Leicester v. West Ham, Match Preview, Fans View, Who’s in, Who’s out

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A good 1st half performance at The Emirates must be taken into this game, and not to forget those fantastic chances of Maguire and Ndidi not materialising into goals, but again if such a display will be on at home v. West Ham, Leicester will bring three new points to the table.

Jamie Vardy left the field at The Emirates with a stomach problem, and he has not been training until today, so that has taken it’s time. Leicester were reduced to 10 men at The Emirates and had to finish the game with one man short, as all the subs were introduced.

Good news is that Demarai Gray is back in contention and has trained this week and hopefully will be available from the bench. Matty James and Wes Morgan are the two not available, James still injured and Morgan serving his red card ban.

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West Ham will of course be without their Ukrainian forward Yarmolenko, who is out long term with an injury, not expected back before April next year, and the list of absent players are long and difficult for Pellegrini.

Wilshire, Carroll, Lanzini, Holland, Mba Obiang, Sanchez and Silva are all on that list and surely it is a difficult situation for West Ham, and they are weakened and will come to King Power Stadium possibly looking for a modest result.

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Claude Puel has passed his first year in charge of Leicester City, and as we all are looking at his work, there of course a great number of positives and a few negatives. He has made a massive improvement in the way Leicester City play the game, but again it has also turned a few results in the wrong direction.

With a number of new faces and youngsters introduced, you will probably see the team progress given time and we should really honor him for his work. Gray, Chilwell, Maddison and Maguire are all in the England frame at the moment, and there are a lot of positives, and his stats are good, 10th in the PL, two quarter finals in the cups, not bad at all, and hopefully he can get Leicester back in the battle for European places and hopefully get the club to Wembley again.

The game on Saturday, a late kick-off, 6.30, is of course the first step in that direction, always believing that three points should be collected at home. City had a difficult time in the last home fixture, losing 2-0, but again they have had a relatively good record against Hammers lately and it is a fixture we should be seen as a winning possibility.

We’ve also a seen a number of changes to both players and system, flirting with different approaches against different teams, not easy to see what Puel is up to all the time, and surely against Arsenal he had moved Amartey into the middle with Evans and Maguire, if he will stick to this in this game, who knows.

Referee,
Michael Oliver, the one to decide at King Power

Last Meeting, 11 v. 11
Home: 05.05.18, 0-2, Defeat, Premier League
Away: 24.11.18, 1-1, Draw, Premier League

Best Bet,
Our prediction is a 3-1 win

Predicted Leicester City line-up,
System: 4-4-1-1, Schmeichel – Amartey, Maguire, Evans, Chilwell – Ndidi, Mendy, Pereira, Maddison – Iheanacho – Vardy

Fun Fact,
Going back to the 2015/16 season, Andy King, Ritchie De Laet and Jeffrey Schlupp all started the game v. West Ham away mid August. Okazaki and Mahrez scored the goals in the 2-1 win. both goals were scored in the first half, and this years World Cup finalists Andrei Kramaric and N’Golo Kantè were both on the bench. Kantè coming on for Okazaki late in the 2nd half.

In Both Camps,
Keith Robson was a bit of a cult hero at West Ham, playing a great game in that European Cup winners Cup final in 1976, of course defeated but again a nice run for The Hammers. Robson later turned up at Leicester City playing from 1981 to 1983, but only nine league appearances while at the club. Andy Impey, Paul Kitson and Les Ferdinand, not to forget Brian Deane, all had periods in both camps. Jimmy Bloomfield, previously in charge of Leicester City, had a short period as a player with West Ham in the mid 60’s.

The big duel,
Vardy v. Balbuena, a bit uncertainty about Vardy, but if he is out there and ready to play, then he will be a handful for the West Ham defense.

October 25, 2018 0

Arsenal v. Leicester, Match Preview, Fans View, Who’s in, Who’s out

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A new and difficult game away at The Emirates, not a favorite place for Leicester City at all. The last time we had a win away to The Gunners is as far back as the 8th September 1973, a great 2-0 win, goals from Stringfellow and Glover. You start to go nostalgic, 45 years ago, since Leicester City last had a taste of a win away.

