Let’s face it – Simon Mignolet just hasn’t managed to look all that convincing for Liverpool this season, and Twitter users certainly haven’t gone easy on the Belgian international after his questionable form against the Gunners tonight…
Mignolet was largely at fault for both goals conceded at Anfield, and although his fellow Liverpool defenders haven’t exactly covered themselves in much glory either, the under-fire Reds ‘keeper will likely take most of the flack when all is said and done.
The former Sunderland man isn’t a completely flawed goal-keeper by any stretch of the imagination – but as some unwanted reputations seemingly stick among the English top-flight within the cold light of day – it remains hard to imagine Jurgen Klopp persevering with the 27-year-old shot-stopper, even if his form nonetheless improves throughout the remainder of the season.
So then, put in no uncertain terms whatsoever, here’s what Twitter has had to say about the floundering Liverpool ‘keeper thus far…
Although Slaven Bilic and his West Ham United outfit saw fit to splash out £7 million on the largely untested and relatively unknown Championship wide-man before the close of the summer transfer window, Michail Antonio has blossomed into one of the most influential players at Upton Park in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old former Nottingham Forest winger had to wait for his chance before firmly implementing himself within Slaven Bilic’s first team plans this season, but since registering a string of well taken finishes in front of the Hammers faithful, this is a player few genuine West Ham fans would want to see the back of any time soon.
So with thoughts of the English national side and their potential to impress on the international scene, would Roy Hodgson be mad not to include Michail Antonio in his plans for Euro 2016?
Despite recently seeing his name linked with a possible England call-up over the past few weeks, it remains difficult to envisage Hodgson ever taking such a gamble on the up-and-coming Hammers man, even if the likes of Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott haven’t exactly set the world alight this term.
When it comes to getting himself in promising positions, displaying sheer tenacity down the flanks, and also scoring an impressive range of goals, Michail Antonio has certainly shone for West Ham in 2015/16.
The bustling wide-man very rarely shirks his defensive responsibilities in Slaven Bilic’s side either, which may go down as somewhat of a rarity in most attacking players in the modern era.
Antonio has even dropped in at right-back whenever the circumstances have required him to do so this season, and the former Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest man has subsequently received praise for his versatility throughout the 2015/16 campaign, as well as his aforementioned quality in front of goal.
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The Hammers winger doesn’t quite replicate anything close to the finished article, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Roy Hodgson couldn’t find an important use for the 25-year-old at Euro 2016 this summer.
He may still represent a very raw asset who isn’t the most technically gifted front-man to ever grace the Premier League, yet via such unpredictability inside the final third for West Ham this season, Michail Antonio has thrived quite significantly of late.
His hunger for goals has been infectious at Upton Park. The East-End crowd have most definitely taken to Antonio’s tireless exploits out on the pitch for their side in recent weeks, allowing the rest of Slaven Bilic’s starting XI to also feed off his impressive energy levels all across the park.
Antonio therefore deserves a certain amount of consideration from Hodgson this summer. Although both Mark Noble and Aaron Cresswell have also been singled out for a possible call-up to the Three Lions squad this summer, Antonio’s potential to hit the ground running at Euro 2016 arguably arrives with the most potency.
Whilst he must indeed continue his fine form in front of goal between now and the end of the campaign, perhaps England need someone with Antonio’s pace and power in their ranks this summer, even if his possible presence at the tournament only serves to offer Roy Hodgson an extended range of options from the bench.
In the end, Antonio isn’t quite nailed on for a definite spot at Euro 2016 at this particular stage in the season, but if the likes of Andros Townsend, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlian or even Manchester United’s recently established Marcus Rashford ever come close to being selected for the Three Lions this summer, surely West Ham’s 25-year-old powerhouse deserves a shout too.
Aston Villa fans, and possibly the Aston Villa board (before the new faces came in) probably think the same thing. The appointment of Remi Garde was a complete and utter disaster and did little to bolster the club’s points tally, or the spirit within the squad.
Back in November last year, just after Villa lost to Tottenham and Garde had been appointed, the Frenchman uttered these promising words to the media: “I’ve had extremely positive meetings with both the owner, Randy Lerner, and chief executive, Tom Fox. They have ambitious plans for the club and I’m excited they’ve turned to me to help realise them. Obviously we have a difficult task in front of us but I’m looking forward to the challenge with the support of everyone who loves Aston Villa.”
