barnes continued to press but had to be content with a point in the end to keep up their good form. So what 3 things did we learn from the first 1-1 draw of the season?
The turnaround time for Leicester City was ridiculous
A year ago Leicester had less than 48 hours between being beaten at home to Liverpool on Boxing Day to beating West Ham United on the 28th December. This year Leicester had the same challenge playing 48 hours after playing Manchester United on Boxing Day.
The same can also be said for Crystal Palace, who were returning from a boxing day defeat to Aston Villa. Brendan Rodgers managed the side in a similar way to last year by making seven changes and resting much of his side. Perfectly justifiable when you consider the amount of football that his side have played with a heavy European schedule and a constant barrage of two games a week. Add this to the fact a second string team also won in London last year and Rodgers selection was expected.
But why were both teams made to play with such a quick turnaround when teams like Liverpool and Manchester United were given three days rest? This remains a mystery as the fixture list didn’t seem to warrant it. On Tuesday the 29th and Wednesday the 30th there are games at both 6pm and 8pm, with no games scheduled at 3pm on either day. Would it have been such a massive problem to put those games a day or two back? Both teams would have been grateful for the extra rest and could well have put on a better show.
Rodgers may well have still made changes but given the way he normally manages his squad the amount of changes wouldn’t have been so severe and Leicester City’s bigger players may well have also started. Although Jurgen Klopp possibly over reacted to a media interview at Brighton regarding kick off times and protecting players, his point possibly had merit. There are easy decisions to be made regarding kick off times and the tv companies seem lax in their management of it, whether it was Sky Sports or Amazon Prime they need to be working harder to protect the players and the Premier League product.
I’m fairly sure if Klopp was made to do 26th and 28th December games two seasons in a row we’d be having the issue talked about in football circles, Brendan Rodgers as always quietly gets on with his job with no fanfare.
Kelechi Iheanacho missed a massive opportunity
You won’t hear many bad words being said about Kelechi by me, he’s a wonderful finisher and his overall play has improved greatly in the last 12 months. That being said i’m about to go against my first sentence. This season the Nigerian’s performances in Europe have been very fruitful with goals and assists aplenty, his Premier League time has been limited so to get a first start for 2 months was a wonderful opportunity.
Almost as wonderful as the opportunity afforded him on the 19th minute as Leicester were given a penalty after Luke Thomas was fouled. This was the tenth penalty given to the foxes this season and wasn’t the first missed either as Jamie Vardy would admit. But the complete lack of conviction on his staggered run up phased him as Guaita stared him down and easily saved a poorly placed spot kick.
Ironically, exactly a year ago Demarai Gray missed a penalty at West Ham, but he made amends by scoring the winning goal. Kelechi missed an easy header not long after the penalty save and other than some neat link up play and a bizarrely missed foul on him by Tyrick Mitchell, his contribution waned into nothing before he was subbed on the 72nd minute. Rodgers demeanour towards Iheanacho does seem one of frustration on the touchline. After the game Rodgers did champion Kelechi’s penalty taking ability in training, but he also mentioned that getting that early goal was the key to getting three points at Selhurst Park, by not getting it only gave Palace hope where they shouldn’t really have had any.
Regardless of whether Iheanacho stuck away a couple of goals today he would still have been second fiddle to Jamie Vardy. But the real question still to be answered is who Leicester’s No.9 in the future might be. After todays game it’s unlikely that Iheanacho will be top of Brendan Rodgers list.
Harvey Barnes is getting better and better
Barnes rise over the last few years is a real advert for the loan system and his stats read like the perfect career progression. From League one, to championship, to Premier League first eleven and an England call up. He’s enjoying being coached by Brendan Rodgers and his staff as he adds many more feathers to his cap.
Despite his baby face, the Burnley-born man’s game is now more aggressive, his dribbles more productive, his passing technique (short and long) and judgement are also constantly improving. Where he could potentially do better is in his shot taking with him still finding Row Z on a game by game basis. That being said he is still finding the target more often and in the last two games he has scored two key equalisers with such venom that the keepers have been flapping at thin air.
Barnes has now scored eight goals, the most of any season in a Leicester City shirt with another half still to play. Barnes could potentially go to the highest level if his season on season improvement continues, hopefully it’s with Leicester. His position still tends to be out wide behind a striker, but with the way his game is developing don’t be surprised to see him tested as Brendan Rodgers potential replacement for a certain number 9 in the coming seasons.