For the first time in ten years, Leicester City are only days away from beginning their EFL Championship campaign. After a controversial pre-season, fans are hoping that their Foxes are ready for what will be a crucial season in the club’s history.
Enzo Maresca’s stamp has been pressed into the club, we’ve already seen the Foxes play some outstanding football under the Italian during their four pre-season games, but he’ll want to quickly press out the wobble he saw in the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Huge questions still lay over his capabilities as a football manager and he’ll be aiming to prove the sceptics wrong on Sunday as the noisy neighbours from the M69 come to town. Coventry City, who so closely missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season, will want to start their season with a sensational win at the King Power; this can’t happen.
This season is all about promotion for Leicester, anything else and Maresca’s job is at risk. He knows this, the board knows this, and the fans know it too. It’s crucial then, that he chooses the right team for Sunday as they aim to start their season by making a statement.
Here are the three players that Foxes of Leicester feels Maresca cannot ignore for the season opener.
Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira
Come their relegation in May, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that we’d seen the last of Ricardo Pereira at Leicester City. The right-back has been with the club since his £20m signing in 2018 and is far too good of a player to be in the Championship. Since the start of pre-season though, it’s been abundantly clear that he will stay.
Once regarded as one of the best right-backs on the planet come his form in 2019, Ricardo has suffered a horrific spell with injury. Since his ACL rupture in March 2020, the defender has missed over 19 months of football through calmative injuries and is yet to experience a clean season since the turn of the decade.
Now 29, he is aiming to be back to his best. We’ve already seen Ricardo merge into a midfielder in Maresca’s 3-2-4-2 formation, understandable given his brilliant work in attack. With the Foxes still stumbling in the final third, having a fully fit Ricardo adds a whole new dimension to the right of the pitch.
With Timothy Castagne clearly keen for a move away and James Justin still easing himself back into contention, Ricardo has a chance to make that right-back spot his again and, if he stays injury-free, may just play himself back into the Portugal squad (he has seven senior caps to his name).
Listed by Maresca as key leader on the pitch – and even a potential captain given the loss of previous club-captain, Jonny Evans, on a free transfer – the defender has all the tools to become one of the greatest Championship players of all time.
Wilfred Ndidi
A huge turnaround in form and attitude has seen Wilfred Ndidi go from one of the players next tipped for an exit, to a key part of Maresca’s midfield engine. It’s no secret that the Nigerian has suffered a monumental drop-off in form over the last two years and has dipped well below his standards.
With Maresca comes a second chance at Leicester. The defensive-midfielder has impressed during pre-season in a new hybrid role, attacking up the pitch much more than he was before. He scored the sole goal in the last-minute friendly against Port FC and his physical presence will be much-needed in the Championship.
Still 26, Ndidi has amassed over 230 appearances for the Foxes since they signed him in 2017 from Belgian outfit, Genk. Now in the last 12 months of his deal, Leicester and Maresca clearly want him to stay, it’s up to Ndidi to prove why he deserves a new contract.
With Boubakary Soumare still debating his future at the club, and with Hamza Choudhury facing interest himself, it seems likely that Ndidi will start the Coventry game at the base of midfield, just behind Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and the impressive Harry Winks.
Capable of playing in defence, his versatility will be a real boost for the squad as they face a bruising and crammed football schedule. If this is to be Ndidi’s final season at the King Power, he needs to make sure he leaves a positive legacy, Sunday is the best way to start that.
Wanya Marcal-Madivadua
Whilst Ricardo and Ndidi are both shoe-ins for the starting XI against Coventry, Marcal-Madivadua’s presence is uncertain. Ready for his breakout season, the Portuguese youth player has enjoyed a highly promising pre-season.
Playing 18 times in the Premier League 2 last season, Marcal-Madivadua caught the eye, with many fans looking forward to him getting his chance to shine in July. He did just that, dazzling with his feet and pace on the right flank, and there’s still plenty more to come from the youngster.
On Friday, Maresca spoke to the press ahead of the season opener. When asked about his wingers, he explained:
"It’s quite clear in our idea that wingers are very important. Most of the time we allow them in situations one v one, so they need to be good in one v one. Quote via LeicestershireLive"
Currently, Leicester’s options on the wing are exceptionally limited. Marc Albrighton is a club legend, but he isn’t getting any younger and can’t be relied upon as the starting option on the right if the Foxes are to secure promotion.
New signing Stephy Mavididi has arrived to fill the gap left by Harvey Barnes, but wasn’t able to play a pre-season game for his new club, so may not be quite ready to start on Sunday. Whilst it’s clear the backroom staff need to dip back into the transfer/loan market for another winger, Marcal-Madivadua has the chance to make a name of himself and place a marker down for a starting spot this season.
It would be a gamble to start the 20-year-old, but he looks ready for the challenge. Could he be the answer to LCFC’s winger woes? Time will have to tell.