Fewer than six months later and Garde has been sacked, and the club are now staring wide eyed at the Championship. This should never have been the case.
A Premier League club through and through, things have been faltering for the past couple of seasons in the Midlands. However, when Tim Sherwood was appointed along with his assistant, Ray Wilkins, last February, he did a brilliant job, almost instantly lifting the mood and confidence following the sacking of Paul Lambert. He took 16 points from his first 11 games to avoid relegation and masterminded the club’s first appearance in an FA Cup Final for 15 years.
However, towards the end of his reign, Sherwood lost his job because chief executive Tom Fox decided the man who had brought harmony to the club when he was appointed had become a divisive force. The 46-year-old was summoned by Fox to the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, along with Wilkins and first team coach, Mark Robson, on a Sunday morning to be told they were being relieved of their duties. The meeting lasted barely 10 minutes.
After spending £52m, only sitting bottom of the league is all that they have to show for the outlay. The players have all but given up, with the odd burst of enthusiasm rare in an otherwise abject campaign that has seen the support amongst the Villa faithful stretched to its limits.
But if Sherwood had stayed, would he and Wilkins have kept Villa up? On Fletch & Sav last weekend, Wilkins said that the club would have been safe. So did the board act too soon?
The phrase that is remembered by most from Sherwood was after the Swansea defeat when he said: “We can’t do any more as coaches and managers, we are working as hard as we possibly can, and the players can’t do more regarding effort. They can only give us what they can give us, we can’t turn them into superstars.”
Maybe not, but the effort was there then, and had that had time have developed into results and then Villa would be safe. So the question is, should Villa have stuck with Sherwood?
Quite possibly yes, because the man knew the Premier League, he had an idea of bringing youth into a squad, he wanted to build Villa and not only did he keep them up last season, but he took them to the FA Cup Final. It looked as though he was firmly interested in the club and its future and his heart was in the job from day one. Villa really couldn’t be any worse off had they kept faith with Sherwood.
Time and time again clubs that keep on sacking managers for that quick fix, come unstuck. Step forward Newcastle United as another prime example.
Between Wilkins and Sherwood, Villa would probably be looking at the new pot of money next year and deciding who to keep, who to buy and who should go as the project slowly took shape. Sherwood would have stabilised the club and started to re-build a sleeping giant and although it might have taken a few seasons, he would have got there.
Now, Villa are drawing up shortlists for another new face in the hot-seat, but will they learn from this expensive escapade? The new appointments in the board room are too late and why make the change now? Lerner clearly doesn’t have a handle on the situation and neither did those that he put his faith in to run the club here in the UK.
Villa fans didn’t expect to win the league, but they didn’t expect the tripe that they’ve been served up every weekend.
Lerner and his cohorts should be ashamed that such a fine club is heading out of the top league.
Manchester United tend to pride themselves on supporting younger players. However, Reece Oxford, of early season West Ham fame, would be a fool to move to Old Trafford at this time. The Hammer has been linked with a move to the North West already this summer and it looks as though he will be subject to interest from across the country.
Oxford starred for West Ham with an excellent early season performance against Arsenal, but, since then, has failed to really nail down a regular place in the side and had to rely on injuries or suspension to get any sort of role in the XI. Slaven Bilic is not short of options in Oxford’s roles, unfortunately.
The defender, who can also slot into a midfield position, only made three league starts for the east London club last season. However, it would be a massive mistake to be lured in by a move to Old Trafford.
Here are FIVE reasons why…
Not so Special One
Jose Mourinho’s invincibility cloak was whipped off last season. ‘The Special One’ seems to have had his golden touch tarred slightly and it will take a storming start to his time at Manchester United for it to return.
Youngsters are seldom a part of Mourinho’s planning, anyway, and his short-term challenge at United will just make that harder for any player of Oxford’s inexperience to get minutes. Mourinho might envisage a longer future at Old Trafford and, if he does, then it might change Oxford’s decision, but that would only happen in a year or two.
Europa Demands
West Ham might look like they’ve got a fair amount of midfield and defensive depth at the moment, but the lingering Europa League campaign will give plenty of opportunity for fringe players to step up.
