Extra-Time Talking Points: Defensive Solidity, Squad Depth & FA Cup Aspirations
- Former Leicester City captain Matt Elliott and ex-striker Iwan Roberts starred on Extra-Time on Monday
- The popular Foxes duo were joined by Leicester Mercury journalist Jordan Blackwell in the studio
- Extra-Time is an hour-long show broadcast on LCFC Radio every Monday after a weekend fixture
The hour-long show, broadcast live and for free on LCFC.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube every Monday after a weekend fixture, primarily analysed City's 2-1 win over Everton.
Speaking in the LCFC Radio studio, the panel, who also discussed individual Foxes players, playing styles and the importance of the Emirates FA Cup, picked out several key talking points...
Training emphasis
Iwan Roberts said: “I was always a big believer in training how you play. I used to love coming off the training pitch sweating buckets. I played with Craig Bellamy at Norwich and, if you didn’t put the same amount of effort in as he did, he would absolutely slaughter you! You want that intensity, you want that hard work, because we’ve seen the results you can get from it.”
City keep going
Matt Elliott said: “They didn’t really click into top gear. They pilled the pressure on a little bit, but Everton set up well. They looked at it, they were strong, physical and robust, so they gave it their all. It was still impressive from Leicester. People will have been disappointed if it did end in a draw, but they stuck at it, and they were able to pull a win out the bag and continue this brilliant run.”
Squad depth will be key
Jordan Blackwell said: “It’s such a big thing in terms of keeping momentum, the fact that you can have players like Kelechi Iheanacho come on and make a difference. [Brendan] Rodgers says it all the time that you’re not going to get through a season with just 11 players. You do need substitutes to come on and make a difference.”
Playing without the ball
Iwan Roberts said: “What you do without the ball is nearly as important as what you do when you’ve got the ball. It’s not going in ones and twos, it’s going in as a unit. Wilfred Ndidi is a brilliant player and we saw that again on Sunday. He’s one of the top tacklers in the whole league and he’s a really important figure for Leicester this season.”
City up for the cup?
Jordan Blackwell said: “If you speak to any Leicester fan, it’s still the thing that they really crave. We’ve seen over the past 20 years that the FA Cup has gone down in stature, but I don’t think that’s the case for Leicester fans because it’s a competition they’ve never won. If you finish your season with an FA Cup final, it’s such a momentous occasion.”
Söyüncü's importance to Leicester
Matt Elliott said: “There’s been some good performances throughout, too many to mention, but one person who would struggle to improve on his performances has been [Çağlar] Söyüncü. He’s been exemplary. How often has Kasper Schmeichel been worked over the past month or so? That all comes down to the defence and Söyüncü is a massive reason for that defensive record.”