elangLCFC Posted 8 December 2014 Posted 8 December 2014 Hi all, I'm a young Leicester fan with aspirations of becoming a sports journalist and have recently started blogging about Leicester City. Here's my (early) pre-match preview of Leicester v Man City, I'd massively appreciate any feedback anybody could give, cheers Leicester City fans must hold out little hope for their team to arrest the string of bad results, which has seen them pick up just two points from 10 games, when they take on the current holders of the league title Manchester City on Saturday. Manuel Pellegrini’s side will be without injured striker Sergio Agüero, who has been without doubt their star player this year; the Argentine has 14 goals in just 15 Premier League games. Recent form has seen the reigning champions close the gap between themselves and Chelsea, the current leaders, to just three points and they will be hoping to remain within touching distance after this weekend. Conversely, Leicester’s remain rooted to the foot of the table and cannot climb out of the relegation spots this week, even if every result goes their way. Five consecutive wins in all competitions – including a shock victory over Bayern Munich – will give Manchester City masses of confidence heading into a game they would’ve been expecting victory in anyway. Pellegrini will almost certainly instruct his team to go out and attack Leicester from the first whistle, aiming to exploit a defence which has looked unconvincing all season. The Foxes’ defensive woes won’t be eased either following Paul Konchesky’s somewhat controversial red card in their last outing; he has been handed a three game suspension for violent conduct. They are, however, boosted by the return of captain and otherwise ever-present Wes Morgan – he returns from a one game ban picked up in the 3-1 loss to Liverpool. Morgan will without doubt make an immediate return to the side and the man to drop out will probably be Leicester academy product Liam Moore. In order to accommodate an attacking style, Manchester City may line up with two dedicated strikers, as they have multiple times already this campaign. Agüero’s injury rules him out and City’s other first-team striker, Stevan Jovetic, will likely be partnered by 6’3″ Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian has scored just two times in eleven Premier League appearances during the 2014/15 campaign, both goals coming in a 4-2 victory over a Hull side who, like Leicester, find themselves locked in this year’s relegation dogfight. Leicester have shown their weakness in the air on multiple occasions this season and even the addition of heading specialist Leonardo Ulloa has done little to paper over the cracks of a fragile defence. Should Manchester City employ a crossing game then the presence of Dzeko will cause problems for Leicester’s centre back pairing. Even if Dzeko is not to score himself, he will draw defenders into physical challenges which will undoubtedly open up space for the likes of Jovetic et al to run into. Moving down the pitch, Manchester City’s midfield is likely to consist of a flat four capable of causing issues for any team in the league, if not the world, on their day. In the middle, expect a pairing of one of the more defensively minded midfielders in Manchester City’s squad – Fernando or Fernandinho – alongside Yaya Touré. Critics claim Touré hasn’t produced enough this season but the Ivorian is capable of dominating the middle of the pitch single handedly when he is in form and is a constant goal threat from all areas of the pitch. Leicester must remain disciplined around their own box as Touré will not need a second invitation to shoot from any set pieces and has a frightening ability to send any ball into the back of the net. Not to say Touré’s only danger is from set piece situations. Leicester’s central midfielders must close him down in open play as he has shown in the past that he can release the ball from under his feet and cannon in a shot from range with no warning. He will also relish the opportunity to drive through a lightweight Leicester midfield and, even if he is man-marked, the Foxes have a job on their hands to keep him quiet, providing he puts in the effort he is so often criticised for lacking. The wings are set to feature a combination of Samir Nasri on the left and one of Jesus Navas or James Milner on the right. As a trio of wide options, Manchester City have all their bases covered. Nasri – the skillful, technical player who will dance through opponents; Navas – the quick, sharp player who can run past a man with ease and Milner – the solid player who will cover his defender but also produce going forwards. Despite being the butt of many jokes over the years, Milner’s ability is reflected by the fact he is continually picked in a side challenging for the title. Finally, to the defence. Pellegrini has the choice of some of the best full backs this league has to offer. Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta, the likely starters, may be given more license than usual to wander forward against the current worst team in the league and will look to take the opportunity to impress as attacking options. Both are also extremely sound defensively and even Riyad Mahrez, deemed by many to be Leicester’s best player, may struggle to make an impact out wide. Vincent Kompany may miss out through injury at the heart of defence, leaving a pairing of Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichellis. Both have been criticised for being mistake-prone and Demichellis’ lack of pace leaves him so often exposed. Should Jamie Vardy start, he will look to that as an area to exploit and will try to isolate himself against the Argentine. Even if Kompany can start, one of that pairing must partner him and that is considered by many the weak link in a side that clearly have an incredibly strong squad. As for the Leicester team, Nigel Pearson must choose between the 4-4-2 that has heralded better performances recently but is seen as more attacking or packing the midfield and, in some ways, playing damage limitation – although the team will clearly look to win the game whatever happens. Dropping in at left back for Leicester will almost certainly be left-winger Jeffrey Schlupp. The Ghanaian has previously played as a left-back but has enjoyed his longest run in the side in his preferred forward role this year. Many Leicester fans adjudge Schlupp to not be solid enough defensively for the Premier League and this will be a real test of his credentials. His saving grace in the Championship was his pace – even if a winger found him out of position he could often chase back and eventually do his job. This time round, he does not have that option. If caught leaving space at the back, he may not have the time to get back to cover his man. Jesus Navas possesses electric pace and Schlupp would do well to catch up with him at all, let alone before he makes a killer pass. And even James Milner, who it is fair to say isn’t the quickest, has the experience to make a quick decision and play the ball early, once again cutting Schlupp’s time to react. Foxes fans will be hoping Riyad Mahrez retains his place in the side. Not many in the squad have the technical ability to create a chance out of nothing but Mahrez does and, with the difficulty in finding a forward option against such a good team, he could be vital. Should two wingers be employed, the choice for the second is between Marc Albrighton, a player who sticks to his wing and gets the ball into the box as early as possible, and Anthony Knockaert, who is similar in style to Mahrez. At right back, Richie De Laet may return from illness and will be competing with Danny Simpson, who looked good on his full debut, for the starting spot. Cambiasso and James will also hope to retain their places after being amoungst the stronger players through the poor form. Up front, David Nugent will be pushing for a place following a strong performance off the bench against Aston Villa, after failing to impress earlier in the season. Leonardo Ulloa is the only Leicester player to score recently and his finishing ability will likely see him keep his spot. If Leicester resort to one up front it will almost certainly be Ulloa due to his physicality, arial ability and hold-up play. However, Jamie Vardy’s speed and acceleration can cause issues for any team and, with few options to score goals at the best of times, against a team as good as Manchester City, beating them for sheer pace could be one of the only ploys available. Final prediction: 3-0 Manchester City (http://leicesterfoxes.wordpress.com)
dogadug Posted 8 December 2014 Posted 8 December 2014 Nice read mate. 1 piece of advise - to ensure success in the future make sure you do not follow any of Ian Stringers ways of sports 'journalism'
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