Despite Kouyate and Noble’s stranglehold on the midfield roles, Oxford would definitely be a viable option for Bilic in the midfield. Oxford’s own versatility gives him an upper hand on many who are trying to make their breakthrough.
Friendly competition
Manchester United, even without all the signings they are likely to make this summer, have plenty of players in either of Oxford’s primary positions.
In the defensive midfield slot they have Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger, whilst at centre-back there are plenty of players who have slotted in alongside Chris Smalling. The crucial run of starts that any young player needs would be pretty damn hard to come by at United.
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Pay-day Loans
Jose Mourinho has a penchant for loaning out youngsters he doesn’t quite fancy.
The move to Old Trafford would award Oxford with a monstrous pay-day, sure, but would it help his development? Across the whole of the country, it seems to be so rare that a player returns to have much success from a lengthy loan period.
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DNA of a winner
Youngsters got a sniff at Manchester United this season, admittedly, but that was largely down to an onslaught of injuries.
The pressure for success next season at Old Trafford is going to be phenomenal. Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal will all be piling the pressure on the sleeping giants of Premier League football and there is only so much that can be done with youngsters.
Oxford would be way down the pecking order and unlucky to get much big match experience.
It’s been all change for Wayne Rooney at Manchester United.
After signing for United in 2004 for £25m from Everton as a striker, Rooney is just four goals short of Bobby Charlton’s all-time club goalscoring record. He has already surpassed the World Cup winner at international level and surely now has his sights on completing the set.
But now that the years are catching up fast, Louis van Gaal has seen fit to drag the England captain into a different role, despite a shortage of good strikers at the club.
The alternative position has seen a decline in goals from Rooney this season. Just eight league goals underlines the position he now adopts as a No.10, rather than as a striker, as he used to be.
The match against Bournemouth this week showed that Rooney can still play a big part for United, as he scored the first in a 3-1 win, but also had a hand in the other two goals.
It is a position which will give Rooney longevity in the game, but not at international level.
For Rooney, the EUROs will be his swansong. At 30, he will be looking to maintain his playing career for a few more years yet, but as with other international players before him, to do that he will need to step down from the England squad.
Rooney knows it, we all know it, and Rooney knows that within Hodgson’s plans in France, he is not an automatic choice. The Manchester United man has been included because he is the captain, he is a Hodgson favourite, has 109 caps and 51 goals and has helped England cruise casually into the finals.
It is well documented that getting to finals isn’t England’s problem, but once they come up against strong opposition, the plan falls apart and Rooney can’t find the net.
Talking after the Bournemouth game, Rooney said: “Sometimes you have to make choices in your career and at the moment it’s better for me to play deeper,” he said. “It could be a bit different for England where I could still be the striker, but probably next season that’s where I see myself playing.”
For United maybe, but for England, no.
As with life, the team moves on and Hodgson has a plethora of attacking options including the injured Danny Welbeck. In the 26 man squad, Roy Hodgson named Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy of Leicester, Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge and Rooney’s 18-year-old United team-mate, Marcus Rashford, as his striking options.
It’s debatable whether the role that Rooney fills with United is one that suits Hodgson’s style of play. In the games without Rooney, England looked more than capable and if the England captain is left on the bench more than he is on the field, then the decision is stark and clear – it’s time to go.
Van Gaal was recently asked whether Rooney remained the best English centre-forward, to which he said: “It always depends on their form because everybody has tendencies in their shape. It is always like that. Wayne is more like that. Normally he is the best striker, but Harry Kane, how many has he scored? That also counts for a striker and also for Wayne. So, it’s also dependable on your team, how they are playing, so you cannot say that so easily. But when you see his record he is the best striker.”
Which then begs the question, why aren’t Man Utd using him as a striker?
Rooney has done more than his best wherever he’s played. He has been superb at international level and his own goalscoring record will stand for many years to come as a testament to his achievements.
However, the time will come this summer to put England to one side and concentrate on his club and the next record to be broken.
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has welcomed the signing of Moussa Dembele, but has told the young Frenchman he is going to have fight him for a first-team place at Celtic.
It was announced yesterday that the 19-year-old had joined the Bhoys from English Championship side Fulham after his contract expired, and when talking to the Glasgow Evening Times at Celtic’s hotel in Maribor, Griffiths said:
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“Anybody that the gaffer signs will be welcomed to this club but he is going to have a tough job on his hands to move me out of the team.”
