Luke Thomas

[CosbehFox]

For inconsistent nature of this season, he’s a positive. Bowen eventually switched wing 

[Clever Fox]

Improving with every game defensively sound today but needs his positioning at times especially going forward, but that will come the more he plays.

I just wish he was a bit taller to compete for Corners etc. 

[ARTY_FOX]

Fantastic today. It all changed when he came on. Gave them no time at all. Made the space for barnes to flourish. I'd be tempted to give him MOTM 

[Stephen Hughes]

This lad is fantastic as a LB, seems to struggle as a LWB. Let’s hope we stay away from 5 at the back for a while.

[KingsX]

On 13/02/2022 at 14:35, Supergray22 said:

His defensive side is improving all the time. Gets in better positions and times his tackles better.

 

Stats more than prove your point.  Sixth in the League -- FIRST among fullbacks* -- for tackles + interceptions per 90' ...

 

 

 

* unless you count Alt-Nouri as a fullback  @The Bear ?

[Stadt]

8 minutes ago, KingsX said:

 

Stats more than prove your point.  Sixth in the League -- FIRST among fullbacks* -- for tackles + interceptions per 90' ...

 

 

 

* unless you count Alt-Nouri as a fullback  @The Bear ?

I saw a tweet about Ait-Nouri’s stats this season and he’s been phenomenal defensively, 95th percentile above for most metrics 

[Jimothy]

22 minutes ago, KingsX said:

 

Stats more than prove your point.  Sixth in the League -- FIRST among fullbacks* -- for tackles + interceptions per 90' ...

 

 

 

* unless you count Alt-Nouri as a fullback  @The Bear ?

That's just for the 14 clubs outside the big 6, so not the whole league, but still a great stat.

 

Oh and fair play Joelinton, he's got there since Howe moved him to midfield about 10 games ago.

[The Bear]

1 hour ago, KingsX said:

 

Stats more than prove your point.  Sixth in the League -- FIRST among fullbacks* -- for tackles + interceptions per 90' ...

 

 

 

* unless you count Alt-Nouri as a fullback  @The Bear ?

He was a LB at Angers when we bought him. He's one of the best defensively in the league. Considering his age he was a bargain at £10m. 

 

 

Edited 16 February 2022 by The Bear

[Red Squirrel]

Good to see people commenting on Luke's excellent performance. He is displaying all the attributes of a top premier league player. A bit of inconsistency is still to be expected at his  age

 

The plaudits after the match generally went to KDH and Ricardo which is fair enough but Luke was equally as good.

 

It is brilliant to have Luke and KDH in our starting line up and both are totally grounded and impressive young men. We have the prospect of Braybrooke and Alves joining them over the next couple of seasons. Half the side could be "ones of our own"  

 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/luke-thomas-undergoes-swift-evolution-6750575

 

Luke Thomas undergoes swift evolution as he takes opposite path to Premier League peers
A closer look at the 20-year-old's performances this season, and how they compare to when he first broke into the team nearly two years ago, with a massive difference in style of play

ByJordan Blackwell
20:50, 3 MAR 2022

Luke Thomas’s Leicester City career has been one of filling in. While he is a true member of the first-team squad, nearly every appearance he has made for his hometown club has been because of injuries to more senior players.

That was the case when he was surprisingly handed his debut as an 19-year-old in the Project Restart matches of summer 2020, and it’s the case now.

City have James Justin, Timothy Castagne, and Ryan Bertrand who can all play left-back, and may all have been ahead of Thomas in the pecking order if they were fit.

But they have had their injury issues, and so Brendan Rodgers keeps turning to the lad from Syston.

However, those opportunities have enabled Thomas to gain valuable experience as a top-flight player, and that experience has seen him undergo a swift evolution. The player he is now is far from the one that first broke into the team.

It’s not just the case that he has improved, it’s more that his style of play has changed completely.

In his first three matches back at the end of the 19-20 season, he created nine chances, three in each outing. While he was playing as a wing-back and so had greater scope to get forward, this was still very impressive for a player who had no prior first-team experience running out in high-pressure matches.

He was filling the void left by the injured Ben Chilwell, and he, a full England international by that point, had only managed to create three chances in a match three times across 27 appearances.

But since then, Thomas has not registered three created chances in a match even once. In fact, he has only reached two created chances on one occasion, then 4-2 home defeat to Newcastle last season.

