The line-up was as we predicted, but to see Gray and Vardy as a partnership up front and moving Maddison out to the flank, gave me an idea of something that would not work well. You get two forwards moving as twins up front, both with the same runs.
First half was dull, but Leicester City had a good period in the middle, controlling the game and looked close to getting something. A goal was scored by Vardy, but surely it was a free kick when he attacked debuting Palace goalkeeper Guaita.
Then again, close to the end of first half, watching sloppy defending which gave Palace captain Milivojevic a free path and not really making enough effort to try to stop his clinical shot from reaching the goal, as Schmeichel was a bid hidden and had no chance to save from a distance that with proper defending would have easily been stopped.
Leicester City came out in the 2nd half without Maddison, surely some injury made that move happen, and we just have to wait and see what Puel will say about one of his best players being substituted with Rachid Ghezzal.
Ghezzal is at Leicester City not really a finished article and his display is a bit up and down, and he makes too many errors to be able to play at this level at this time. If Puel have a plan for Ghezzal, we have not yet seen it.
Demarai Gray is another matter, he is a vital player in the team but over the last games he is far from delivering what is needed from a player that should score goals and pass players, he is doing nothing of it at the moment.
Selhurst Park is not the easiest grounds to play at, and despite a difficult start for Roy Hodgson’s men, they are a handful at home. But the fact that both Tomkins and Zaha were absent, should have boosted Leicester City chances a lot.
Jamie Vardy came close after a good combination with Kelechi Iheanacho, hitting the post and really unlucky not to see his chance resulting in nothing. In all Leicester City deserved a point in this game, and they had most of the play and feel sorry for the players.
With only one point in the last three games, there will be fans asking for Puel’s head, but the same people just want to see somehting done, as they also were in favor of sacking Claudio Ranieri.
Would like to see this through January and hopefully points are picked up to be safe among the top 10 teams in the division, to ask for Puel’s head now is not something we would favor at all, since Leicester City in this game came very close to a good result.
If you like to read more from the game, look here, and to sum it all up, just continue for the positives and negatives, player ratings and match stats
- Positives:
- Keeping possession and pushing for a result
- Vardy hitting the post, and working hard over 90 minutes
- Christian Fuchs getting a game and doing ok
- Better than last season, being hammered 5-0
- Maguire played 90 minutes, looked fresh and good
- Negatives:
- To many sloppy passes and overall inaccurate play
- Gray is no longer performing as he should, disappointing to see him
- Not able to defend at crucial times in the game
- Maddison possibly injured
- Struggling to create chances and everything looks a bit random
- Player Ratings: Schmeichel 6. Pereira 6, Fuchs 6, Morgan 6, Maguire 6, Ndidi 5, Mendy 5, Gray 4, Vardy 7, Maddison 6, Albrighton 6, Subs: Iheanacho, Okazaki, Ghezzal 6
Match Stats: H/A
- Possession: 45 / 55
- Corners: 4 / 4
- Shots on target: 1 / 1
- Shots wide: 5 / 10
- Fouls: 10 / 8
- Offsides: 6 / 3
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