Nobody really knows what to expect from Leicester City this season. Defending Premier League champions are normally automatically expected to challenge at the top once again, but the usual rules do not really apply when the title winners in question upset the odds to such an extent by getting their hands on the trophy.
Retaining their crown will surely be beyond Claudio Ranieri’s charges, but their performance against Manchester United in the Community Shield yesterday suggests they can still compete with the best in the division.
Drawing concrete conclusions from the Community Shield is a risky business. There may be a trophy on the line but the annual encounter is essentially a glorified friendly, a final warm-up match before the more serious matter of the Premier League’s resumption a week later.
• More: Match report | Eric Bailly shines for Manchester United
The last time United claimed this prize was in 2013/14, when they went on to finish seventh in the top flight under David Moyes.
Nevertheless, Leicester’s display at Wembley featured enough positives for them to be optimistic about the campaign ahead.
Ranieri’s men started slowly as they struggled to find their rhythm in the first 15 minutes, but they soon grew into the game and began to cause United problems. Jamie Vardy’s speed was again the focus of their attack, with central midfielders Danny Drinkwater and Andy King always looking to release him down the channels whenever Leicester won possession.
Riyad Mahrez took up some threatening positions as he drifted infield from the right wing.
Shinji Okazaki was unfortunate to see his flicked header come back off the bar in the 20th minute, and Jesse Lingard’s brilliant opener shortly after came against the run of play.
The start of the second half brought the introduction of summer signing Ahmed Musa and January addition Demarai Gray, who both impressed as Leicester fought their way back into the match.
Musa’s pace and directness suggests the champions could be even more dangerous on the counter-attack this term.
Marouane Fellaini may have been the man to directly set up Vardy’s equaliser with his poor back-pass, but it was the 23 year old’s run from inside his own half that dragged Leicester up the pitch and ensured the ball reached the final third in the first place.
Gray showed flashes of ability out on the left flank, running at Antonio Valencia and combining well with teammates. The former Birmingham City winger will hope to receive more playing time in 2016/17 than he did when trying to break into a settled side in pursuit of silverware in the second half of last season. On the evidence of his 45-minute showing against United, he has plenty to offer.
Nampalys Mendy, the £13 million (Dh62.4m) acquisition from Nice who has the unenviable task of replacing N’Golo Kante in the Leicester engine room, also had some good moments after coming on for King. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth marshalled Zlatan Ibrahimovic pretty well throughout — with the notable exception of the Swede’s terrifically-taken late winner.
Mahrez’s display was perhaps the only disappointment, particularly given the persistent stories linking him with a move to Arsenal, but overall Ranieri was satisfied with his side’s efforts six days before their Premier League opener against Hull City.
“I’m very pleased with our performance,” the Italian said in his post-match news conference. “We are in preseason and we played against a very big team. We deserved [at a] minimum the penalty shoot-out, but that’s football.
“Only the result is against us.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