Rodgers does usually favour three up front and Griffiths is hopeful that they can be a lethal partnership with both in the starting XI:
“Hopefully, we can work together if he goes with two or three up front. Hopefully, the gaffer can find a space for both of us. I concentrate on what I do. I just work hard on and off the pitch and if I do that the manager will find it difficult to leave me out. When I do my job on the pitch and score goals it is going to be even harder for the team. Celtic are always going to be linked with big names strikers. I haven’t seen a lot of Dembele but he is meant to be a very big talent.”
Celtic will need to pay compensation for Dembele as he is under 23, but it could prove to be a bargain with teams like Tottenham and other Premier League clubs having looked at bringing in the young forward previously.
After striking up a lethal partnership with Ross McCormack in the Championship, Celtic fans will be hopeful Dembele can do the same with Griffiths.
If English reports are to be believed, Georginio Wijnaldum is set to become a Liverpool player within the next few days.
The recently relegated Newcastle star has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, but it seems that Liverpool have won the race for his signature.
Wjinaldum, alongside Liverpool’s other signings this summer, represent Jurgen Klopp’s first real dip into the transfer market with Liverpool, as the German looks to assemble a Premier League winning side.
A host of stars have already been signed, but it doesn’t look like the spending is going to stop any time soon – with Joe Allen and Christian Benteke reportedly on the move and Klopp reportedly still interested in signing a few more players.
With that, here are FIVE players that could follow Georginio Wijnaldum to Liverpool
Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic received his dream move to Real Madrid last summer, but since then the dream has turned into a bit of a nightmare.
Unable to hold down a spot in the first team amongst some of the worlds best players, Kovacic had to settle for a bit part role for Madrid at a time in his career where regular game time is imperative.
As a result, it seems that he might be looking for a move this summer, with Liverpool reportedly circling.
The Daily Star is reporting that Liverpool are interested in the player, whilst Real Madrid are willing to listen to bids.
Sky Sports suggest that the deal is the second most likely deal, behind Wijnaldum, this summer – so this has a real chance of happening.
Jonas Hector
A long term Liverpool target, Jonas Hector has been linked with a move to Anfield for months.
The German left back was a star at the European Championships this summer, making the German left full back spot his own.
With Alberto Moreno’s future reportedly up in the air, with Liverpool questioning the quality of the Spanish defender, Hector would be a fantastic replacement. He is a really solid full back.
£25million is reportedly on the table for the German defender, with The Metro reporting that Liverpool want the deal tied up as soon as possible.
Lucas Moura
Lucas MOURA – 11.01.2013 – PSG / Ajaccio – 20eme journee de Ligue 1Photo : Amandine Noel / Icon Sport
Lucas Moura is reportedly another target for Liverpool, with the stylish Brazilian playmaker reportedly looking to leave PSG this summer.
Moura is a very exciting player to watch, and would add unpredictability and technical prowess to Liverpool’s attacking line.
Sky Sports place the deal just behind Kovacic’s in terms of likeliness, suggesting that the deal definitely has a chance of going through. Lucas Moura has been linked with a host of clubs this summer; could Anfield end up being his final destination?
Jeremy Mathieu
A defensive target that Klopp is reportedly looking at is Jeremy Mathieu.
The solid defender has never really been a consistent starter at Barcelona, typically setting for more of a bit part role for his side.
As a result, SportWitness are suggesting that Barcelona would be willing to let the defender go for as little as €10 million; an absolute steal for a player with Mathieu’s experience and quality.
They add that Liverpool are very much interested in a move for the defender as they look to rebuild their shaky back line.
With concrete interest in both a sale and a purchase; surely this one will happen?
Jordan Amavi
One player that comes with less fanfare than most of Liverpool’s reported targets if Aston Villa defender Jordan Amavi.
Amavi came to England with quite a reputation, but was last season relegated with Aston Villa, and he is now reportedly looking to escape the Championship and get back up to the top flight.
The Daily Star are suggesting that Klopp will continue to follow Amavi and will decide within 10 days whether the deal is right for his club.
He would seemingly be brought in as more of a squad utility player more than anything else, and if he wants the move; maybe Liverpool could capture him for a bargain fee?
