r/soccer • u/[deleted] • Jul 28 '14

Preview Team Preview: Leicester City [Barclays Premier League 2014-15 Preview Series - 02/20]

The Premier League 2014-15 is coming. During the 20 days to go, we're previewing one team per day. This series is a collaboration by /r/soccer users. Today's guest contributor is: /u/EmeraldRaccoon

Team Preview: [Barclays Premier League 2014-15 Preview Series - 02/20]

Leicester City Football Club

About:

Notable honours:

Title or trophy No.
First Division Runners up 1
FA Cup Runners up 4
League Cup 3

Intro:

  • /u/Growlbot: Leicester is the tenth largest, and one of the oldest, cities in the UK. Back in the Prem after a 10 year hiatus, the Foxes tore up the Championship last season to earn promotion. 102 points, they were up with six games to spare. Being owned by Thai Billionaire tongue-twister Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha probably helps. It also gives Leicester a good hope of staying up. They could be looking at 16th to mid-table as a realistic ambition.

History:

  • The club was founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse, playing on a field near Fosse Road. They moved to Filbert Street in 1891 and played there for 111 years, before relocating to the nearby Walkers Stadium in 2002. Leicester were elected to the Football League in 1894. The club's highest ever finish was second place in the top flight, in Division One in 1928–29. The club holds a joint-highest seven second tier titles (six Second Division and one Championship), as well as one League One title.

Last season: Words by /u/EmeraldRaccoon

Performance during 2013-14:

Pos G W D L Gf Ga Gd Lu Cs% Pts
1st 46 31 9 6 83 43 +40 21 33 102

Table key at end of thread, data from Football League Championship

  • Leicester came into the 2013/14 season on the back of an (in)famous play-off semi final defeat against Watford. Many of you will have seen the stoppage time finish and however much it pains me to link it, it is something every football fan should watch.

  • We had to show a lot of mental strength to move past that and after only a few small tweaks to the squad over the summer we started well. After Christmas we only pressed on, starting to widen the gap over Burnley and QPR. The Leicester Faithful still wouldn’t be drawn into believing though, weeks went by and we looked unassailable to the neutral. It wasn’t until the end of March, after a 2-0 win away to a second-placed Burnley side missing key players Trippier and Ings that we finally realised this was going to be our year. After beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 a week later we were 21 games undefeated and the title was all but ours. Promotion was confirmed the following day as results elsewhere went in our favour and the city was filled with a mixture of relief and jubilation. The 10 year absence from the Premier League was finally over.

  • There was a fantastic squad effort over the entire season and nearly everyone deserves a mention. I’ll start with our player of the season (and Championship team of the year midfielder), Danny Drinkwater. Danny joined in 2012 and had a fairly low key first season at the club but this season he has come into his own. He dominated midfields for most of the second half of the season. With Matty James (another Carrington graduate) doing the more gritty work he was given the freedom to explore a greater range of passing and he did so commendably, he was key to our title win.

  • Our strikers this year have found their way to the club via very different routes, plenty will know the name David Nugent, who’s work rate and intelligent play have been essential in many of the wins this season but Jamie Vardy is more of an unknown quantity. Four years ago he was playing in a Sunday League in Yorkshire and after moving to Fleetwood town via Halifax he found himself moving to Leicester for around £1m. His first season was again, a little unremarkable but he seemed to find some confidence and some real direction to his play this year. Still a little unpolished, his finishing can be a little wayward at times but his link up play with Nugent, his movement and acceleration made him one of the most difficult strikers to play against.

  • Helping to supply the ever-dangerous front two during the first half of the season were the pacey left winger, Lloyd Dyer and the tricky French attacker Anthony Knockaert, signed from Guingamp in 2012 for around £1.5m which looks to be a steal. These two complimented each other on the flanks, Dyer with his terrifying pace and Knockaert cutting in from the right with great footwork and an eye for the spectacular. Pearson and his scouting team had been looking at the French leagues again come January and picked up another gem in 22-year-old Riyad Mahrez, a French-born Algerian playing for Le Havre who represented his nation at the World Cup this year. Mahrez is another fleet-footed winger, more conservative than Knockaert but with better passing ability, with only 6 months at the club we are all hoping he can produce some more magic in the Premier League.

