Youri Tielemans is probably Leicester’s most talented player and one that could be considered truly elite. Leicester City fans need little reminding of his ability to score long-range screamers and dictate football matches. Nevertheless, the fact that Tielemans remains the crucial heartbeat of this LCFC side has created its fair share of problems that have been highlighted this season.
Everyone (Even Youri Tielemans) needs a rest
Youri Tielemans has played an astonishing number of games throughout his career, having made 369 senior appearances at the age of just 24. More astounding is that if he were to continue his current trend of playing, he would reach the average minutes of a 31-year-old by this season’s end.
These are astonishing numbers, although the Belgium star did break into the Anderlecht side at just 17. From this, the main fear would be the Belgian peaking too early in a similar fashion to Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
For sure, Brendan Rodgers did say that Tielemans plays best when allowed to maintain a constant rhythm of playing regularly. Last season certainly reflected that, with Tielemans playing an eye-watering 51 games across a shortened campaign.
Yet, this statement only holds up to a point. At times last season, Brendan did express a desire to rest the Belgian if he could, but the injury crisis at the time prevented him from being able to do so. Therefore, Tielemans continued to play when he would have been much better if he was afforded some rest
Nevertheless, at times this season, the Belgian has seemed rather jaded in the 2nd half of games, limiting his effectiveness and influence. This prompts the question of whether Brendan ought to rest Youri in some ‘lower-risk games.
Are Leicester City too one-dimensional?
Another problem created by Youri Tielemans’ genius is that he’s the main fulcrum for Leicester’s ball progression and whenever he doesn’t play well, it makes it difficult for the Foxes to perform too. With James Maddison off-the-boil, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall not ready for a starting role and Boubakary Soumaré Wilfred Ndidi not progressive enough, the onus is on ‘starman’ – and this shows.
Naturally, other Premier League teams have cottoned onto his importance and have subsequently been paying him much closer attention. This has led to Tielemans being given little time on the ball, affecting Leicester’s rhythm. This was most noticeable in the 4-1 humiliation to West Ham with Tielemans being harried at every opportunity.
Although one of the Belgian’s best traits is his ability to progress the ball under intense pressure, there’s only so much he can do. With a lack of progression from the midfield and defence, it’s up to Youri to provide the killer passes and to break the lines. Sometimes the Belgian’s passes go awry, yet it’s clear to see he’s one of the few players who are willing to take such risks and others need to help him shoulder this responsibility. Please click the link below for the final page.
Foxes cannot replace him?
The phrase used by Pep Guardiola to describe the departure of Sergio Aguero: “We cannot replace him” can be also applied to Tielemans. There simply isn’t another footballer in the Leicester squad that has been able to effectively fill in for the Belgian. Hence, Youri has kept playing game after game with no end.
The return of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Luton has provided hope that others can take up the Belgian’s mantle. KDH has shown he has the vision to pick out those killer passes and drive the team forward. Yet reproducing his Championship form at the top level is easier said than done and will require patience and adaptation. His performance against Legia Warsaw underlined this- with the willingness not being met with the required technical prowess.
LCFC fans must also contend with the fact Tielemans may well leave the Foxes if there is a failure to secure Champions League football. Given how the season has started, this is a serious possibility, with the Belgian reportedly on the ‘wishlists’ of several leading European clubs. If this were to be the case, Leicester would need to find an heir from within or from out,