Leicester 1-1 Tottenham: Three Foxes Talking Points

A Game of Two Halves

The old football cliché was in strong evidence at the King Power Stadium on Monday evening. In the first half, it looked like Spurs would blow the Foxes away, only some stout defending and poor finishing preventing a sizeable lead for the London side at the break. A close range header from Pedro Porro from a James Maddison cross was all they had to show for their dominance.

The second half was completely different. With Steve Cooper’s words no doubt ringing in their ears the previously passive Foxes were much more aggressive, winning the ball back and with Victor Kristensen and Wilfred Ndidi pushed further forward Leicester began to threaten the Spurs goal.  On the hour mark who else but Jamie Vardy, a surprising inclusion given his well-documented injury problems, equalised with a header from an Abdul Fatawu cross. And it could have got better, Ndidi’s header well saved by the Spurs keeper near the end. What a game.

Crisis what crisis? 

If social media is anything to go by, I have never known a pre-season when the Leicester fan base is so pessimistic about their club’s prospects. And for good reason too. Losing the manager and the best player soon after securing the Championship title was bad enough. Since then, the situation has got worse. A lack of quality signings whilst other comparable clubs have strengthened, the prospect of a points deduction, poor performances in preseason and injuries to two of their three central strikers have all added to the gloom surrounding the King Power Stadium. Pessimism has been widespread. Even the usually fairly optimistic Leicester Mercury football correspondent Jordan Blackwell admits relegation is extremely likely, if not inevitable, for the Foxes.

The result and performance against Spurs served to lift the gloom. One swallow doesn’t make a summer of course but observers have perhaps underestimated the quality of Leicester’s squad. After all, eight of the starting eleven against Tottenham had Premier League experience, some of them a member of the Leicester team which won the FA Cup and competed at the top end of the Premier League for a number of seasons. 

Further reasons for optimism are that the Foxes’ opponents in the opener are one of the big six and it is rare for the other 14 to prevail against them. Leicester’s chances of avoiding relegation is not going to depend on games like these but rather those against the smaller clubs. Finally, the transfer window doesn’t shut until the end of the month and there could be some good transfer business to be had as clubs look to get players off the books. Oliver Skipp, who is heading for the King Power Stadium, is a case in point. With Daka injured, and Vardy not likely to start every game, the purchase of another striker is essential..

In defence of the board

The finger of blame has been pointed at the club’s hierarchy. However, they are not entirely to blame. Yes, there has been timidity in the transfer market. Holding out for players, such as Adam Hlozek and Matias Soule, despite the clear evidence suggesting they had no intention of relocating to the East Midlands, has been such a bad look. Given that the club are seemingly willing to part with upwards of £20 million for reinforcements, it is a mystery why Leicester haven’t been in for players like Blackburn’s prolific goal scorer Sammie Szmodics who Ipswich bought in for only half that amount.

However, financial constraints provoked by the unfair profit and sustainability rules forced Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s departure and it is not the board’s fault that Maresca jumped ship. It is also difficult for the club to attract quality players given their current situation with a points deduction and a season of struggle on the cards. Early evidence suggests too that Cooper’s appointment was a good one.