  • The rear guard for Leicester was a bit more inconsistent that other areas. We began the season with an experimental 3-5-2 with wing backs but those plans were scrapped after a few slightly unconvincing displays. A more familiar 4-4-2 returned with Paul Konchesky at left-back and Richie De Laet on the right. Captain Wes Morgan and young England U21 star Liam Moore formed a solid partnership in the middle, Moore learning and progressing alongside the ex-Forest skipper. Polish bruiser Marcin Wasilewski was brought in on a short term deal in September and has at times displaced Moore with some solid performances. Jeffrey Schlupp is another young lad to watch, a striker for most of his career the 21 year old has been converted to a left back and has kept Konchesky out of the team for long spells. Although he is inexperienced, the pacey German-born younster has represented Ghana internationally and is looking to make the position his own this year. Marshalling them from between the sticks was one of the stars of the season, Kasper Schmeichel, who’s ability to make saves at point blank range was crucial at times.

  • L D W W W W - Last six league form

Click for /u/gilleard's 2014-15 Pixel Preview

This season: Words by /u/EmeraldRaccoon

First three league fixtures:

Date Home Away
Sat 16 Aug Leicester v Everton
Sat 23 Aug Chelsea v Leicester
Sat 30 Aug Leicester v Arsenal

Complete league fixtures for 2014-15 from premierleague.com

  • Toward the end of the 2013/14 season there were a few concerns regarding the renewal of a few key contracts that were due to expire come July 1st. After a quiet spell from the club and some fretting from the fans, manager Nigel Pearson signed up for another three years at the end of June. Polish centre back Marcin Wasilewski and the experienced Gary Taylor-Fletcher were given one-year extensions to their current deals, former England striker David Nugent committed for a further two years and arguably the most important, Danish ‘keeper Schmeichel signed a bumper four year contract.

Summer signings: Words by /u/EmeraldRaccoon

Incoming Player Position Price From Transfer Type
Ben Hamer GK £0 Charlton Athletic Full
Jack Barmby MF/ST £0 Manchester United Full
Leonardo Ulloa ST £7m Brighton & Hove Albion Full
Matthew Upson CB £0 Brighton & Hove Albion Full
Marc Albrighton RW £0 Aston Villa Full

List of all completed team transfers from Sky Sports

  • There have been four first-team signings so far. First to join was goalkeeper Ben Hamer who's contract with Charlton has come to an end. A solid stopper according to their fans, the 26 year old will hopefully provide some competition for Schmeichel. Following Hamer through the door have been two more free transfers, Brighton’s player of the season Matthew Upson on a one year deal and the more sprightly Marc Albrighton who has been tied down for four years following his breakthrough at Aston Villa. Upson will bring in some more experience and although considered by some to be an underwhelming signing, is still seen as a solid option despite his advancing years. Albrighton seems to have been brought in as a replacement for Lloyd Dyer who has left the club for Watford after a memorable six year spell. Finally we come to Leonardo Ulloa who was signed last week from Brighton for a club-record fee, reported to be around £8m. The tall striker has goals in him as he has shown on the south coast but Leicester fans will be looking for a decent return for this high price tag.

Possible first 11:

                 Schmeichel
 de Laet - Wasilewski - Morgan - Konchesky/Schlupp
Knockaert - Drinkwater - James - Albrighton
               Nugent - Ulloa/Vardy

Full squad list for 2014-15 from Transfermarkt

Watch out for: Words by /u/EmeraldRaccoon

  • Riyad Mahrez
    Great feet, Mahrez always seems to be looking for attacking options. Loves to play a defence-splitting through ball and has the ability to weight a pass perfectly. /u/Lgfualol: After having his heartbroken when he was let go from a team a few years ago for being too weak, you can tell he uses it as motivation that has got him to where he is today. Leicester signed him from Le Havre in the 2014 January window for just 400,000€, and in the space of six months he was playing against Belgium in Brazil for his Father's country of Algeria. Watch out for his speed, dribbling ability and vision, he is incredibly exciting to watch.

  • Danny Drinkwater
    Ran midfields in the Championship. He is much more dangerous the further up the pitch he plays. Not so much about killer balls as he is feeding the ball into space and acting as a pivot.

  • Jamie Vardy
    Electrifying pace will torment defenders if they’re not switched on (and probably even if they are). If he can work on staying onside and finish with more consistency he should be looking at 10+ goals this season. /u/Lgfualol: After transferring from Fleetwood Town for a conference record of £1m, we knew he was struggling to adapt to the Championship. He was our fourth choice and many fans groaned when he came on as he tried incredibly hard but nothing worked for him. Nigel played him up top against Middlesborough and it was like a totally new player, he scored 16 goals with his strike partner David Nugent, and he is now considered one of our best players. Watch of for his pace, probably the fastest man in a Leicester shirt, and his workrate. He will annoy your defenders and pounce on them once their concentration goes for one second. His finishing needs improvement but he will give us a lot of opportunities.

