“It’s the hope that kills”. This remains a phrase commonly used by fans of most clubs; Leicester City included. After a demoralising defeat at the Bridge, such words are painfully true as the Foxes fell to their 11th loss of the season, putting their Champions League aspirations on a knife-edge.
With Chelsea intent on revenge, the Foxes were always on the back foot from the get-go. Whilst LCFC limped to half-time unscathed, this wasn’t to last with Chelsea pressing home their advantage with two goals after half-time.
Despite a neat finish from Iheanacho, halving the deficit, the Foxes were unable to snatch a late equaliser in a game they didn’t deserve anything from.
1. FA Cup hangover or Chelsea revenge?
Saturday was undoubtedly one of the proudest moments in the history of the club, and defeat tonight doesn’t take away from this. The display however is indicative of how mentally and physically draining the cup-final display was.
Thus, it was somewhat unreasonable to expect a repeat of Saturday, especially with Chelsea having the home advantage.
On the other hand, the Blues after their perceived injustices and Amartey’s ‘disrespect’ were out for vengeance. Combined with Leicester’s fatigue, it set up a largely one-sided encounter.
A sign of how fast things can change, defeat changes the picture for UCL qualification, with Liverpool now a serious threat to the Foxes’ aspirations.
2. VAR luck runs out
In the first half, the Blues, roared on by 8,000 vociferous fans, laid siege to the Foxes goal with 11 attempts to Leicester’s one. This performance brought back memories of the first half of Leicester’s last trip to the Bridge, despite the Foxes putting out a much better second-half display last time than they did yesterday.
After benefitting from two (clear and obvious) VAR calls in Leicester’s favour, as well as somehow avoiding conceding a penalty, it was hoped Rodgers would rejuvenate the team at half-time.
Whilst the Champions League finalists have been prone to profligacy, there was only so much the Foxes could ride their luck against a side oozing with quality.
If anything, Leicester started the second period in an even worse fashion than before, and at this level, such inconsistencies are punished by the top sides.
3. Rodgers’ tactical errors
Brendan Rodgers is a superb manager, no one doubts that. Yet, he has a weakness of seemingly refusing to change things early enough, when it is clear they aren’t working.
Setting up in a 3-4-3 to match Tuchel’s system was logical in theory but by five minutes, it was clear that such a set-up would only lead to disaster; with Chelsea swarming all over the Foxes like angry wasps. Playing an unfamiliar formation against opposition coached specifically to use this system led to overloads, especially down Leicester’s left-hand side.
The selection of a single striker left Vardy isolated in attack, whilst Maddison and Peréz were largely ineffective playing on the wing. Yes, the goals were the result of individual errors rather than tactics, but LCFC struggled to get any kind of grip on the game due to the set-up of the team.
Unsurprisingly, the introduction of Iheanacho and Pereira changed the game, but this should have happened much earlier and is an aggravatingly common theme.
Having said this, it’s easy for us fans to criticise the boss, with the benefit of hindsight, but the decision-making process on the touchline is never that easy, and that is something most supporters can never fully understand.
4. Preventable goals cause frustration
Conceding goals of any kind is always frustrating, you tell Kasper Schmeichel that. Without a doubt, it is also true Chelsea deserved the three points, but the goals were oh, so preventable. The first was from another set-piece, another reminder of the irritating problem the Foxes have from set-plays at both ends.
The second, a penalty was one difficult to justify. As Timo Werner ran away from goal, what on earth was going through Wesley Fofana’s mind? Rationally, the sensible decision would have been to stand his ground, due to the striker’s position and Werner’s haplessness in front of the goal.
Unfortunately, Fofana showed his inexperience by diving in, and with that, potentially costing Leicester City’s top-four aspirations. Clearly ‘Little Wes’ is a mercurial talent, but such rashness is what needs to be curbed for him to progress to the next level.
5. Late drama but no joy
Not for the first time, the Foxes decided to wake up after around 75 minutes, getting back into the game with a well-taken strike from Kelechi Iheanacho. After this, chances remained hard to come by until Ayoze Peréz had a glorious last-minute opportunity to snatch an undeserved point.
Patience is running out with the Spaniard after his COVID-19 misdemeanour, and his ballooned effort into the stands did little to endear himself to Foxes fans, despite the fact such misses can happen to the best of players. Regardless of this, it was so close yet so far, and déjà-vu once again.
To top it all off, Ricardo and Chilwell had an altercation on the touchline, leading to a full-blown melee. As a sub-plot of the game, it was interesting to see Thiago Silva go straight for Amartey, after the Ghanaian’s actions following the cup final. Clearly, Daniel managed to rattle not only the players but also the Chelsea fanbase, judging by the unacceptable comments directed his way on social media.
On a personal note for Iheanacho, he now holds the distinction of being the first Premier League player to score every day of the week throughout the season. This speaks volumes about how different this campaign has been, as well as his goalscoring exploits.
It’s about where you finish for Leicester City
Finishing in the top four is now out of Leicester City’s hands. Incredibly, the Foxes remain the only side to have been inside the Champions League spots for every game week. Nevertheless, Rodgers has continually stressed it’s about “where you finish”, and such a mantra rings painfully true after this disappointing result.
However, it is far too soon to give up hope, despite Chelsea and Liverpool being in pole position. The loss of UCL income would be a blow to the Foxes transfer aspirations but doesn’t detract from what has been an excellent season.
Losses at ‘big’ sides are not the issue, but rather home form and breaking down teams that set up to defend. The significance of the Newcastle debacle is now ever clearer as three points there would have all but secured Champions League. Regardless, it is pointless to speculate on the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in football.
Leicester must once again, leave this disappointment behind them and concentrate on getting a good result against Spurs on Sunday. Hopefully, a win, combined with one of Leicester’s rivals dropping points, would allow Leicester to cement a top-four finish in typical ‘Leicester’ fashion.