They say you shouldn’t look at the Premier League table until after ten games but Stoke City fans will find it difficult to ignore at the moment.
Indeed, the Potters are currently rock-bottom of the English top flight, picking up just a single point and conceding eight times in their first four league games of the new season.
Amid a Premier League era in which relegation racers can transform into title-winners and vice versa, some Stoke fans might even be murmuring the ‘R’ word around the Bet365 Stadium.
But we are particularly fond of Stoke City and despite their incredibly poor start to the season, we’re sure the Staffordshire outfit will go on to enjoy a decent campaign.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with five reasons Stoke will turn their season around – and fans can stop thinking about a potential relegation to the Championship…
TOUGH OPENING FIXTURES
No doubt, one point from four games is incredibly disappointing. But excepting the draw against newly-promoted Middlesbrough, Stoke have been unfortunate enough to face some of the Premier League’s toughest sides in the opening weeks of the season, not least including current table toppers Manchester City who have destroyed everything in their path this term.
Likewise, Tottenham Hotspur are fourth in the league and have conceded only twice, whilst Everton are yet to lose. Getting these tricky fixtures out of the way could be a blessing in disguise as the season goes on.
COMING RUN IS MUCH EASIER
Compare the aforementioned to Stoke’s coming run of fixtures. Barring Manchester United in a few weeks’ time, the Potters don’t face a top Premier League side until Arsenal on December 10th.
Regardless of recent form, you’d expect Stoke to pick up points against the likes of West Brom, Sunderland, Swansea City and Bournemouth at home.
STOKE’S SQUAD IS PROVEN
Whilst some squads in the Premier League this season are certainly questionable, there’s no doubt Stoke City’s is top-flight quality.
Indeed, Marko Arnautovic is one of the most formidable forwards in the division when enjoying top form, few defenders are more established than Ryan Shawcross and Xherdan Shaqiri scored arguably the best goal of Euro 2016 with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Even the likes of Jonathan Walters, Joe Allen and Phil Bardsley are more than proven in the Premier League.
For whatever reason, it’s not happened for the Potters so far this season, but they’ve got more than enough quality and experience to quickly turn results around.
WILFRIED BONY’S ONLY JUST ARRIVED
A consistent striker was the missing piece of the jigsaw for Stoke City last season and Mark Hughes seemingly found one on Deadline Day in the form of Wilfried Bony.
He didn’t make a difference against Spurs but it should be remembered that he’s only been at the Bet365 Stadium for a couple of weeks – nowhere near enough time to get match fit and adapt to Stoke’s style of play.
The Ivorian proved how potent he can be in the Premier League with Swansea City and after a few more games he could be firing on all cylinders.
Having a 15-goal striker pretty much guarantees you a mid-table finish, at the very least.
JACK BUTLAND WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
Whilst Wilfried Bony should sharpen up Stoke City at one end of the pitch, Jack Butland will bolster their efforts at the other once he returns from injury.
The 23-year-old was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League last season, keeping ten clean sheets and making a phenomenal 81 saves in 31 appearances.
Stoke are much better organised and more confident defensively with the England international behind them; unfortunately, however, recent reports claim he could be sidelined for another ten weeks.
For years, we have waited for Romelu Lukaku to live up to his potential and it looks like he is starting to do that at Everton.
He made his debut at just 16 for Belgian side Anderlecht and scored 33 goals in 73 games, highlighting himself as one of the best young strikers in the world.
In August 2011, he signed for Chelsea for a fee of around £17m but struggled for playing time in his opening season. He did show what he was capable of in spurts, however, and earned comparisons with Didier Drogba for his physicality.
He first managed to show he could cut it in the Premier League on a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion. The Belgian managed 17 goals in 35 games to help the Baggies to their best ever Premier League finish.
He has since established himself as one of the league’s best strikers for Everton and is coming on well this season under Ronald Koeman. And Lukaku’ meteoric development has produced five stats that show just how brilliant a striker he truly is.
MORE GOALS AT 22 THAN CRISTIANO RONALDO
A statistic heavily touted last year was the sheer amount of goals Lukaku had managed before turning 23.
The Belgian had 121 senior goals by that point – more than legendary Premier League goalscorers Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In fact, the only modern players to have beaten his record in top flights were the Brazilian Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Raul and Lionel Messi.