So while he came onto the scene as an archetypal modern-day full-back, with a greater focus on getting forward than running back, and with the quality to put in a teasing delivery, his performances this term hark back to bygone era. Now, defending appears to be his number one focus. And he’s getting pretty good at it too.

To play in a Rodgers defence, you need to be proactive in stepping in to steal the ball, and Thomas is beginning to master the art. He ranks fifth in the Premier League for interceptions per game this season, and in the 1-0 home win over Liverpool in December, he recorded seven, the most by a player in a single match all season.

To have the ability to do it is one thing, but to have the bravery to nip in ahead of Mo Salah given the risk of missing the ball is another.

Rodgers says this attribute has both been learned on the pitch through game-time, and through coaching on the training field.

The manager said: “We're a team that want to defend forward. If you look at the profile of players, the likes of Fofana and these guys, they look to defend forward.

“I also think something there with players as well where they have a natural anticipation of the game and Luke has understood how we want him to play.

“His reading of the game is so good for a young player. He reads the game, he steps forward, he makes those interceptions, and when he can't, he manages the space very well.

“He's had lots of big tests in his short career and in the main he's coped very well.

“He's been a huge plus for us since he first played against Sheffield United. With experience and with games and with confidence, he's only going to get better and has become better."

The next step for Thomas would be to marry his old self with new self, staying strong defensively while also delivering dangerous balls into the box and slipping team-mates in behind.

There have been signs of progress there. His progressive carries distance this season is almost double what it was last term from a similar number of appearances, while he’s penetrating the final third with his dribbles forward much more often too.

He’s getting on the ball a lot more as well, while he’s much more confident in playing it forward, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s introduction to the team helping on that front, giving him a regular outlet in the midfield.

At just 20 years old, there is so much time for Thomas to learn more, but he has built a very solid foundation for himself with his defensive displays.

Making sure he does the defensive basics well first, and then learning to attack more effectively, is not the way it’s usually done these days, where it’s a case of creating chances first, keeping the opposition winger quiet second.

But by doing it the opposite way around, Thomas is ensuring he has the faith of a manager who knows he can rely on the 20-year-old to do his duties, rather than get caught at the top end of the pitch.

[Ric Flair]

On 16/02/2022 at 19:22, The Bear said:

He was a LB at Angers when we bought him. He's one of the best defensively in the league. Considering his age he was a bargain at £10m. 

 

 

He's a quality player, was hugely hyped up from all the scouting hipsters in his teens and he's showing that it was true. 

[filbertway]

Absolutely despise the bloke. Massive diver and should have been sent off against us. I've never wanted a player to get injured more than him in that game against us, absolute rotter.

[Jabfox]

Just now, filbertway said:

Absolutely despise the bloke. Massive diver and should have been sent off against us. I've never wanted a player to get injured more than him in that game against us, absolute rotter.

Very good player, absolute ****

[RowlattsFox]

2 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Absolutely despise the bloke. Massive diver and should have been sent off against us. I've never wanted a player to get injured more than him in that game against us, absolute rotter.

I clicked the 'go to last post' and wondered what Thomas had done to deserve this  

[The Bear]

7 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Absolutely despise the bloke. Massive diver and should have been sent off against us. I've never wanted a player to get injured more than him in that game against us, absolute rotter.

 

5 minutes ago, Jabfox said:

Very good player, absolute ****

Wow that's embarrassing stuff. Just because he fell over against you doesn't make him any of the above. I've never seen him do it before or since. 

 

The above posts show more insight about the two of you than anything else. Wanting a player to get injured or calling him a **** because of one incident? Get a grip FFS. 

[filbertway]

Just now, The Bear said:

Wow that's embarrassing stuff. Just because he fell over against you doesn't make him any of the above. I've never seen him do it before or since. 

 

The above posts show more insight about the two of you than anything else. Wanting a player to get injured or calling him a **** because of one incident? Get a grip FFS. 

With all due respect you have a massive track record of being incredibly biased and blind to anything negative about Wolves

 

We've played against Jack Grealish who is the biggest diver I've ever seen and I didn't dislike him.

 

THis boys a different gravy, he didn'y fall over. He feigned a serious injury on multiple occasions. As well as diving during the game he definitely had 1 or 2 moments where he should have been booked.

 

He might be talented, but he's an awful cheat. 

 

[The Bear]

Bias is unfair prejudice against someone or something based on very little evidence - ie, Exactly what you're doing. 

