Leicester City: The story so far…

The story so far…

The Leicester fans were somewhat nervous having heard about the appointment of MH3009 as Leicester boss, and it came to a shock to many as Claudio Ranieri was hardly there for 2 seconds before being kicked straight back out. This only put extra pressure on MH to make a good start with his new club and so far he hasn’t disappointed.

Game 1

Leicester City kicked off their division 3 campaign against Dutch giants, Ajax and you could feel the anticipation in the air from the Leicester fans as they were all unsure if they could match the visitors, and with Ajax boasting starts such as Yaya Toure, Llorente and Bony, it was easy to see why.

The nervous energy was soon turned into wild support as Leicester battled hard, trying to match Ajax, and they did just that. At half time, the sides went in at 0-0 and Leicester were proving to be more than a match for Ajax. it was much of the same in the second half, a somewhat scrappy game but thoroughly entertaining none the less. As the minutes ticked by, getting closer to the 90 minute mark, both sets of fans seemed to have accepted it was going to be goalless draw and some were beginning to exit the stadium. However, in the 87th minute, mark Albrighton beat his marker on the wing, cutting inside and pulling the ball back towards the edge of the penalty box where Drinkwater was waiting to smash the ball home gave Leicester an unexpected lead. The goal sent Leicester fans wild, and their support was able to carry the team through the final minutes of the gam, to give Leicester a winning start to their season.

Game 2

This time Leicester were travelling to Lille, and full of confidence from the previous game, big things were expected. However, a 36th minute screamer from CB Marko Basa sent their opposition and their travelling supporters crashing straight back down to earth. Little else happened and the score at half time was 1-0 to Lille. The second half was a cagey affair, with Lille doing all they could to hold onto their slender lead and Leicester unable to break down their defence. As the game began to creep into the final minutes, Leicester fans started to filter out of the stadium hoping to beat the traffic. However, in the 85th minute, Robert Huth received the ball roughly 30 yards out from goal and decided to have a go. The result was a thunderbolt of a shot which rocketed into the top corner of the Lille goal, and sent the remainder of the travelling Leicester fans into jubilance. The game finished at 1-1, most thought the result was fair regarding the balance of play.

Game 3

Despite the great start to the season, Leicester fans were still unconvinced. The team had needed last minute heroics in each game to rescue themselves some points, and surely their luck must run out at some point? Leicester hosted Stoke City, and expected a tough game, however, the first shot of the game saw Leicester go ahead in the 12th minute, this time courtesy of Argentinian, Leo Ulloa. Leicester controlled the game from there on in, giving Stoke little chance to get back into the game and looked likely to get a second. Fans had to wait until the 89th minute for that to happen though, which saw playmaker, Kante combining with Christian Fuchs down the left hand side, who beat the keeper at the near post with a driven shot to give the hosts the 3 points.

So as things stand, Leicester currently sit in a very respectable 3rd position in the league table after 3 games, with 2 wins and a draw. Travelling to Basel later in the week, Leicester hope they can pick up another 3 points and possibly make a surprise promotion push this season.

Transfers

MH was rather slow to dig into the transfer market, as he was on holiday in the States when learning he had been given the Leicester job. Never the less, as soon as he got back he sent scouts all over the world to find him some players that would fit his criteria.

As of today, 5 signings have been made so far, strengthening in all areas of the park, from defence right through to the forward line. The first arrival, was box to box midfielder, Vadis Odjidja having beaten Club Brugge to his signature, costing Leicester 6 million pounds. He is expected to add some much needed energy in the middle of the park, and will play alongside tricky midfielder, N’golo Kante in the center.

Next to arrive was CB Lewis Dunk, and defensive midfielder, Mohamed Diame from Brighton and Hull respectively. Dunk, a young up and coming defender, will add strength in depth to the Leicester back line and is thought to be a long term replacement for ageing defenders Wes Morgan and Rob Huth. Diame will add some steel to the midfield and will hopefully further improve Leicester’s already impressive defensive record.

2 further arrivals are expected to join later today, in the form of striker Gary Hooper and full back Marcos Rocha. MH is hoping Hooper will form a deadly partnership with Japan international, Shinji Okozaki up top with the two players styles expected to compliment one another. Rocha will, arriving at the expense of current full back, Danny Simpson will add some pace to the back line and will hopefully provide assistance going forward as well.

Transfer overview:

IN: Gary Hooper, Lewis Dunk, Marcos Rocha, Mohamed Diame, Vadis Odjidja

OUT: Danny Simpson, Yohan Benalouane, Leo Ulloa