But tradition is something, breaking it would have been fun, but can’t really see it happen, sorry. With problems in the back, not a settled defense and a few players in doubt, this looks tricky.

Arsenal have lately been in great form and their new manager Unai Emery looks as one who knows his trade and how to get this Arsenal team in shape. A difficult start has been turned into a good run, at the moment 4th in the PL table.

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You have a group of players who are starting to gel with their new signings in the summer, Sokratis, Torreira and Guendouzi all making great progress. Two other players Leno and Lichtsteiner who are also new, has not featured much.

A few injury worries in the Arsenal camp might be the hope Leicester City have. The fact that key players such as Sokratis, Cech, Koscielny, Maitland-Niles and Welbeck all are doubtful will stress Arsenal. Sokratis will definitely be missing, the rest face late fitness tests to see if they can be available.

Leno is the one believed to be in goal, a good goalkeeper who is real competitor to Cech for the job permanently. Holding will play with Mustafi in the middle. Monreal and Bellerin looks like the players to cover the back four positions.

How they will settle in midfield and up front is not easy to say, but a mix of Ozil, Aubemayang, Lacazette, Xhaka, Torreira and Iwobi is among the suggestions. Guendouzi would be in contention, so could Aaron Ramsey be.

There are no one suspended players at Arsenal, Leicester City will be without Wes Morgan, who is suspended for two games after being sent off against Everton.

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Leicester City are constantly in struggle to find a balance in their team, specially not being able to get things correctly from start, easily being a goal down after few minutes. This is surely something Leicester City must be eager to correct against Arsenal.

Mendy and Ndidi are players who like to keep possession and not really playing through those fantastic passes that Leicester City were used to with Danny Drinkwater in their middle and James Maddison is a real key now.

To get the ball forward to Maddison and from him being able to get the right passes to Vardy will be a crucial link. The question is, will Puel this time sacrifice Iheanacho to play Maddison in his preferred role just behind Vardy.

Again a question to ask, will Puel give the new man from Freiburg, Caglar Soyuncu his debut against Arsenal, hardly from start, seeing Jonny Evans replacing Wes Morgan.

Referee,
Andre Marriner, will be in charge at King Power

Last Meeting, 11 v. 11
Home: 09.05.18, 3-1, Win, Premier League
Away: 11.08.17, 3-4, Defeat, Premier League

Best Bet,
Our prediction is a 1-1 draw, this is more of a hope than really a best bet

Predicted Leicester City line-up,
System: 4-4-1-1, Schmeichel – Amartey, Maguire, Evans, Chilwell – Ndidi, Mendy, Pereira, Albrighton – Maddison – Vardy

Fun Fact,
We go all the way back to that game in 1973. Len Glover and Mike Stringfellow scored the goals. Leicester were 4th in the table after that match, and the team had no new signings. Frank Worthington was the last one of the lot to be signed a year before in August 1972. Four of the players were from the youth system at the club, Graham Cross, Steve Whitworth, Peter Shilton and Malcolm Munro. Five players, Birchenall, Weller, Glover, Rofe and Sammels were all signings from London based clubs. One of the goalscorer’s Mike Stringfellow was signed from Mansfield 11 years before, in 1962. Cross, Glover and Shilton were three others who had been at the club from the mid and early 60’s. In that season, Leicester City also won the game at home 2-0, taking place as early as December that same year.

In Both Camps,
A number of players have a life in both camps. Jon Sammels was among those in the last winning team who was signed from Arsenal for a fee of £ 100 000 two years prior to the great 2-0 away win at Highbury. Jeff Blockley, Eddie Kelly and George Armstrong all featured for Arsenal in the game as well, and they were later transferred to Leicester City all three of them. Blockley moving to Leicester City in 1975 for a fee of £100 000, Kelly and Armstrong both signed for Leicester City under the management of Frank McLintock. Armstrong had a short lived period, while Kelly stayed on and became a very important player for Leicester City in the later promotions from the 2nd tier.

Later we have seen other players also going in both directions, but the only player to actually have moved from Leicester City to Arsenal is Alan Smith. Smith joined and rejoined Leicester City on loan in 1987, just two years later he had made his England debut and won the league with Arsenal. Other names to mention are, Martin Keown, Paul Dickov, Kevin Campbell, Ignasi Miquel and of course Frank McLintock, winning “The Double” with Arsenal and playing in to FA Cup finals with Leicester City.