 

I'll call players out for things regardless if they play for the team I support or not. Several of our players roll around like idiots at times and I don't like it. Ait-Nouri has rarely done that compared to someone like Podence or Silva who piss me off with it.

 

If Ait-Nouri had a reputation for diving, feigning injury, trying to injure opponents or constantly whining at the ref, I could maybe understand your comments, but they just come across as incorrect and unfair based on one or two incidents in one game you've seen him play. 

 

I get it, you got wound up by it and because you thought he should have been booked in the game too, you've completely lost the plot. I've done it myself at the times during games. But I've always calmed down and grown up afterwards. 

 

As for Grealish, I think he is a **** based on multiple occasions of watching him do that sort of stuff and then go whining to the ref every time he's so much as touched. I still don't wish injury on him though because I'm not a child. 

Edited 4 March 2022 by The Bear

[Jabfox]

19 minutes ago, The Bear said:

 

Wow that's embarrassing stuff. Just because he fell over against you doesn't make him any of the above. I've never seen him do it before or since. 

 

The above posts show more insight about the two of you than anything else. Wanting a player to get injured or calling him a **** because of one incident? Get a grip FFS. 

I think every opposition player is the above, but appreciate your comment  

[ParkerPen]

so yeh, Luke Thomas, Decent

[The Bear]

4 minutes ago, ParkerPen said:

so yeh, Luke Thomas, Decent

Agreed. Who starts at LB out of him, Justin and Castagne when they're all fit though? 

[ParkerPen]

1 minute ago, The Bear said:

Agreed. Who starts at LB out of him, Justin and Castagne when they're all fit though? 

has to be Justin, assuming his form is anything like pre - injury

[Jabfox]

2 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Agreed. Who starts at LB out of him, Justin and Castagne when they're all fit though? 

For me i'd go with Justin, feel like he's the most dynamic out of the 3 when fit of course

[Supergray22]

25 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Agreed. Who starts at LB out of him, Justin and Castagne when they're all fit though? 

Justin. He is another level. I really like Thomas and think he’s will only get better. I rate Justin very highly. When he got injured I thought he was one of our top players and he was still on an upward trajectory. Timmy and riccardo are also very good but I think Justin plays where he wants. The real determining factor here is who recovers best long term from their injury issues. I’d have no problem Thomas starting against anyone though. I love his tenacity and desire. Plus he is a Leicester lad. 

[filbertway]

On the subject of Thomas

1 hour ago, The Bear said:

Bias is unfair prejudice against someone or something based on very little evidence - ie, Exactly what you're doing. 

 

I'll call players out for things regardless if they play for the team I support or not. Several of our players roll around like idiots at times and I don't like it. Ait-Nouri has rarely done that compared to someone like Podence or Silva who piss me off with it.

 

If Ait-Nouri had a reputation for diving, feigning injury, trying to injure opponents or constantly whining at the ref, I could maybe understand your comments, but they just come across as incorrect and unfair based on one or two incidents in one game you've seen him play. 

 

I get it, you got wound up by it and because you thought he should have been booked in the game too, you've completely lost the plot. I've done it myself at the times during games. But I've always calmed down and grown up afterwards. 

 

As for Grealish, I think he is a **** based on multiple occasions of watching him do that sort of stuff and then go whining to the ref every time he's so much as touched. I still don't wish injury on him though because I'm not a child. 

Probably all fair, I just remember being incredibly riled up by him, which is rare for me

 

I'm not hoping the lad loses his career, but if you're gonna go down and try and get a player sent off and cheat, then I'd like to see him experience some actual pain and see how he reacts to that haha.

 

My main gripe in football, Wilf and Maddison are massively guilty of it in our team. Knockaert and Mahrez were terrible divers in the past. Vardy is terrible for it, Vardy did a pathetic dive within minutes of coming on against Burnley.

 

Diving is one thing, but feigning injury and making out that someone has taken a chunk out of your leg is just disrespectful to players that have had genuine broken legs or other serious injuries.

[filbertway]

On Luke, he really needs to start becoming stronger and faster physically. We need him hitting similar levels to KDH. 

Hopefully hes willing to put the graft in and make thay effort. Its what will separate him from being an average full back and a top full back.

 

The ability and reading of the game is there and will improve naturally. The main work is gonna be getting him up to scratch physically so he can be an asset going both ways as much as JJ and Ricardo are