Soccer Pundit and Expert Michael Osareme |Twitter : @MichaelImianvan
They were the top two teams at the end of last season - the league winners and the runners up. The King Power Stadium was the venue for the first meeting of the season between this two sides. Here are five key points from the goalless match.
1. ALEXIS SANCHEZ LOOKS LOST THROUGH THE MIDDLE.
Arsene Wenger wants to give Sanchez a run
through the middle to see if he can solve
Arsenal’s striker problem.
But Wenger’s comparisons to Luis Suarez
and Sergio Aguero were wide of the mark
as Sanchez looked rather lost as a central
striker rather than coming in from the left.
You cannot give up after two games but the
early signs are not very encouraging.
Sanchez looks off the pace, is lacking
sharpness and offered little threat through
the middle.
2. KOSCIENLY STARS ON HIS RETURN
Both sides needed to tighten up after last
week's setbacks and it was no coincidence
that, with key centre-backs returning, they
were more solid.
Koscielny was outstanding in what was no
easy task; not only was Vardy to be handled
but his defensive partner, 20-year-old Rob
Holding, is still considered a novice after his
recent arrival from Bolton.
Koscielny's decisions needed to be flawless
and were, none more so than the
aforementioned challenge on Drinkwater;
replays showed a touch of the ball and, in
the event, a crucial intervention. It was also
the Frenchman's pressure that forced Vardy
to snatch at his big chance for a winner.
3. GRANIT XHAKA MAKES STEADY FULL DEBUT
This was his full debut, having come on as
a substitute last week. It was steady rather
than spectacular with a few moments of
carelessness in possession in midfield.
In front of Koscielny and Holding sat Granit
Xhaka, an elegant and authoritative figure
who made a significant impression on and
off the ball on his first start. Perhaps this
really is the midfielder Arsenal have been
crying out for; he is certainly cut out for
away tests such as this and shackled the
marauding Mahrez.
This might not have been the match for
Arsenal to flourish further forwards, but they showed enough to give hope of a solid base
in the future.
4. LEICESTER LOOKED LIKE THE TEAM OF LAST SEASON
After the opening day defeat and a tricky
start to this game, Leicester really picked
up the momentum in the second half.
The fans got behind them again, the mood
changed and Leicester looked reminiscent
of last season when they found their
rhythm.
5. CLAUDIO RANIERI WENT BACK TO BASIS.
Even in his programme notes, Claudio
Ranieri went back to last season’s message,
insisting his players “must restart in our
minds and aim for 40 points.” That was the
mantra that took Leicester to the title last
season.
They also won the Premier League playing
4-4-2, two wide players, Jamie Vardy
playing off Shinji Okazaki and Wes Morgan
and Robert Huth in central defence.
So despite big deals for Luis Hernandez and
Ahmed Musa, they were on the bench and
Leicester tried to put last week’s defeat at
Hull behind them and return to what won
them the title last season.
MikeThePundit penned this.
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