Prior to the Manchester City vs. Leicester City match on Saturday we discussed a few items with the site expert at Foxes of Leicester.
To get an idea of how the current match-up is viewed from the other side, we sat down with the site expert at Foxes of Leicester. We asked five questions about Leicester’s season and how they believe the EPL match this weekend with go.
Q1. After a few months on the season, what is the feeling around Leicester’s prospects after a magical 15/16?
Foxes of Leicester (FoL): Many fans, including myself were hoping for us to have a good cup run obviously in the Champions League but also in the FA Cup which as a club we still haven’t won! (We currently hold the record for most finals without ever winning the cup). Most of us are still realistic, we know we’re not world beaters and at the start of the season top 6 would have still been a dream. With the way things have panned out, we’re probably looking at a top table finish at best.
Q2. What is the feeling among the fans in EPL vs. Champions League?
FoL: Champions League football at the King Power was always going to be a once a lifetime opportunity so we’re really savouring it, the atmosphere during the home games has been incredible (I can’t speak for away matches because I didn’t go to any) Almost every fan right now is favouring Champions League football over domestic football – I’m sure most of us wouldn’t even mind being relegated if it meant winning the Champions League!
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Q3. Who is the player that people are under valuing this season?
FoL: It’s a tough question because we’re underperforming as a unit rather than individual performances letting us down but either Marc Albrighton or Demarai Gray – Marc has a tough task of being an inverted winger despite being traditional wide midfielder. He’s never going to beat a man in the way that Robben or Neymar will but you can be sure that he’s going to place the ball perfectly onto Slimani’s head, the only issue is that he’s right footed playing on the left. Demarai Gray hasn’t had a look-in this season due to the emergence of Mahrez last season and I personally believe that Claudio Ranieri is being let down massively by Riyad after showing so much faith, especially as Gray is so talented and generally changes the game when he comes on. It’s hard to say he’s under-valued as he usually only gets 20 minutes a game though!
Q4. What do you believe is the cause of the defensive issues this year compared to last?
FoL: Probably the easiest question out of all of them! Kante. Kante was and still is loved by 99% of the Leicester City fanbase, he wasn’t the sole reason we won the league but he was the key factor. The engine just never stops running! When he was sold we bought in Nampalys Mendy who looked to be a great replacement however in the second game of the season against Arsenal he picked up an ankle injury and has only just made it back to the bench this past weekend. Since then we’ve been trying to find a midfield pairing but we can’t find the right mixture of creativity, defence and work ethic. Although Danny Drinkwater’s place in the midfield is unquestionable.
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Q5. Give us a score prediction for the match, and a prediction for where Leicester City will finish this season.
FoL: Being a Leicester City fan my whole life, I’ve come to be pretty pessimistic, even last season until the final whistle blew during the Chelsea vs. Tottenham game, I didn’t believe that we would win the league, as such I think we’ll lose Saturday’s match 3 -1. Hopefully we can soak up the majority of the pressure but your midfield will be able to run rings around ours, luckily we’ve not got to face Fernandinho or Aguero. Unluckily you have incredible squad depth! – As for the season as a whole, I’m going to say anywhere between 11th to 9th. We’re in poor form but we’re by no means a terrible squad and additions in January along with the return of key squad members will pull us through I believe.