Leicester 2-0 Stoke: 3 key lessons learned and many more

Another day, another Leicester City win. This is all getting a bit predictable for Foxes fans, the smiles on people’s faces are palpable and the promise of a two-week break from watching the glorious blue army actually sounds a bit annoying. So as the Foxes recorded their twelfth win of the season what did Enzo Maresca learn?

ROTATION, ROTATION, ROTATION

This was their third game in the space of seven days and Maresca rang the changes as six players came into the starting eleven. The quality of the squad is quite ridiculous with players like Kelechi Iheanacho coming in, Jannik Vestergaard returning as well as players like Hamza Choudhury, Yunus Akgun, Cesare Casadei and Australian international Harry Souttar added to the starting eleven. As Leicester City eased into a comfortable 1-0 lead from Iheanacho’s neat and tidy finish, they were needing to put the game out of reach.

On came Stephy Mavididi, Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy – an almost unfair amount of talent to have the patched-up Stoke City squad to contend with. Sure enough, Ndidi and Vardy combined to finish the game off to which Vardy went straight over to the Stoke City fans and conducted some top-grade banter, when will opposition fans learn? This Stoke City fan probably nailed the feeling of many Championship clubs – if you can see through his banter-esque tone.

It’s probably not fair as the level playing field of the Championship feels slanted in favour of Leicester City. But considering the club was relegated by a group of self-centered individuals who then left the club for more money and transfer fees, of which we have only spent a fraction of what we sold, forgive us Leicester fans if no actual proverbials are given.

Well Soutt-ed???

The biggest surprise addition to the line-up was Harry Souttar. Although he appeared at Anfield in a tough Carabao Cup defeat he had yet to see any league action since last season. Defensively he was solid enough, winning standard headers with his partner (The reborn) Jannik Vestergaard. But one of the reasons Souttar might not be erm…perfectly suited to Marescas’s style is in his confidence in passing. A few passes went astray that should really have found their man and following this, Souttar tended to stick to the easier passing options. With Souttar and Vestergaard in the side, the back line lacked any significant pace He did fine overall but I’m not overly convinced he has the passing range that Maresca craves. He is a more than useful back-up for this strong squad to be rotated into, but it still wouldn’t surprise many if he eventually left in the next transfer window, so putting in solid performances won’t hurt his market value

Leicester City’s left-sided issues

The injury to Callum Doyle on the left side of defence hasn’t really been felt yet but with Maresca needing to give James Justin a much-needed rest, he turned to Hamza Choudhury in a not-before-seen move. Choudhury didn’t look comfortable in those areas as he missed the flight of the ball on several occasions and struggled to make inroads on this side. Perhaps the sun was getting in his eyes and in fairness it is to be expected, he normally plays on the right-hand side and in central midfield defensive positions so this was a huge challenge for the Loughborough lad.

Choudhury’s attitude throughout was first class though, and the questions he was asked defensively were dealt with. Yet the quick passing and energy that is required on this side might not suit his natural game. Choudhury is clearly well-rated by Maresca and it is great to see him given opportunities, but this may be one of the few times he is tried in this area.

With the club now 10 points clear of third place, Maresca will not be discouraged from trying the occasional different player in a new position. Things are going record-breakingly well for Leicester City and everyone is happy. Enjoy it everyone, there’s still a long way to go.