Reactions from the King Power Stadium after injury-plagued Stoke City were defeated 2-0 by Championship promotion favorites Leicester.
Stoke City were defeated at runaway Championship leaders Leicester, capping a challenging and frustrating three-week international break sandwich. Here are some key takeaways from the King Power Stadium…
Stoke needed everything to go their way to upset the applecart against Leicester, especially given the severity of their injuries. They were disciplined and worked hard, and they generated a few of genuine opportunities, but the odds were stacked against them for a reason. Stoke had two goalkeepers and two 16-year-olds on the bench, though Sol Sidibe would play regardless.
Leicester is beating practically everyone, and when you take them on with only two fit defenders, the result doesn’t change the atmosphere much. But, in the end, like the contentious Southampton game last week, it goes down in history as a defeat, and the statistics will be quoted in context or not as the season progresses. It’s all about the scoreboard.
RESULT: Leicester 2, Stoke 0
RATINGS: King Power Stadium gives it a 10 out of 10.
When the season resumes in a fortnight, the fixture calendar isn’t especially fair, but perhaps the injury list will improve, and it wouldn’t be strange if Stoke dabbled in the free agency market to aid as well. Regardless of who is available, Stoke and Alex Neil need points, regardless of how they get them or who they get them from – and everyone knows it.
Nathan Lowe was kicking himself for failing to score after being given the nod to keep his starting spot – and goals will ultimately determine how much game time he gets and how quickly.
However, the 18-year-old’s movement, athleticism, and drive to score puts him in dangerous positions behind defenders, which is an important aspect of the battle.
“He had two great chances today and he’s disappointed after the game,” said Alex Neil, who was also present. “But I told him I’d be more concerned if chances weren’t falling for you.” You won’t find many more difficult Championship games than today, especially with the bodies we’re missing, but he’s had two of the best chances in the game.”
Junior Tchamadeu gets to work.
Josh Laurent and Jordan Thompson were ready to stand up and be counted as emergency centre-half and left-back, respectively, but they realized it was a case of needs must.
Junior Tchamadeu, on the other hand, appears to have taken advantage of his opportunity, having came into the lineup as left-back and subsequently right-back. The 19-year-old appears to be a useful player, since he is powerful and urgent, quick in the tackle and strong moving forward. There will be times when he appears inexperienced as he moves up from League Two, but what he brings to the table may already outweigh that.
Leicester has committed to only one season in the Championship.
There won’t be many Championship managers who can bring on players like Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi to close out a game, and Leicester are doing just that. They arrived with a solid core squad, appear to have added intelligently, and don’t appear to be staying at this level for long.
If Stoke City are a case study for demonstrating that the longer you remain down, the more difficult it is to come back up, the Foxes hierarchy has taken notice.
“It’s difficult (to assess Leicester’s quality) because when you’ve got your full team, you get a better sense of where they are and where you are, if that makes sense,” Neil remarked.
“But I don’t think there’s any doubt about their quality.” We could hear the coach changing them as soon as we squeezed the space, and as soon as we changed, they got pace at the top of the pitch, and if you’re going to squeeze a line and attempt to compress the game, Jamie Vardy is going to cause you all sorts of issues. I believe they will be one of the best Championship teams in a long time.
“Look at the stadium, at the fans, and at the players.” They have four England internationals on their roster. I don’t believe that has happened before, or I can’t recall if it has.”
Without broadcasting mysteries, life on the Stoke and Stoke-on-Trent press circuit will be less colorful. George Andrews, whose death has upset local football fans.
There are many anecdotes dating back over the previous 40 years, many managers and players who will never forget his unique style and attitude, and it spoke a lot that his idiosyncrasies brought smiles this weekend.
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard,” Alex Neil admitted. “I think I only spoke to him on Monday, and he seemed fine.” It’s heartbreaking news, and I’d want to express my sympathies to his friends and family.”
