Today Paul Weston provides the fifth in our series of end of season articles from members who write match reports across the season giving his views on last season and looking forwards to next.
Before the season started what were your hopes on what we could achieve?
I had not really got over the disappointment and meltdown at the end of the previous season. To be honest I was just glad to see some football again, albeit it was initially so strange to view the matches from afar on the TV with just artificial crowd noise.
Going into the final weeks of the season what was more important to you, winning the FA Cup or qualifying for the Champions League ?
As soon as the FA Cup became tantalisingly close I realised how important it was to me and, I suspect, most LCFC fans. Champions League I know was financially important but with little chance of actually winning the coveted trophy.
Given how the season panned out, in terms of success how do you rate it out of 10 and why? I would give it 8 out of 10. Considering the amount of injuries we had to key players I think we did remarkably well. What a shame that our home form deserted us when we needed it. Losses against West Ham and Newcastle stand out.
What was your personal highlight of the season? It just has to be the FA Cup final win. I never thought it would mean so much to me and to receive a call after the match from my son in Singapore at 2 a.m. (his time) was memorable.
Youri Tielemans won the Player of the Year Awards, would he have been your choice and who else do you think deserves praise for their performances? I agree with the awards to Youri. His consistency was amazing and his influence on the other players immense. Before injury I think James Justin’s performances and his adaptability to different formations were outstanding.
What were your views on the signings made during last season? Under was a great disappointment, otherwise all good.
Which player do you think made the most progress last season and why?
It has to be Iheanacho for me. His progress was remarkable. My only worry is that, when playing in front of crowds again (e.g. FA Cup Final) his performance was more nervous, more like the performances of old. He is obviously a confidence player but has become a real asset instead of liability. His improvement has to be one of Rodgers triumphs.
Which player did you think underperformed the most last season and why? A tight call between Choudhury and Perez, coloured of course by their stupidity before the West Ham match. I have to say I was also disappointed with Maddison at the end of the season (and also for being part in breaking Covid protocol). He was nothing like the force at the beginning of the season. This may have been down to injuries of course in which case I offer my apologies.
In a season of many injuries, which players injury do you think had the most detrimental effect on our season ? We missed so much threat when Ricardo was injured and, even though he returned, he had nothing like the speed down the wing. I do hope that with a good pre-season behind him he can be back to his old self.
VAR – with our view via our armchair for nearly all the games, how do you feel about its effectiveness last season and what would you change? After the offside decision against Chilwell in the Cup Final it would churlish to complain. I just wish referees would view the incident more on the monitor before making their own mind up.
Moving onto next season
If you had to choose one position where we needed to strengthen, what would it be? Replacement for Vardy. The two possible candidates in the news look encouraging and Daka’s signing is a good start. I hear that deals for Soumare* and Bertrand are nearing completion. Let’s hope that we can keep hold of Tielemans for another season
*editors note, article written before Soumare signing was confirmed
What other changes do you think are necessary to improve on this year’s squad? Central defence as an alternative to Evans who is so influential but injury suspect.
Would you be looking to add some experience to a fairly youthful squad or would you continue bringing in younger players and develop them? I think the blend works as it is and would like to see Dewsbury-Hall integrated into the team. Thomas was a revelation on the left last season when he was brought in and it shows there is talent waiting to take a chance if offered.
If you had a chance for a word in the owner’s ears, which player(s) would you be advising to sign? I have faith in the recruitment team.
What are your expectations and fears for next season? I fear losing one of our players to one of the so called big 6 is always a possibility but that has to be our business model. I also fear that the Thursday/Sunday routine for the Europa League might stretch our squad unless supplemented.
I expect us to be up there in the top 6 next season and giving the Champions League another go.
Any other observation you would like to make I just want to be able to cheer on the team at a live match again and hope that the Covid restrictions are removed before the start of the season.
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