The feat is made even more impressive by the fact he essentially missed a season of development at Stamford Bridge.
FIFTH PLAYER UNDER 23 TO REACH 50 PL GOALS
Another fact that makes the previous feat even more impressive is how many of those goals came in the Premier League.
It would be easy to scoff and say he was against easy defences had he scored most of his goals in the Belgian top flight, but Lukaku has actually scored over a half century in the Premier League already.
He was only the fifth man to manage it at his age, after Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo – putting him in some pretty illustrious company.
BELGIAN LEAGUE TOP SCORER AT 18
In his first full season at Anderlecht, Lukaku was already wowing football fans.
At the tender age of 17, Lukaku managed to win the Golden Boot as he scored 15 goals in 33 games and also won the Belgian Pro League title.
Lukaku was incredibly developed for such a young player and bullied defenders with his strength and aerial ability.
He even went one better the next season season but was unable to help Anderlecht to retain the league.
OVER 250 GOALS AT YOUTH LEVEL
Football – Chelsea – Oriol Romeu & Romelu Lukaku Press Conference – Chelsea Training Ground – 23/8/11Chelsea’s new signing Romelu Lukaku during the press conferenceMandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul HardingLivepic
After playing for Rupel Boom from an early age, Lukaku was discovered by Lierse SK, a top division Belgian side with a reputable youth academy.
Between 2004 and 2006, he scored 121 goals in 68 appearances, almost managing two goals a game.
Lierse were relegated and Lukaku joined a host of his teammates in a move to Anderlecht, where he scored a further 131 goals in 93 games – making his total at youth level an impressive 252 goals in 161 appearances.
BACK IN THE GOALS THIS SEASON
This season is shaping up to be Lukaku’s best yet, with the Belgian already grabbing seven goals from eight starts.
The management of Ronald Koeman seems to be having a positive effect, with Lukaku currently the league’s second top scorer despite missing the start of the campaign as he was rested after Euro 2016.
The Belgian has even improved his goal involvement, adding three assists to his strikes and becoming a real focal point for his side.
The European dream continued for Leicester City tonight as they rode their luck at times to beat the Danish outfit FC Copenhagen.
The game started nervously for the Foxes as the Danes, buoyed by their vociferous away support, started the brighter of the two.
As the first half wore on though, Leicester began to find their rhythm and their fans their voices and duly, a goal game before the break.
It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing of goals to watch to be frank but they all count and Riyad Mahrez won’t care one bit as he left his poor Premier League form behind him.
The Algerian linked up with his compatriot Islam Slimani to score from close range and give the Foxes the lead, a lead they held on to for the rest of the match.
1-0 it finished, then, to the Foxes and here are five images to help sum up another great European night for the club…
Crackling atmosphere
You can’t deny that the Copenhagen fans certainly did their bit to generate an atmosphere in this game.
Leicester’s fans have been vocal on this European journey of theirs but the Danish supporters were not to be outdone and brought flares with them to get the point home leading to this rather dramatic picture from the beginning of the game.
Leicester edge a tight first-half
Neither side could really assert themselves in the first-half as the rain fell at the King Power.
Copenhagen actually started the brighter of the two before the Foxes began to grow into the game and took the lead through Riyad Mahrez giving them a lead that they saw out until half-time.
Mahrez back with a bang
Riyad Mahrez grabbed the opener just before half-time after a good knock-down from his team-mate and compatriot Islam Slimani.
The two Algerians are beginning to create a bit of understanding between one another and this was the culmination of weathering an early storm and then striking back before half-time by Leicester.
Tough night for Vards
Britain Soccer Football – Leicester City v FC Copenhagen – UEFA Champions League Group Stage – Group G – King Power Stadium, Leicester, England – 18/10/16Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy reactsAction Images via Reuters / Andrew BoyersLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Whilst the Foxes as a team got the result they wanted it was another frustrating from Jamie Vardy.
So often the main attraction last season, the England international just couldn’t get things to work for him as much as he tried. Leicester tried to play him in enough times but he just couldn’t find the net. On to the next one, then.
A lot’s been made of Leicester’s defensive frailties all of a sudden this season.
Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were as solid as they came last season but have struggled from set pieces especially this time around. Nevertheless, they could not be passed by the Copenhagen attack and it’ll go down as a very welcome, confidence-boosting clean sheet.