Match Ratings : Leicester City 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur - Vote Now

[DB11]

[Kitchandro]

Players rated quite well as individuals for me. Iborra the standout.

 

 

[Mikey]

Majority 8's for me. 

 

Wilf and Iborra 9. Shinji a 7. Which may even be a little harsh!

[hackenbacker]

BBC gave MoM to Albrighton

[Dickov22]

Stand out players were Iborra Ndidi Chilwell Vardy but there wasn’t a bad performance out there. My favourite game of the season so far.

 

Imagine being one of those Leicester fans who thinks Mahrez ‘lacks end product ‘ ?

[wokinghamfox]

Albrighton for me. Worked his socks off with sublime crossing. His best game all season.

[Shanghai]

Ibora was the best ! Ndidi worked hard 8, 7 for Vardy and mahrez for the gools ( brilliant ) !! Who is the player who comes after shinji? He has a big hair 

[Captain...]

Can't mark anyone less than 7 nobody had a bad game, first half would have been 10s all round, but the second half was a bit of a slog and we needed to be smarter. Too many aimless balls and panicky hoofs. A number of times we could have slowed it down and played it around a bit, but all is well that ends well.  It does seem all to familiar a pattern in games just panic defending. 9s for Vardy, Mahrez, Iborra and Albrighton, 8s for the rest, although it is a  7.5 rounded up for Chilwell, Simpson and Ndidi for lacking the composure late on to see the game out more comfortably. Can't really score the subs, they came on ran around a bit but didn't really influence the game. Pleased to see Puel having faith in Choudrey in that situation, but do wonder what it says about his faith in Big Dan and Dragovic.

[Max Wall]

City players all 11

Spuds players all 0

Ref was a cnut (not for any particular reason)

Claude 11

 

[Max Wall]

I'm still overly excited for a man of advancing years

[shen]

Schmeichel 8 - Uncharacteristically subpar with his feet, but made up for it with two vital saves and good interventions second half. Decent punching! Quick recovery after last week's mistake.

 

Simpson 6 - As good as he was last week, he showed why we will struggle to evolve under Puel unless we get a better ball player at right back. Directly at fault for the huge Sissoko chance. Wasn't his usual solid self either. His standing off of Rose luckily didn't cost us.

 

Morgan 8 - Assured performance and was OK with playing the ball out of defence. Did he even hoof it once? Had a header cleared off the line and put in several vital blocks as is now customary.

 

Maguire 7 - I've been critical of his performances lately. He's been more powderpuff than his stature would lead you to believe. But last night he did well. Handled Kane well throughout, even if he was caught flat-footed for Kane's goal. Played a part in our first goal and was generally good with his distribution.

 

Chilwell 8 - Another player I've had my reservations about, but his attacking impetus was a vital and necessary component that has been missing. He wasn't decisive in the end, but looking forward I can see him working well in this new style. Was impressively calm when put under pressure and good in possession. Only blot is that Aurier had so much space to cross during the last 20 minutes from which they created a couple of sitters.

 

Mahrez 7 - Hard-working, but ultimately rather anonymous - that was until his brilliant goal which gives him at least one extra mark! There were one or two occasions when he was trying to play out from the back and it usually comes back to haunt us. For his goal, it was the exact opposite. Faded badly second half, but this reaffirms that Mahrez on the right is where we get the most out of him.

 

Ndidi 8 - His mere physical presence is reminiscent to having Kanté in there. He will harry, he will contest every aerial ball, he will time challenges beautifully. Only gave away a couple of free kicks which is impressive against a Spurs side packing the midfield. Gets an assist for Riyad's goal as well. Forging a very useful partnership with Iborra.

 

Iborra 9 MOTM - Imperious performance. Calmness personified. Superb vision and ball retention. Shielded so well, made goalline clearances, headed clearances from set pieces and launched attacks. I don't think he missed a single short pass. Absolutely vital already to this side. He was so good that when he received the ball at the edge of their box in the 92nd and didn't play it out wide to Gray/keep the ball and ended up losing it, I was genuinely shocked!

 

Albrighton 8 - Got an assist with a beautifully weighted pass. Made at least one other unreal cross (I was getting ready to get upset with that one) which Shinji should probably have done better with. Didn't stop running all game and there were signs that he and Chilwell could prove an excellent combination.

 

Okazaki 6 - He's sometimes very difficult to mark when he rarely touches the ball. His harrassing is so often effective and it proved so again. He missed a good chance, but also set off Vardy with a great through ball second half. The team just works better with him and I'd rather have him than Slimani or Nacho in there currently.

 

Vardy 8 - Up against 3 good defenders and still manages to lead the line quite effectively. Gets marked up for the goal as well, superb run and piece of skill. Posed a threat all game and also has the energy and willingness to help out on the wings and in midfield. Could've closed the game out at 2-0 had he been more fortunate with his touch or been able to slip in Mahrez.

