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StriderHiryu

Youri Tielemans

By StriderHiryu, in Leicester City Forum

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StanSP

StanSP

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7 minutes ago, Beechey said:

It's getting to the point where you know as a certainty he's going to pull off an absolute belter world class pass every single game.

 

I love this man.

It not only gives him confidence but his first few performances so far gives the fans confidence too that he can produce week in, week out. And that in itself is a wonderful thing for us and frightening for other teams. 

 

 

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deanolegend1989

deanolegend1989

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He was close to a 10/10 performance yesterday. Nearly faultless all game.

Fantastic fitness, passing spot on the money. Key passes executed. Won a lot of tackles and loose balls. Bought clever fouls. Stop KDB in full flow.

Then stepped up to score a goal too.

He looks a lot fitter and lost a bit of weight too.

A all round midfield masterclass.

Edited by deanolegend1989
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StriderHiryu

StriderHiryu

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11 hours ago, PaddyS said:

Definitely looks fitter and more athletic. And he's got the sort of name that the pundits and football hipsters love,

so it won't be long before they all start saying he's the best midfielder in the league.

So far this season he has been, Or if not him, then it's Praet.

 

This season will be hard to be the best midfielder though, even if you beat KDB you've now got Thiago of Liverpool to deal with who has just come off bossing the Champions League final for Bayern Munich.

 

But it's very good company to be keeping!

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AKCJ

AKCJ

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1 hour ago, Beechey said:

It's getting to the point where you know as a certainty he's going to pull off an absolute belter world class pass every single game.

 

I love this man.

When Castagne made the run for Vardy's second you know he would play that pass. Makes it look easy when reality is he's had to put enough pace on it to get it past Rodri with a bit of swerve on it but not too much pace to that it runs out of play.

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Dahnsouff

Dahnsouff

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38 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

It's all down to the weight he's lost imo, which I have been shouting at him a long time about. 

 

Yes LCFC I am available as the new head physio.

So that’s why the stands are closed, some gobshyte shouting “Oi Fatty, get on the treadmill” endlessly. lol

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dmayne7

dmayne7

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Fancy that, benefiting from being here for a whole pre season. Oh, and that's a much shorter pre season too. Imagine the heights he could reach with a proper full length pre season, both in terms of fitness and tactically.

 

There's a reason he was one of the most sought after young players of his generation.

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TrentFox

TrentFox

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On 28/09/2020 at 09:11, Sol thewall Bamba said:

It's all down to the weight he's lost imo, which I have been shouting at him a long time about. 

 

Yes LCFC I am available as the new head physio.

You know there’s a bit more to it than shouting at them, right? Mrs Trent has been shouting at me to lose a few pounds for years. My default response is to shove a hob-nob in my mouth and shrug my shoulders. 🤷‍♂️

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st albans fox

st albans fox

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1 minute ago, TrentFox said:

You know there’s a bit more to it than shouting at them, right? Mrs Trent has been shouting at me to lose a few pounds for years. My default response is to shove a hob-nob in my mouth and shrug my shoulders. 🤷‍♂️

Only one hob nob ?  You’re half way there mate 

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brucey

brucey

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Youri Tielemans is an understated, deep thinker but bursts out laughing when he considers the charge that Leicester were “lucky” in last weekend’s annihilation of Manchester City. 

The accusation came from City midfielder Rodri, with the Spaniard also claiming Leicester did “nothing” to secure their 5-2 win and played with 11 men behind the ball. Tielemans struggles to suppress a smile when Rodri’s words are put to him, and you can understand why. 

There is nothing lucky about Leicester’s start to the Premier League season, with Jamie Vardy on fire, Harvey Barnes marking his fine progress with a call-up to the England squad and Brendan Rodgers removing any fears over a hangover from last season’s disappointing finish with three wins out of three ahead of Sunday's meeting with West Ham.

At the heart of Leicester’s outstanding performance at the Etihad Stadium was Tielemans, the record £32million signing who epitomises the quiet, ruthless efficiency that has become the team’s trademark.

 

In his first national newspaper interview since moving from Monaco permanently last year, Tielemans is sitting in the media room at Leicester’s training ground reflecting on Rodri’s assessment.

“It wasn’t luck, not at all,” he says, smiling. “We did have players behind the ball because they play from defender to defender but that’s what you need against a team like City.

“It should be a compliment for them, because we know their qualities and how they want to keep possession of the ball. We had to match their play by doing something else, counter-attacking in a way where they couldn’t manage our game.

“We were given three clear penalties but I don’t think that’s why we won. I think we were smarter and better on Sunday. It was a great team performance and everyone individually was very good. We kept to the game-plan and for me, yes, I think it was one of my best performances.”

