Pre-Season 2020 Talking Points: Pressing, Flexibiliy & Combating The Opposition
- LCFC TV’s Matt Elliott reflects on Leicester City’s goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday
- The Foxes contested their second fixture of pre-season on Saturday at Loughborough University Stadium
- City are yet to concede in pre-season following a 2-0 win at Birmingham City on Wednesday
City’s second match of pre-season was available to watch for free on LCFC TV and YouTube, with the Blue Army tuning in following a 2-0 success over Birmingham City four days earlier.
Jamie Vardy, Youri Tielemans, Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho all had opportunities to score in north Leicestershire, but the frequently-changed Foxes could not find a winner against the Owls.
City’s pressing
Matt Elliott said: “There were quite a lot of good points. I thought they pressed quite well in the first 45 minutes in particular. You could see that was a big feature of their play, with Marc Albrighton and Papy Mendy supporting that type of play. They got some joy from it and got into some dangerous situations.”
Make the right choices
Matt Elliott said: “Jamie Vardy, on a couple of occasions, if it was the Premier League, might have been a little sharper and a bit more ruthless. There are a number of positive things to look at, but on some occasions, Leicester chose the wrong options. They persevered, and they have to pick the right time to play certain passes, because you can’t get them wrong too often.”
Flexible Justin
Matt Elliott said: “James Justin has got that flexibility. On rare occasions, right-backs have to play left-back and vice versa. He’s quite adept on either flank, and reasonably comfortable. He’s stronger on his right foot, but we saw that beautiful cross for Jamie Vardy that he put in in the first half when he cut back on his left foot. That will be in the manager’s mind.”
Brushing up on their play
Matt Elliott said: “There was an element of rustiness, but you don’t want that to continue for too long. As always, you want to brush up on all aspects of your play, in particular your finishing, because that’s the most important aspect of your game. It served a purpose, but it wasn't a spectacular game.”
Combating opposition strengths
Matt Elliott said: “Leicester will have a look at their set-plays because they’re not the biggest side. It’s about combating the teams that are strong and aggressive. The biggest downside is the niggling injury Wes Morgan picked up. You don’t want that at anytime, especially in pre-season because that upsets your preparation and rhythm.”