For Leicester City, it was third-time lucky against QPR, as they scored their first (three) goals of the new campaign after firing blanks in the two previous games.
Despite not winning; scoring the first goals of the season was very welcome indeed, as well as various aspects of the performance. For those that missed the action (as well as those who didn’t), here is what we ascertained from this thrilling encounter.
In the first half, Leicester City put out their ‘first choice’ XI, with Harvey Barnes returning to the side and looking lively on his return. In fact, LCFC played reasonably well but found themselves behind after a slick QPR move. In the second, Leicester started disastrously by conceding but recovered after withstanding substantial QPR pressure.
As the stand-out player of the first 45, Boubakary Soumaré emphasised the depth in talent LCFC possess in midfield. With KDH once again putting in a quality display when he came on, Leicester are spoilt for choice. Soumaré’s vision and technical ability were evident to see with the Frenchman breaking the lines at every opportunity, whilst playing in teammates with sublime passes. With more understanding and game time, the midfield triumvirate of Ndidi, Tielemans and Soumaré could be a force to be reckoned with.
We all thought Jamie Vardy was irreplaceable. That opinion still stands but Leicester City have seemingly found an excellent substitute in Patson Daka; even if comparisons are too soon after just one game. In a 30 minute cameo, he had a hand in all Leicester goals, showcasing an impressive range of attributes.
For the first goal, Daka showed strength and persistence to tee up KDH, before utilising Vardy-esque movement and a clinical finish to equalise. Saving the best till last, the Zambian displayed searing pace to win LCFC a late penalty. We shouldn’t expect him to get up to speed instantly, but what we saw today was extremely promising and bodes very well for the games ahead.
Despite the Foxes conceding three goals, Wesley Fofana stood out in central defence with an imperious display. Despite turning in an awkward display against Burton, he showed no signs of discomfort here, with confidence in his passing, tackling and intercepting. Without his presence, Leicester would have likely conceded even more, with QPR’s attackers posing plenty of problems for the City backline.
Despite a largely positive performance from most players, it’s clear Leicester City have several continuing issues. Firstly the lacklustre display from Ayoze Pérez is another warning of how much Leicester need a specialist right-winger. Those who watched need no further reminder that at best he’s a square peg in a round hole. Admittedly, the LCFC fanbase isn’t the most forgiving to him at times, but he’s done little to endear himself to the Foxes faithful.
Furthermore, set-pieces remain a big issue; Leicester conceded two goals today from failing to clear their lines and were fortunate not to concede more, with QPR hitting the woodwork several times. Hopefully, these errors will be largely cut out with time and more match fitness; which is what pre-season is really about.
Off-the-field there were absences in the form of James Maddison and Jonny Evans, both of which were explained by Brendan Rodgers. James Maddison was absent due to the impending birth of his child and Foxes of Leicester offer their congratulations to Maddison and his partner.
Jonny Evans on the other hand is still struggling with an “ongoing foot problem” as per Rodgers’ post-match interview. Clearly, this is a recurring problem that may keep Evans out of the LCFC team for some time. As such, the Foxes may have to purchase another central defender, although Brendan remained tight-lipped over what signings will come.
Stay tuned into Foxes of Leicester for more pre-season analysis and evaluation as we get closer and closer to the 2021/22 Premier League campaign. There is also one final friendly match against Villarreal before meeting Manchester City in the Charity Shield.