It was an afternoon to forget for Leicester City in North London, with the Foxes’ hope instantly dwindling away every time they thought they could be back in the contest. Expectations were low heading into the clash with Arsenal, but the manner of the defeat was concerning, with some players opening themselves up for wider criticism with their questionable performances.
There were some bright sparks: Kelechi Iheanacho’s cameo and neat assist for James Maddison’s tidy finish, James Justin’s glimpses of promise, and the return to first team action for Dennis Praet. Scoring two goals away at a big 6 side is no mean feat, but conceding double that renders it irrelevant. Here are three players who let the side down in Arsenal 4-2 City.
Leicester City’s Danny Ward
As rumours began to swirl about Kasper Schmeichel’s imminent departure to OGC Nice, Foxes fans were seemingly promised a replacement for the great Dane. What they weren’t told at the time was that his replacement would be internal, and Ward did little to prove his credentials at the Emirates Stadium.
Ward gets a pass for goal number one – a delicate finish that many stoppers would struggle to reach – and while he might share a small portion of the blame for the second, the culpability for Gabriel Jesus’ back post header doesn’t sit entirely with the Welshman. Goal number three, however, so soon after William Saliba’s own goal had given the Foxes a lifeline, was a product of Ward failing to assert his authority nor command his penalty area. A mix up in communication with Wesley Fofana meant Ben White’s mediocre cross was fumbled, and before they knew it, Granit Xhaka had the small task of slotting the ball into an empty net.
The sticksman was powerless to prevent the Gunners’ fourth, as Gabriel Martinelli’s long-range drive nestled into his bottom corner. A tough afternoon for the goalkeeper, who has now been at fault for goals in two of his last four starts for the East Midlanders, but he must keep his head up and understand that his performances must improve for him to maintain his starting berth.
Daniel Amartey
Arsenal’s second goal was abundantly avoidable for a number of reasons, the final one being Daniel Amartey’s apparent surprise that Jesus got on the end of Jamie Vardy’s inadvertent assist, two yards goalside of the Ghanaian with an empty net to aim at. It’s clear that Brendan Rodgers does not want men on the back post when defending corners, but Amartey had plenty of time to spot the danger and get in between his man and the goal before it arrived there.
After being at fault for both of Brentford’s goals as City collapsed from a comfortable position last weekend, this error means that the No. 18 can be held responsible for 50% of the efforts conceded so far this campaign. He can count himself lucky that Brendan Rodgers does not have a diverse stock of quality options at centre back to take his place.
However, this poor start to Amartey’s season has been so striking that it could necessitate a change of system from the manager, from a 3-back system to one with just two centre halves. The likeliness of this will be enhanced on Harvey Barnes’ return, giving the Northern Irishman more options in the wide areas and less need to rely on the width from wingbacks James Justin and Timothy Castagne.
Youri Tielemans
It would be too cynical to suggest that Youri Tielemans’ below-par performance could be accounted for by the persistent rumours of the Belgian being a key target for yesterday’s opponents – the midfielder is far too professional to be unsettled to that degree. However, this does not make his lack of energy, aggression, nor incisiveness in the middle of the park any more excusable.
Xhaka, a player who is often ridiculed by pundits and casual observers alike, was at times given the freedom of the Islington Borough to operate and spread the ball to wide areas for crosses to be attempted. Not only that, but the Belgian had a largely immaterial impact when he was in possession, leading to a wider lack of creativity throughout the side.
It remains to be seen whether Tielemans will still be a Foxes player at the end of the transfer window, although Arsenal’s interest has reportedly cooled and shifted away from Leicester’s No.8. One thing is for certain: the sale of Tielemans this summer would be much less of a blow than it would have been in any of the previous transfer windows since his arrival at the King Power.