 

Subs:

Gray 5 - Thought he looked subpar. Didn't have the spring in his step that we've seen of late. Expected him to show some bursts, but instead lost the ball a bit needlessly on a couple of occasions.

 

Choudhury 6 - I imagine I wasn't the only one surprised by this sub. He looked a bit awestruck at first, but after a decent tackle on Kane after a few minutes actually did alright. Encouring appearance and maybe something to build on. Good to know he can be counted on to do a job.

 

Slimani N/A - Not on long enough

 

Puel 8 - Ballsy to drop Gray after one poor game, but Albrighton justified his selection fully. Shinji moving into the middle and Mahrez wide made us look more settled which was a wise move against a quality side like Spurs. Giving Choudhury his PL debut in that position was even ballsier - and it didn't backfire. Kept the momentum going and we're gradually improving. I like that we are beginning to deal better with other teams' high pressure and keeping the ball on the deck more.

[Jobyfox]

42 minutes ago, shen said:

 

 

Albrighton 8 - Got an assist with a beautifully weighted pass. Made at least one other unreal cross (I was getting ready to get upset with that one) which Shinji should probably have done better with. Didn't stop running all game and there were signs that he and Chilwell could prove an excellent combination.

I think that's a good point regarding Albrighton and Chilwell.

For me it was probably the best game I've seen from Chilwell as I've been a bit unsure about his potential. I liked the way he saw the space in front of him and drove into it, which made us more dynamic in attack. It was noticeable, however, how often Albrighton then tucked into the space he left, which enabled Chilwell to have the freedom he did in the first half particularly. It was very promising how they appeared to have that understanding.

 

Contrast this with the right side where Simpson (much more experienced defender) has to be much more disciplined in his positioning due to Mahrez meandering and roaming. The right side looked far less dangerous until Mahrez produced his moment of quality, which Albrighton doesn't have.

 

I'd worry if Mahrez played on the left with Chilwell behind so it's definitely the right combinations. Albrighton also showed why, the more naturally talented, Gray is so often overlooked for this position.

 

 

 

 

 

[Redouane]

5 hours ago, hackenbacker said:

BBC gave MoM to Albrighton

Honestly deserved it. Underrated imo

[Captain...]

19 minutes ago, Gerbold said:

You're forgetting that Pochettino has a wealth of talent at his disposal. He also has one of the world's ablest strikers - Kane's reactions, accuracy and speed are remarkable - his goal was proof of that. Rose was a constant threat - it appeared that the City defence were being pulled in to stifle the threat of Alli and Kane - leaving him space to attack the line. Eriksen was also able to orchestrate attacks relatively easily. So 'slowing it down a bit' wasn't as easy as you make it sound. Being smart when one of the better teams in the Premier are snapping at your heels with desperate intent isn't so easy. On one occasion Schmeichel was left bawling out his defence when they hadn't disposed of the ball effectively and even Iborra got caught out trying to play his way out of trouble. We were doing what we're good at - surrendering possession and soaking up pressure. Both N'Didi and Okazaki were fighting for possession like terriers throughout the match (not each other :-) )

It was inevitable that Spurs were going to come back strongly - I think this game was their 'last-chance' saloon (to coin an old Westerns film phrase).

 

I think it took a lot of guts from Puel to bring Chowdhury on at that point. If Puel is going to 'blood' young players regularly I'm mightily encouraged about his appointment.

 

Vardy - phew! Phenomenal goal and one phenomenal long-range pass which picked out its target with pin-point accuracy. That's another facet of his play that hasn't had much attention - maybe because he's involved in creating chances up front. He would have had a second goal but he decided to give himself a better chance by switching direction - and was dispossessed by a fortuitous tackle. Mahrez's goal was outstanding - looked better on the TV replays this morning than it did live. He just doesn't seem to have the sparkle and confidence he once had. Not sure whether he's depressed in some way but it was lovely to see him stuff that beauty past Lloris.

 

Iborra is a class act (and actor). The way he went down clutching his face and then recovered after he got the free kick was straight out of the Spanish-Italian handbook for making it look ten times worse than it was.

 

As for faith in Big Dan and Dragovic - Puel's most important brief is to stabilise the squad and I believe he's getting there. It's up to the second-string players to establish their credentials rather than bleating because they're not an automatic pick. Gray has still a way to go before he can convince me he's a solid first team inclusiion.

 

But, all-in-all, it was a great victory over a talented side.

 

 

It was only a minor criticism, there were a few times when we could  have just been smarter and not whack it forwards, or Gray running it out of play, he did much better later on, a great break got the ball to Slimani, but we conspired to lose it rather than play it around take it into the corner. A couple of times Schmeichel launched it out of his hands straight to Lloris, and Simpson, Ndidi and others just kicking it forwards, if you're going to do that, at least get it in to the stands, the fans will help you slow it down. We also should have a little more faith in each other. Pass it around, make them chase you a bit before launching it.