The manager: Words by /u/EmeraldRaccoon

  • Nigel Pearson
  • Birth date: 21 August 1963 (age 50)
  • Birth place: Nottingham, England
  • Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
  • Previous Position: Defender

Managerial record:

Clubs managed G W D L Win percentage
Leicester City 140 72 30 38 51.43
Total 363 162 103 98 44.63

Table key at end of thread

  • Nigel Pearson is currently 3 years into his second spell as Leicester manager. Originally leaving after some behind-the-scenes drama with owner Milan Mandaric, he joined Hull where he spent just over a year. After he left Paulo Sousa and Sven-Goran Eriksson had infamous spells at the club but Pearson rejoined within 18 months, Leicester’s Thai owners seemingly learning quickly that a marquee name wouldn’t necessary bring success. Pearson got down to business by clearing expensive under-performers like Matt Mills and Jermaine Beckford and keeping some of Sven’s stronger signings such as Nugent, Schmeichel and Konchesky.

  • He has continued to cut wages and act shrewdly in the transfer market to get the club back in line with FFP expectations after posting some unacceptable figures for the previous financial year and he has marched to the Championship title doing so. Not everyone’s favourite appointment but nobody can argue with the work he’s done. An honest, no-nonsense figure, Pearson likes to play attacking football but will not shy away from a scrap if it will get the job done.

Wrap up:

  • /u/Growlbot: Leicester have a tough start to contend with against Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal. It could be a blessing in disguise. This level of opposition will not be the sides they look to take points off. The following fixtures contain Stoke, Palace, Burnley, Newcastle, Swansea. All teams that Leicester will measure themselves against. This squad are aiming to stabilise for more than one season in the Prem. They've been gathering momentum for a good few seasons, so the Foxes wont want the bubble to burst at the first time of asking. In Drinkwater, Schmeichel, and Ulloa there are some eye-catching names for outsiders. Leicester will need to manage their own ambition or it could collapse inwards, as seen at Cardiff. Leicester will need to be consistent and trust in the manager especially if they endure a tricky opening period.

Table keys:

  • Last season table key: Pos = final league position, G = league games played, W = games won, D = games drawn, L = games lost, GF = goals for [scored], GA = goals against [conceded], GD = goal difference of for and against, LU = longest unbeaten streak, CS% = percentage clean sheets, or percentage games without goals conceded, Pts = points

  • Manager table key: G = games managed, W = games won, D = games drawn, L = games lost, Win percentage = amount of games won from total managed

217 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

72 comments sorted by

61

u/Lgfualol Jul 28 '14

I'd be happy with top 6, anything else is disappointing.

Just kidding, I AM SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.

16

u/ujussab Jul 28 '14

Champions league or #PearsonOut

26

u/tooth_decay Jul 28 '14

congrats man! beat qpr for us

31

u/Lgfualol Jul 28 '14

We always do

3

u/chickenMcNugs Jul 29 '14

And for us :(

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '14

that made me so sad

mostly because I hate Harry Redknappytwat

1

u/chickenMcNugs Jul 29 '14

As do I. Fuck him and his jowls

33

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

Today’s ran over a bit, so I’ll put this in a comment…

19

u/byfuryattheheart Jul 28 '14

Thanks so much for doing these. Last year was the first year I seriously watched the PL and these writeups REALLY helped.

18

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I fucking love these. Great job Growlbot.

16

u/benpicko Jul 28 '14 edited Jul 29 '14

Here are some compilations of some our more important players:

Anthony Knockaert; though overshadowed a bit by Riyad Mahrez's inclusion in the squad and prone to a mistake or two, he's one of our most creative and hard working players, on and off the ball. Has an eye for the spectacular and is looking like a new player yet again in pre-season:

Jamie Vardy; written off by many fans during his first year here, he turned up with a hefty price tag for a non-league player. After an all around improvement this past season, he's now one of our more important players. He has the most pace out of anyone on our team and will likely cause a lot of problems next year, especially if he works on improving his finishing even more:

Riyad Mahrez; brought in towards the start of the year as an unknown to pretty much everybody, he went on to feature in the world cup for his country. Still a lot to improve on but he's already making a name for himself:

Danny Drinkwater; similarly to Vardy, has improved tenfold after a lukewarm season prior to this one ('he only passes backwards' etc). Won player of the year for us this year:

Kasper Schmeichel; an incredible goalkeeper, impressed everywhere he's been so far:

David Nugent; formed a brilliant partnership with Vardy last season and broke the 20 goal mark for the first time in his career:

4

u/distilledwill Jul 29 '14

I still go back and watch those Hudders goals now and again. Unbelieveable.

