Foxes of Leicester
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Leicester 2-1 Cardiff: 3 standout Foxes

By Mike Liberatore

BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Leicester City, looks on prior to the Carabao Cup First Round match between Burton Albion and Leicester City at Pirelli Stadium on August 09, 2023 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Enzo Maresca, Manager of Leicester City, looks on prior to the Carabao Cup First Round match between Burton Albion and Leicester City at Pirelli Stadium on August 09, 2023 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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CARDIFF, WALES – AUGUST 12: Aaron Ramsey of Cardiff City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers at the Cardiff City Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES – AUGUST 12: Aaron Ramsey of Cardiff City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers at the Cardiff City Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images) /

Then as if written in a fantasy tale, Cesare Casadei makes his debut for LCFC, and soon following the new signing comes on Jamie Vardy. These two would eventually link up for what became the game winning goal. Vardy caused chaos in the box, potentially looking for a penalty kick, when Casadei showed up and cooly slotted the ball home amidst the confusion. What a way to start, lad!

I have three stand out players who I believe really influenced this match for the Foxes. Coming in third place today will be Harry Winks. The former Tottenham Hotspur player is showing us more each game why he was brought in. His sense of calm and understanding of game tempo is something that can’t be overstated in this side. Winks completed 96% of his passes, 80% of his long balls, and generally ran the midfield for Leicester most of the game.

One particular moment that stood out was when Leicester were facing a very dodgy situation defensively with the Cardiff attack bearing down. An opposition player made a pass to the outside of our box, overplaying his teammate somewhat, and out of no where comes Harry Winks to slip in and take possession, clearing the danger. He is certainly cementing his place in this 11.

Coming in second place today will be the ‘Italian Stallion’ Cesare Casadei. The new arrival only played 28 minutes, but definitely made his impact felt scoring on his debut. Being brutally honest, Casadei looked somewhat lost during his time on the pitch, up until he scored. I did notice that he was doing what Maresca said he would do, “arrive in the box”. He was always looking to make runs for his teammates to cross into him, maybe too often.

Overall I have a lot of hope for the young Italian midfielder as it pertains to playing in our setup. He will fit nicely into a diverse midfield lineup that will allow Leicester City to competently matchup with any midfield groupings they should face in the Championship. Surely, with time, he will grow into this side and the ideas its manager are putting forth.