“I always say a squad is like a good meal. I’m not a great cook, but a good meal takes a wee bit of time. But also, to offer a good meal, you need good ingredients.”
That’s one of many great Brendan Rodgers quotes in his time as a Premier League manager, and I think this Leicester team has the ingredients to challenge for the top six and will cause this Spurs team who have blown two-goal leads in their last two games trouble.
Like all Rodgers teams, Leicester’s strong point is going forward and it’s pretty clear why. Their midfield is very exciting with James Maddison – who should’ve at least got a few minutes for England in the qualifiers during the international break
He created the most chances in the Premier League last season and has two assists in five games already this season. Tielemans is another shrewd investment and would get a game for all of the top six bar City.
These two have the safety net of Ndidi who sits in front of the back four and breaks up the opposition attacks. With Jamie Vardy, you are guaranteed he will make the right runs for creative players behind him and we’ve seen over the years his finishing ability.
They also have two very good full-backs in Ricardo Pereira, who is probably too good for Leicester, and England’s starting left-back Ben Chilwell – Klopp and Guardiola show us how important attacking full-backs are in the modern game and Brendan’s got the message.
“I feel disappointed. I wasn’t happy with our first-half performance, we had a plan and we didn’t respect the plan.”
So said Mauricio Pochettino after the 2-2 draw with Olympiakos. It’s not quite as sexy as the Rodgers quote but, for me, it suggests there are real problems behind the scenes at Tottenham. This is not the first time Pochettino has come out with a negative talk – there were signs even last season that he may leave the club – and I wouldn’t be surprised if he replaced Zidane at Madrid sometime this season.
Tottenham look very shaky at the back and letting Trippier leave without signing a replacement looks like a massive error. Davinson Sanchez played at right-back against Olympiakos and looked completely out of place defensively and gave nothing going forward.
Tottenham still carry a massive attacking threat to any team in the world though, so I fancy goals in this game. Expect to see a very open game with both sides going for it.
If you’re dying after a heavy Friday night on the Joe Kinnears I’d say this is one early kick-off that’s worth getting out of bed for!
So how do we make the a few quid we blew on gargle back?
In the match odds I would be keen to take on Spurs, as their defence is not what it used to be and Leicester should create lots of chances.
Take a punt on Leicester at the 9/5 mark or better.
If you are looking to back goals, this is the game for you! The over 2.5 goals looks a safe bet here at 4/5, and Vardy should be a solid option if the goals flow in the scorer markets. He’s 4/1 to break the deadlock.
Trader Tips
Leicester win @ 9/5
Over 2.5 Goals @ 4/5
Jamie Vardy to Score First @ 4/1
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