City 3 v 1 Derby County (a.e.t.)
Report by Stuart Dawkins
After reading City’s team for this match, I spent much of the walk to the ground wondering what I would write if they did not win it. I am ambivalent about teams using their squads for Cup matches, but I thought this might be viewed as a missed opportunity to try out a few new faces in a more-or-less ‘regular’ line up. Instead we got, in effect, the eleven players who currently make up City’s second team. I only hoped that they performed better than the previous time Ranieri tried out so many squad players – for the Porto away leg, – when it resulted for many of us in a lovely holiday in a wonderful City being rather spoiled by an appalling game of football!
One of the down-sides of a late-finishing extra time match is that I did not have time to follow my usual path of writing a match report straight after the match. So, by now, I suspect that almost everyone has seen the highlights, or read other reports … including me. So instead of a review of the incidents in the match, I will instead convey some impressions and observations…
Steve McClaren, too, had rung the changes … with eight changes to the Derby team lined up for the match. So we do now know that Leicester’s second team are better than Derby’s second team. In fact, to be fair, quite a bit better than the score suggested.
The first notable thing was the crowd loudly singing ‘Ranieri’ songs at the kick-off (and other times too), a clear signal that the majority of fans who actually watch matches are still behind the manager, whatever anyone else may say.
I thought Derby looked a very organised and skilful team in the first match, at Pride Park, with Will Hughes pulling the strings, and a lot of speed on the break. The changed team for the replay, which did not include Hughes, were not very good. They worked hard and held City at bay for long periods, but there was very little threat. Their only bright spark was Anya, who played a decent winger’s role throughout the match and it was noticeable that what little attacking play Derby managed was often on the flank where Anya was – mostly their left.
City, as so often happens, started brightly. The whole team seemed to be ‘up for it’, with Kapustka in particular buzzing around chasing the ball down from the kick off. Yet, as so often with the ‘usual’ first team, clear-cut changes were few and far between. The first half had little of note to report at all, although City did keep their shape better than in most recent matches, and the defence looked largely un-troubled. How much that was due to a genuinely improved performance, and how much to lower quality opposition is hard to tell, but City thoroughly deserved the lead when it came.
It should have come in the 40th minute, when Chilwell was clearly fouled in the penalty box, but the referee ignored several penalty appeals – good ones and bad ones – during this match. It actually came a couple of minutes into the second half, following an excellent long cross from Gray, headed back across the goal by Albrighton for King to nod into an empty net.
That should, pretty much, have been that. Leicester had most of the attacking threat. The defence looked solid – even Wasilewski managed an entire 120 minutes without any of those heart-in-mouth moments when he gives away unnecessary fouls. It was not to be as simple as that, however. Derby got a slightly fortuitous (although correct) indirect free kick on the edge of the box when Albrighton raised his boot too high to clear a ball. The kick was tapped sideways for Camara to shoot, the ball ricocheted wildly off Chilwell at the edge of the wall, and Zieler could only watch it roll into the net for a Derby equaliser.
This was, now, the chance to test the mental toughness of the two second strings … and City passed this particular test well. They continued to press far more than their opponents, and the introduction of Mahrez for Kapustka in the 80th minute led to increased City pressure. Derby’s keeper, Mitchell, clearly handled the ball outside the box as Musa tried to chip the ball past him, but the officials missed it and Musa was booked for a complaint that looked far less offensive than what occurs pretty much every time that Wayne Rooney approaches a referee. Derby brought on City old-boy David Nugent, to loud and genuine affectionate applause from the home fans – but he made little impact on the game.
Into extra time, it was noticeable how much fitter the Leicester players seemed. Derby players were quite regularly stopping for cramp, and they mustered very little of any consequence in the whole 30 minutes. City, on the other hand, began to play well and with confidence. Ndidi and Slimani had replaced Mendy and Musa for the extra time, and it was the Nigerian who lit the touch-paper on City’s improvement. Mahrez played a beautifully-weighted pass to him in the middle of the Derby half, Ndidi ran forward, looked up and put the ball into the net from 22 yards via the post – a delightful strike.
Re-taking the lead boosted City’s confidence, and they created a number of chances as Derby tired further. Most memorable was a 20 yard shot from King, easily saved, but following what must have been 30 consecutive City passes, as the crowd began to shout ‘Ole’.
Demarai Gray had been the game’s stand-out player throughout. Yet, as seems to be the case so often with him, aside from the cross which created City’s first goal, there was little end product from his direct play. That should have changed in the first half of extra time, when he got to the left by-line brilliantly, delivered a near-perfect low cross which Slimani somehow managed to completely miss from a couple of yards from goal – another City striker without much goal form!
Gray did get his reward later, though, going into the box, turning two defenders inside out and then chipping the ball into the roof of the net in glorious fashion. Derby were never going to recover from 3-1 down, and the game ended with City doing most of the pressing.
City were comfortable winners. So, assuming this match was at least in part a trial for roles in the first team, who stood out? Well it is difficult to be too accurate against fairly limited opposition, but Benalouane looked very steady in central defence – far more so than either Huth or Morgan in recent weeks. I think he may be worth a start in a league match.
Amartey always looks a tidy player, although today his main task was quietening Anya, which he did well. I would be interested to see tried out in central defence, too, rather than right back (as today).
Chilwell had a good game, with far more freedom to get forwards than Amartey. He is looking at least a good a prospect as Fuchs for left back currently.
Ndidi looks to be a very good player, and he made a real difference today – getting forward a bit more than in his few previous City appearances.
Gray is worthy of a first team slot – but he must get better at passing the ball; too often he tries to take on one-too-many defenders. His wonder-goal in this match may give him increased confidence, or it may reinforce his tendency to hold on to the ball for too long – I hope the former!
The rest of the team played well enough, but without catching the eye enough to catapult them into the first team.
The next match, against Swansea, is a big one – then Seville loom very soon. I hope that Ranieri can find some effective tinkering or, indeed, anything else to get City’s rather dismal season back on track.
Leicester: Zieler, Amartey, Wasilewski, Benalouane, Chilwell, King, Mendy, Albrighton, Kapustka, Gray. Subs: Drinkwater, Hamer, Slimani, Okazaki, Ndidi, Mahrez, Fuchs
Derby: Mitchell, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Lowe, Butterfield, de Sart, Johnson, Camara, Blackman, Anya. Subs: Carson, Russell, Ince, Baird, Pearce, Vydra, Nugent
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation