Leeds 1-1 Leicester: 3 things FoL learned

The Left-Back (and right-winger) conundrum

Despite the positives that can be taken from the game, it would be ignorant to avoid the poor performances of certain players. Victor Kristiansen was the unfortunate weakest link in the game and registered a 5.9 rating on Sofascore to back it up. He had a tough time sticking with Jack Harrison and was at fault for the goal, losing his man far too easily. On the ball, he was equally poor and did little to aid Leicester City going forward whilst often losing possession with aimless long balls.

Unfortunately, the only alternative in this position would be Luke Thomas, who has come under similar criticism when he was in the team. However, with Harvey Barnes now available, does Dean Smith trust the academy product to work in combination with Barnes? Perhaps this would allow for a more joined-up performance on the left-hand side.

Another poor performer in the game was Tete who has failed to match the levels he showed on his debut. Against a porous Leeds defence, Tete failed to test his opposition fullback, preferring to go backwards or sideways. Furthermore, it seemed at times that the Brazilian was not on the same wavelength as his teammates, with attacks often slowing down when they came through to him. It is so frustrating that such promise has not been fulfilled, given the fact that many fans believed he could be the long-awaited heir to Riyad Mahrez.

However, once again, a lack of options means that replacing him would mean taking James Maddison out of his central role or perhaps playing Dennis Praet there instead. Perhaps against Everton, we may see ‘Madders’ revert to the right-sided position that he performed so well in earlier this season. If Tete were to get another chance, and we are all desperate for him to succeed, he needs to showcase the qualities that attracted LCFC to sign him.