The big duel,
Vardy v. Mustafi, both will be crucial for their teams in this game, and with the pace of Vardy we believe that he will be a handful for the Arsenal defense.

October 19, 2018 0

Leicester v. Everton, Match Preview, Fans View, Who’s in, Who’s out

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Leicester will be up against at home and we should be favourites in this battle, and as we are saying that we have again a new recruit in the England squad. In form James Maddison is included in a squad of much young English talent.

Everton is an interesting team with a manager that in a way has his exam this season. Marco Silva has been getting a lot of credit both as Hull City boss and later at Watford, were he was maybe laying the foundation we can see at Vicarage Road.

So far it’s been up’s and down’s at Everton, and his team is not yet settled a number of troublesome injuries and a group of young players who are not yet on the level to compete with the best.

Among players to look out for are Tom Davies, Richarlison and Idrissa Gueye. They are a trio that can destroy the opponent, but this team is far from a finished article and a number of players must see their chance or it they can all be out when January arrives.

in goal of course, England international, Jason Pickford, one that Jamie Vardy has to beat with clinical finishing and more accurate directions than before this season, we all trust in Vardy to be the one settling the goals.

Leicester have no special injury worries if you count out long term injured Matty James and Demarai Gray who is out a while. Everton will be without a group of players, one of them newly signed defender Yerri Mina, another is Andre Gomes and a third is James McCarthy.

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Everton is an opponent to respect, but everything else than a win will be a dissappointment. Tcf is not happy with all doings in team selections done by Claude Puel, and believe that Marc Albrighton always should be in the team, Puel thinks not.

The right back problem is one also to address with central defender / midfielder Daniel Amartey is a preferred choice by Puel. We don’t have anything against Amartey in person, but to see money flushed out on right back Ricardo Pereira and not being able to convince anyone he is a defensive alternative in the Premier League is a bit shocking.

But hopefully playing with an offensive Ben Chilwell and a more defensive orientated Amartey will be the preferred choice, but I would be terrified to see a battle between Richarlison and Amartey, if the Ghanaian is up to that and makes the best out of this battle, then Tcf is convinced he can continue, but if Amartey becomes “cone” against one of the top flank midfielders in the league, then Puel has a job to do.

To play Pereira at right back against Richarlison, who might think what could happen, so this is a crucial key in the game, maybe the most important part.

Referee,
Andre Marriner, will be in charge at King Power

Last Meeting, 11 v. 11
Home: 29.10.17, 2-0, Win, Premier League
Away: 31.01.18, 1-2, Defeat, Premier League

Best Bet,
Our prediction is a 3-2 win to Leicester

Predicted Leicester City line-up,
System: 4-4-1-1, Schmeichel – Amartey, Maguire, Morgan, Chilwell – Ndidi, Mendy, Pereira, Albrighton – Maddison – Vardy

Fun Fact,
Former Leicester and Everton forward Gary Lineker made his first full league appearance for Everton at Filbert Street, just a few weeks after leaving. This was the opening game of the 1985/86 season. Ironically his successor in the Leicester attack Mark Bright, scores two as Leicester wins 3-1. Lineker did not score in that opening game, but the season in total is in a way a bit of success ending as the top goalscorer in the league and picking up two runners-up titles in the league and the FA Cup. Later that summer he becomes the top scorer in the World Cup in Mexico and settles a move to Barcelona. What started a bit difficult at Filbert Street, ends on a high with probably two of Lineker’s best memories of a great career, scoring most in a World Cup and signing for Barcelona in just weeks between.

In Both Camps,
Gary Lineker is of course the big name of those in both camps, but also Tony Cottee must be mentioned as an important fellow at both places. Other names to remember are Kevin Campbell, Danny Cadamarteri, Kevin Ball, Marcus Bent, Michael Keane, Ian Marshall and Martin Keown.

The big duel,
Richarlison v. Amartey, the big test for the Ghanaian defender who could make the right back position his if he can win this battle with the Brazilian wonder. We just have to wait and see what Puel will do, but it’s time to give Amartey a real challenge.

October 4, 2018 0