 

 

[Ted Maul]

Iborra my MOTM with a 9, getting better every game- what a player, and what a bargain.

 

Wes also 9, the rest of the starting 11 get 8s. 

 

I gave Puel a 7, purely because I feel he waited too long to make his subs- we were getting overrun and looked dead on our feet for a good 15 minutes before he made the first change, and by that point Spurs had their tails up. They could have easily scored an equaliser before he brought Hamza on to stem the tide in the middle too. Right subs, just a lot later than I would have liked. 

[Chester Dontlie]

On 11/29/2017 at 14:19, shen said:

Simpson 6 - As good as he was last week, he showed why we will struggle to evolve under Puel unless we get a better ball player at right back. Directly at fault for the huge Sissoko chance. Wasn't his usual solid self either. His standing off of Rose luckily didn't cost us.

 

Okazaki 6 - He's sometimes very difficult to mark when he rarely touches the ball. His harrassing is so often effective and it proved so again. He missed a good chance, but also set off Vardy with a great through ball second half. The team just works better with him and I'd rather have him than Slimani or Nacho in there currently.

 

I think you're being too harsh on Shinji and Simpson, both were very good IMO. Simpson was a bit suspect at times but almost everyone had a weak moment or two, even Vince. He was great in the second half when we were under pressure and it was nice to see him showing some attacking intent (although unlike Chilwell he tends to treat the ball as it was a hot potato)..As for Shinji he had few great tackles/interceptions and won a few fouls, was close to having an assist around 70 minute when he won the ball under pressure of two Spuds and passed it to Vards. Even if he lost it and fell a couple times he gave a 100% and linked our attacks very well, showing some good on the ball skill. I thought that Albrighton's cross was just a tad too high for him, when it comes to the height department Oka is obviously no Slimani.(which doesn't automatically mean Slim would score that).

 

I gave mostly 8s and few 7s. Was very impressed especially with how we played in the first half, it's a shame our players went into hoof mode in the second. Puel picked the perfect team, dropping Gray proved to be a good decision, the only issue I have it took him quite a while to introduce the subs. I think Amartey instead of Gray or Choudhury would be better, just tell them to close the shop and try to hold the ball, win some fouls... but maybe I'm trying to make Pulis out of Puel so let's leave it at that.

Mystic Marc Albrighton was MOTM for me - he provided Vards with an inch perfect assist and was a hero in defense. Near the end of the game he made a defensive run to cover their pass (which would most likely turn into another great opportunity for Spuds) shielding it from their player and letting the ball pass the end line, untouched. That was straight from Mystic Meg's Clairvoyance Manual.  Mahrez the Wizard and Grey the Gandalf are able to conjure up some offensive magic on their day (not every game obviously only when the stars are aligned you know  ) but this game has showed that Albrighton (on his day, of course!) can be a fuching Merlin - both in attack and in defense 

 

 

 

[shen]

23 minutes ago, Chester Dontlie said:

I think you're being too harsh on Shinji and Simpson, both were very good IMO. Simpson was a bit suspect at times but almost everyone had a weak moment or two, even Vince. He was great in the second half when we were under pressure and it was nice to see him showing some attacking intent (although unlike Chilwell he tends to treat the ball as it was a hot potato)..As for Shinji he had few great tackles/interceptions and won a few fouls, was close to having an assist around 70 minute when he won the ball under pressure of two Spuds and passed it to Vards. Even if he lost it and fell a couple times he gave a 100% and linked our attacks very well, showing some good on the ball skill. I thought that Albrighton's cross was just a tad too high for him, when it comes to the height department Oka is obviously no Slimani.(which doesn't automatically mean Slim would score that).

Fair comments.

Ratings are, despite their design, very subjective. I don't think Simpson did more than what I have come to expect from him at this level.

He tucks in well and is a solid defender all around, but that's where it stops too.

 

Yes, he does as he's told and gets forward more, but what good is that when he miscontrols, makes a poor pass or plays it into pressured players?

I would rather he doesn't get forward then, because when it goes wrong, he's out of position, we're off balance and lo behold Sissoko is in on goal.

Same when Maguire gets a rush of blood to the head and runs past the midfielders leaving a huge gap behind him.

 

I mentioned Shinji's great pass, but often the case with him is that he affects play indirectly or in the middle third of the pitch.

He chases, decoys, draws fouls and lays off balls to more able passers when things go well. He stumbles, gets run ragged, gets bullied or commits fouls when things don't go well. Rarely play that directly results in goals for/against.

 

Earlier this season, he was arguably turning into our second most potent weapon after Vardy and he should probably stick away chances like the one he had from Marc's great cross. Shinji actually has a great leap on him so I'll put that one simply down to him.

 

Both of them did fine though, just didn't think they did enough to stand out