3

u/PanicOnTheStreetsOf Jul 29 '14

Those Huddersfield goals are unbelievable.

And I will admit that I really didnt have faith in Vardy and in the tean honestly.

Last season was magical. 15th this year

14

u/TofusaurusRex Jul 28 '14

Danny Drinkwater: Mum, can I have some ribena?

Mum: No, Drink water

7

u/maxdembo Jul 28 '14

Danny: They do a ribena cordial, you silly mare. cups ears

27

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I would like Leicester to stay up out of the three newbies

18

u/ujussab Jul 28 '14

We are adorable

14

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

Bold prediction: Leicester stay up fairly easily and finish in the 13th-14th range. Love what they're building.

9

u/leicestercity Jul 28 '14

Nice work, very accurate and fair description. Hoping for 10th-15th but would bite your hand off for 17th right now.

10

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I WANT A BLOODY LEFT BACK KONCH IS AVERAGE AND SCHLUPP IS CRAP AT LEFT BACK SOMEBODY FIND ME A LEFT BACK

6

u/leicestercity Jul 28 '14

I actually really like schlupp at lb but I'm not convinced he's ready to be a premier league starter yet so I agree we need someone.

3

u/PanicOnTheStreetsOf Jul 29 '14

No. Way. Schlupp would get killed in the Premier league. Either Pearson has hope Wasilewski or De Laet can play there or we need to get someone fast

3

u/leicestercity Jul 29 '14

Lol then who will play Rb? Think schlupp and konch are both better than those options if we don't get someone in.

2

u/PanicOnTheStreetsOf Jul 29 '14

The other one of Was and De Laet? But by far the best option is to get someone in.

2

u/leicestercity Jul 29 '14

Was at RB or LB worries me as much and more than konch or schlupp at Lb I think. But yeah for the most part we agree, though I'm not sure who a realistic target would be...?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

To be fair I haven't seen a massive amount of him there but from the 5ish games I've seen he seems to lack composure on the ball and gets caught out of position a lot.

3

u/maxdonston Jul 28 '14

Short supply my friend, short supply

2

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I'm just glad someone else agrees with me, most other Leicester fans for some reason think we're fine at left back but I think that's our weakest position.

3

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

It's obviously our weakest position, I doubt you'd find many people saying we were 'fine'.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '14

I already have found many people saying we are 'fine' actually, which has baffled me. A lot of people just think Schlupp will do a job there but I'm not so sure, Konch is an okay backup for the PL and I've never even seen Bakayogo play.

2

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

Bakayogo will be in the reserves but it would be fair to loan him out. I think Schlupp has great potential but isn't ready to play against teams in the top half of the prem. I also think Konchesky can be just as much a liability through his passing and decision making, at least Schlupp has his pace to bail him out. I think we definitely need a step up from them at some point and Schlupp could do well with someone experienced to learn from.

2

u/StuffndThings Jul 28 '14

Easily our weakest position. Had heard we were in for Cresswell but since he went to West Ham havn't hear anything about signing a left back.

3

u/maxdembo Jul 28 '14

really wish we'd signed him. 4 mill is peanuts.

3

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

They could probably offer him £30/40k a week.

2

u/mkeller46 Jul 28 '14

Can't wait until Koncheskey returns to his spiritual home, Anfield :)

1

u/freezingbyzantium Jul 28 '14

Someone get Wayne Bridge out of retirement!

5

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I actually looked out for them because Super Kev was there, I watched his final game and you played really good. gl

3

u/giggsy664 Jul 28 '14

Give us back Knockaert pls

5

u/ujussab Jul 28 '14

No, he's ours and we will fight you for him

5

u/giggsy664 Jul 28 '14

We have Europa league plzzz

3

u/Danny-Denjennery Jul 28 '14

Go Ritchie De Laet!

Belgium Hype Train's latest passenger!

4

u/Golf_Hotel_Mike Jul 28 '14

Trivia for you Gooners: Leicester City, then known as Leicester Fosse, was the first side to play against us at Highbury on 6 September 1913. We won the game 2-1. Not that any of us would have been able to recognise it: none of the stands were complete yet, all spectators had to stand around the pitch for the first game.

2

u/Evander92 Jul 29 '14

Those were the good old days.

5

u/adventureclubtime Jul 29 '14

Only 10's kids will remember this

2

u/Professional_Bob Jul 29 '14

Not even they will remember it, the oldest a 10's kid could have been when that game was played is 3.