 

It was also one of those rare afternoons where Kevin De Bruyne, Tielemans’s team-mate and close friend in the Belgium national team, was overshadowed. Tielemans controlled the game in a deep midfield role, driving his team forward and playing a key pass to Timothy Castagne in the build-up to Vardy’s outrageous flick for Leicester’s second goal.

“It’s not always great to play against Kevin!” says Tielemans, laughing again. “To keep him quiet was nice and he wasn’t at his best on Sunday, but his team wasn’t either so it didn’t help him. It wasn’t easy for him against us.

“We didn’t have a plan to stop Kevin, or any other individuals, it was really a team performance to stop them from building up play and prevent them from penetrating through the middle. 

“The only negative point was our corner kicks and free kicks - they had the first contact which wasn’t good.”

Tielemans is clearly a perfectionist, and he is a footballer fascinated by the intricacies of tactics and match preparation who Rodgers calls his “coach on the pitch”.

He is still only 23 but admits he has already seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. He joined the revered Anderlecht academy at the age of five, making his debut in the Champions League just 11 years later.

At the age of 20 he was named the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year. In 2017 he joined Monaco, shortly after they had lifted the Ligue 1 title and then “sold half the team” with the departures of players including Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko.

 

Tielemans highlights his upbringing near Brussels as pivotal to his development as a player and a person.

“At Anderlecht in the academy nearly everything was about technique, and understanding the game,” he says. “They teach you about the tactical side of the game, without really talking about it. 

“It’s all about technique and shape, and once you get into the first-team they work on the physical aspect. I was ready to play at 16. I’ve still got a lot to learn but I try and pass on what I’ve experienced to players who haven’t. 

“When there is a tactical meeting or question, I try to answer and that is sometimes by me talking on the pitch: you understand the players around you more and the way they want to receive the ball, or their movement. I try to make it easier for all of us. I know it sounds a bit strange because I’m only 23 but I’ve had a lot of experience already.”

It has been quite a journey, so it is no surprise that he became a member of Leicester’s ‘leadership group’ soon after his arrival. 

He lives in the quaint Leicestershire village of Quorn with wife Mendy and two daughters Melina and Leana, and is never going to be pictured falling out of nightclubs.

Tielemans is a key figure in the Rodgers revolution, and the team’s youthful core is central to what Leicester’s manager is building. Castagne, an £18million signing from Atalanta, and centre-half Caglar Soyuncu are both 24, James Maddison is 23, Barnes and James Justin are 22. Wesley Fofana, who joined from St Etienne on Friday for £30 million, is just 19.  

Yet it is Leicester’s talismanic striker, Vardy, who never ceases to amaze Tielemans with his enduring quality at the age of 33. He scored a hat-trick in the win over Manchester City and Gareth Southgate revealed this week that Vardy remains in contention for an England recall.

“‘Vards’ really enjoys playing with the players around him. Last season he got the Golden Boot and it made him realise he wants more,” says Tielemans.

“He’s started on fire and hopefully he can keep doing his work like he is now. He is crazy around the place and enjoys life, he loves to laugh a lot.

“He looks after himself and does all the right things - but I don’t think he has a lot of choice because of his age! Please don’t tell him I said that…”

Last Sunday’s victory over Pep Guardiola was a champagne moment for Rodgers, and answered any questions over whether last season’s difficult finish would spill into this campaign.

Before January there had been a tidal wave of optimism, after a club record eight Premier League wins in a row had them flickering in Jurgen Klopp’s rear-view mirror, albeit faintly.

From New Years’ Day, however, Leicester took just 20 points from 54 and missed out on a Champions League place on the final day.

Rodgers did fulfil his pre-season target of a top-six finish, guaranteeing a Europa League spot, and is right when the season overall should be viewed as progress.

Youri Tielemans has become a key part of Brendan Rodgers' leadership group at Leicester CREDIT: REUTERS

But to get so close and have such an alarming slide in results was a disappointment, and Tielemans admits it could have lingered in the dressing room.

“Of course it was important to start well. When we came back in for pre-season we said okay, let’s use that disappointment from the end of last season and turn it into a positive,” he says. “We played a brilliant first-half to the season but from January onwards we dropped our standards and it was all a bit slow. The results and performances weren’t good enough and the lockdown didn’t help - we had injuries and the negativity built up. 

“It wasn’t great and we knew that, so we had to start again. The manager was very good mentally for us, he told us to forget about last season and focus on new goals this season. It has been a great start.”

 

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Wizerud

Wizerud

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You can tell just by watching him that he is very eager to embrace that tactical leader role on the pitch. Maybe with Madders being out it has allowed him to breath a little more. This season his play has been what we hoped it would be when we signed him. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there are teams sniffing about come season-end.

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