Leicester 4-0 Plymouth: Foxes player ratings
In a recent piece, the Athletic opined that, in what is somewhat of a freak season, a number of clubs in the Championship might secure over 90 points and the Foxes have a good chance of breaking Reading’s record 106 points haul. Those witnessing Leicester’s 4-0 demolition of Plymouth, coupled with victories for Ipswich and Leeds, saw little to suggest that this prediction is an idle fancy.
The surprise in the Foxes starting line up was the inclusion, for his first start of the season, of Patson Daka, a player who is predicted to leave Leicester in the January transfer window. Both Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho were unavailable, although whether they were being rested or were ill/injured isn't known.. Ricardo Pereira was suspended so Hamza Choudhury came in to deputise. Clearly, Enzo Maresca is not frightened of rotating his team
In truth, the score line flattered the Foxes a little. The first half was puzzling. Some scintillating passing moves tore Argyle to shreds but poor finishing kept the half time score to a narrow 1-0 lead. It could have been worse for Leicester. In what is becoming a familiar scenario, some sloppy play at the back gifted the ball to Plymouth players and, but for some wayward shooting, and good goalkeeping from Mads Hermansen, the team from the South West might have gone in level. Three goals in seven minutes at the start of the second half put an end to the contest and, by the end – with fringe players such as Tom Cannon, Ben Nelson, Marc Albrighton and Denis Praet coming on – the game petered out with very little further excitement.
Player Ratings
Mads Hermansen. The Danish ‘keeper made two vital saves in the first half to keep the scores level. At times, his distribution was poor but his long clearance did create Daka’s goal. 7
Hamza Choudury. Deputising for Ricardo Pereira, the Leicester-born player, who also took over the captaincy, put in an assured performance. Strong in the tackle as usual but also linked the play well in an inverted full-back role and contributed to Ndidi’s goal by winning the ball high up the pitch. 7
Wout Faes. Not for the first time this season, the Belgium centre-back made some mistakes in the first half giving the ball away with some sloppy passing and, on one occasion, getting his position wrong. He struggles much more than Jannik Vestergaard with Enzo Maresca’s possession game. In the second half, the defender wasn’t troubled greatly by a poor opposition. 6
Jannik Vestergaard. Another exemplary performance by the Danish giant who, at this level at least, is a quality act. He almost scored, too, with a trademark header which the keeper did well to push away. 7
James Justin. The former Luton man defended well. Being hypercritical, perhaps, I would say he needs to offer more going forward in games like these. 6
Harry Winks. A quietly effective performance from the midfielder. The former Spurs man excels at this level, regularly providing the outlet for the back four and the ‘keeper. 7
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The midfielder had a quiet game playing well within himself before being substituted in the 70th minute. 5
Wilfred Ndidi. The forward runs of the reinvented Nigerian midfielder caused problems for the Plymouth defence all afternoon. Should have scored a one-on-one with the Argyle ‘keeper in the first half but took his second half chance well from a narrow angle. Substituted in the 70th minute. 7
Abdul Fatawu. The on-loan winger made a number of exciting runs but the end product, much to Maresca’s obvious frustration, was lacking. Fluffed a chance in the first half when his cross-cum-shot went wide. 6
Patson Daka. The Zambian striker got a rare opportunity in the first team and took it well finishing his chance with aplomb and creating Ndidi’s goal before being replaced after an hour. The forward gamely adapted his game to Maresca’s style (as have Iheanacho and Vardy) creating space for the midfielders to exploit, but at times, not surprisingly given his absence from the team, didn’t seem to know whether to come short or get on the shoulder of the last defender. 7
Stephy Mavididi. The Derby-born winger put in an excellent performance. He was a constant threat to the beleaguered Plymouth defence, created and scored the first half penalty and cooly despatched his second after 52 minutes. Substituted after an hour but was still the man of the match. 8
Cesare Casadei. The Italian youngster, replacing Ndidi for the last 20 minutes, made several penetrating runs but the final ball was lacking. 5
Tom Cannon. The striker finally made his debut for the Foxes. He worked hard, and was something of a nuisance to Argyle’s rear-guard without ever looking like scoring. 5
Marc Albrighton. The Leicester legend made an increasingly rare appearance. He put in some trademark crosses and went on a couple of penetrating runs but in the last ten minutes or so the team sought to protect the 4-0 win and the winger saw little of the ball. 6
Dennis Praet. It was good to see the Belgium international back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Worked hard but lacked the penetration offered by Ndidi.
Ben Nelson. The Leicester youngster came on for his debut in the last few minutes when the game was already won. N/A.