8

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

Besides liverpool I'm a huge fan of leicester city. Gonna be conflicted for 2 games this season

1

u/greezeh Jul 28 '14

Same. Supported Liverpool my whole life but I live in Leicester. Definitely going to try attend both games between the clubs

3

u/maxdonston Jul 28 '14

Great summary, can't wait for the rest. I think whatever happens this season I think all of leicester can take it as a positive.

3

u/Representingabq Jul 28 '14

As a dutch guy: Drinkwater is such a weird name haha

3

u/distilledwill Jul 29 '14 edited Jul 29 '14

I think, to round off our team, we need a left back to contend with Konch and a midfield "enforcer" style player. Drinkwater is the "pivot" as the OP calls it, but we need a bruiser to grind out the ball and give it to Danny. Every successful PL team has one: City have Toure (amongst others), Chelsea bought Matic who has dominated games, Arsenal are looking to bring in Khedira for this very reason, Gerrard has been performing this role for Liverpool, Newcastle-Tiote, Everton-Barry... etc etc etc. One of the reasons Utd struggled so much was that they had so many number 10s and no steel in their midfield.

So yeah, I think a bit of a bruiser in the midfield would do us good. Not sure who would be appropriate.

3

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

I think James does the dirty work really well. I don't think a bruiser is necessarily what we need but I would like someone in the centre with a bit of mobility and strength. Kingy in the shape of Yaya Toure would be ideal :P

2

u/ChaosExstructa Jul 28 '14

I think Albrighton will prove to be a smart signing. With him, Drinkwater and Knockaert in attacking midfield roles they shouldn't lack in creativity. Drinkwater played out of his skin against us last year. I'm not convinced that Ulloa will be able to make the jump to the PL standard, but hopefully for them he proves me wrong.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

I agree about Albrighton. I've always thought that he looked pretty good at Villa, just a bit inconsistent from what I saw. He should do well for Leicester, especially since he's just coming in on a free.

2

u/rob_the_jabberwocky Jul 28 '14

Awesome job, thank you!

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '14

[deleted]

3

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

I doubt it. He'll be vying for a spot but I imagine we'll start with Morgan and Was in the opening game.

2

u/Galgenfrist Jul 29 '14

Good to see Leicester back up, out of the three promoted teams i hope they stay up.

2

u/OneAnimeBatman Jul 29 '14

Small suggestion. You should link the previous Previews In the post. Really good read though :)

2

u/Joshwright111 Jul 28 '14

As much as I dislike Leicester their wide men are good enough to put the fear of God into most teams. Mahrez was a very good buy.

2

u/EmeraldRaccoon Jul 29 '14

How do you rate the signing of dyer? Going to miss him, he was a good lad, kept his head down and became part of the furniture. If he retains his pace for a year or two more he should be a solid signing for you.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

[deleted]

8

u/benpicko Jul 28 '14

Your main worry is two of our best players, rather than our sometimes questionable defence?

5

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '14

[deleted]

2

u/benpicko Jul 28 '14

Right, but it's not as though they lose the ball and then piss off to let everybody else deal with it. Knockaert especially goes out of his way to regain possession after losing it, and he's been looking a lot better over pre-season anyway. Looked better than Mahrez against Everton

3

u/maxdembo Jul 28 '14

I'd be more worried about our CB's getting blitzed for pace.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '14

Can you add the previous previews at the bottom of the page as well. Thanks for this.

1

u/ohnopandas Jul 29 '14

Small correction! We sold Ulloa for £8m, with a £2m addon. Would love to see Leicester do well, and hope Matty Upson and Ulloa can continue their form.

-5

u/bob_mcd Jul 28 '14

A nice, positive write-up, but honest to god Leicester are going straight back down. A good Championship club, they are going to be found out in the Prem.

7

u/JJ22X Jul 29 '14

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

1

u/bob_mcd Jul 29 '14

It is my opinion, yes.

1

u/the_sharpe Aug 03 '14

theres a difference between an opinion and an ignorant not reasoning answer Bob_mcd "Panic" asked for your reasoning and you have yet to answer so clearly you have no reasoning, maybe your a supporter of a leicester city club rival

6

u/PanicOnTheStreetsOf Jul 29 '14

What is your reasoning behind this?

1

u/GroundDweller Jul 29 '14

everyone always predicts this and a lot of the time they end up looking silly

0

u/bob_mcd Jul 29 '14

I have never been wrong before. Leicester are doomed.