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From The Telegraph:
A dominant defence, creative midfield and Jamie Vardy: why Leicester can break into the elite again
Jon Culley 2 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 7:00AM
The manager
Leicester’s start to the season following their 3-1 defeat of Bournemouth - eight points from four matches, third place in the table - exactly matches how the title-winning 2015-16 season began.
As then, City have a manager with a winning pedigree. Brendan Rodgers does not yet have the length of service of Claudio Ranieri but brings a history of success after twice guiding Celtic to the Scottish treble.
He won promotion to the Premier League with Swansea and went close to a Premier League title himself as Liverpool fell just short in the 2013-14 season, so he has experience of title-chasing pressure and knows the pitfalls.
Defence
A back four of Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Ben Chilwell looks the equal of Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs, even with Harry Maguire stripped out. Soyuncu, his replacement, who had to wait patiently for opportunities last year, has begun the season particularly well, looking calm and authoritative on the ball. He and Evans may grow into one of the best central defensive partnerships in division.
Behind them, Kasper Schmeichel, like Jamie Vardy and a couple of others, provides a link with the Ranieri team and remains a dynamic goalkeeper and a strong leader.
Midfield
In the defensive midfield position in which N’Golo Kante once looked peerless, Wilfrid Ndidi has grown into one of the most consistent in the Premier League, while home-grown talent Hamza Choudhury is showing much potential.
Further forward, where Danny Drinkwater formerly held sway, James Maddison, likely to win his first England cap in the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, is a technically proficient No 10 with creative imagination and an eye for goal, while the former AS Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans is a young player with the potential to justify his £40m price tag.
Wings
Here lies the most obvious shortfall in the current line-up. Where Riyad Mahrez was a regular goalscorer, contributing 17 to the title-winning cause, none of the other wide players has yet hinted at similar, much as Marc Albrighton - another regular under Ranieri - Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray all have outstanding qualities. There is more to come from Barnes, though.
Summer signing Ayoze Perez, who was Newcastle United’s top scorer last season but was left out on Saturday, is the one to whom fans will look to provide a Mahrez-like return.
Strikers
Vardy’s opening goal against Bournemouth, encompassing a long ball over the top, a turn of speed that left backpedalling defenders for dead, and an outrageous looped finish that defied distance, angle and the degree of technique required, rekindled memories of the Leicester City striker’s screamer against Liverpool during the title-winning season.
He is now 32 but, having decided to quit international football, has every prospect of maintaining form and fitness through another campaign and be every bit as effective as four years ago. His two goals on Saturday looked proof of that.
A dominant defence, creative midfield and Jamie Vardy: why Leicester can break into the elite again
Jon Culley 2 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 7:00AM
The manager
Leicester’s start to the season following their 3-1 defeat of Bournemouth - eight points from four matches, third place in the table - exactly matches how the title-winning 2015-16 season began.
As then, City have a manager with a winning pedigree. Brendan Rodgers does not yet have the length of service of Claudio Ranieri but brings a history of success after twice guiding Celtic to the Scottish treble.
He won promotion to the Premier League with Swansea and went close to a Premier League title himself as Liverpool fell just short in the 2013-14 season, so he has experience of title-chasing pressure and knows the pitfalls.
Defence
A back four of Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Ben Chilwell looks the equal of Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs, even with Harry Maguire stripped out. Soyuncu, his replacement, who had to wait patiently for opportunities last year, has begun the season particularly well, looking calm and authoritative on the ball. He and Evans may grow into one of the best central defensive partnerships in division.
Behind them, Kasper Schmeichel, like Jamie Vardy and a couple of others, provides a link with the Ranieri team and remains a dynamic goalkeeper and a strong leader.
Midfield
In the defensive midfield position in which N’Golo Kante once looked peerless, Wilfrid Ndidi has grown into one of the most consistent in the Premier League, while home-grown talent Hamza Choudhury is showing much potential.
Further forward, where Danny Drinkwater formerly held sway, James Maddison, likely to win his first England cap in the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, is a technically proficient No 10 with creative imagination and an eye for goal, while the former AS Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans is a young player with the potential to justify his £40m price tag.
Wings
Here lies the most obvious shortfall in the current line-up. Where Riyad Mahrez was a regular goalscorer, contributing 17 to the title-winning cause, none of the other wide players has yet hinted at similar, much as Marc Albrighton - another regular under Ranieri - Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray all have outstanding qualities. There is more to come from Barnes, though.
Summer signing Ayoze Perez, who was Newcastle United’s top scorer last season but was left out on Saturday, is the one to whom fans will look to provide a Mahrez-like return.
Strikers
Vardy’s opening goal against Bournemouth, encompassing a long ball over the top, a turn of speed that left backpedalling defenders for dead, and an outrageous looped finish that defied distance, angle and the degree of technique required, rekindled memories of the Leicester City striker’s screamer against Liverpool during the title-winning season.
He is now 32 but, having decided to quit international football, has every prospect of maintaining form and fitness through another campaign and be every bit as effective as four years ago. His two goals on Saturday looked proof of that.
