Leicester City’s judgment on rookie Enzo Maresca demonstrates the club’s strong approach.
Analysis of Leicester City’s 2-0 win over Tranmere Rovers, including Maresca’s quadruple substitution, Wilfred Ndidi’s future, the debuts of Yunus Akgun and Ben Nelson, and more.
When the chant “Enzo, give us a wave!” was heard during the final round of the Carabao Cup against Burton, Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson turned around and thanked the fans who were singing it.
The City manager ignored the chant at Prenton Park, at least in the first half. He was so focused on his team’s play that he was completely unaware of anything going on in the spectators.
That could be because, as he stated at full-time, he was dissatisfied with some players’ performances in the first period. He was expecting more. City were not bad in the first half, but they were also not great.
There have been occasions throughout City’s winning streak when creating chances has been difficult, but there was a distinct lack of goalmouth action in the first 45 minutes on the Wirral.
At the break, four changes were made, some of which were due to underperformance. It demonstrated that, even with the score at 0-0 after a five-game winning streak, there is no room for complacency. Maresca made it plain that standards must be maintained.
He could have avoided taking such a stance. City’s quality may have shown in the second half regardless, and they could have advanced to the third round of the cup. But if he doesn’t deal with it now, there’s a greater possibility of complacency coming in during Championship games, when there’s less room for error.
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Maresca’s strictness has been remarked by several players, and it was clear just a few days ago when he left Wanya Marcal out of the squad against Rotherham. It’s a characteristic I’ve developed since moving to City.
Callum Doyle has also spotted it. As the only player to have previously worked under Maresca, he can compare the Italian now to when he was in charge of Manchester City’s Under-21s a few years ago.
When asked if Maresca had changed, he said, “Yes and no.” There’s a lot of pressure with this large club, so you’ve got to perform well.
The last two seasons have demonstrated what happens when good players let their standards to deteriorate: a team may tumble from the brink of Champions League qualification to relegation in two years.
City have generated a level of performance in the opening month of this season that has at least put them in a position to win. They have always come out on top so far. It implies a baseline has been established for the remainder of the season, and Maresca will not allow anyone to go below it for even a second.
Fans express their feelings about the duo.
This was the final game before the transfer deadline, and City fans were vocal about certain rumors.
When Kelechi Iheanacho went to warm up, the 1,200 traveling fans sang his song. They don’t want him to go anyplace, including Crystal Palace and Wolves.
A succession of anti-Nottingham Forest chants were sung when Wilfred Ndidi joined him on the touchline. There is less of a desire to keep the midfielder and more of a desire to see him sold to a club outside of the East Midlands.
Maresca wants to keep both, but he understands that his opinion is not the be-all and end-all. The club must weigh their worth to the Italian against the possibility of free transfers next summer.
The boss is dedicated to developing Ndidi into an attacking midfielder, and today was a night when his experiment paid off, with the Nigerian posing a threat throughout his 45-minute stint, which included contributions to both goals.
Cesare Casadei, on the other hand, was there to demonstrate how good he is at that box-to-box midfield position. City created chances thanks to the young Italian’s tireless runs towards the box.
City have sometimes lacked movement off the ball to break open opponent defenses, and if he continues to be so, He’ll be a starter since he’s energetic and eager to get past the striker. And if he becomes a starter, the club may see less need to reject any offers for Ndidi.
Akgun’s fast feet made an appearance.
His final game for Galatasaray was a Champions League qualifier, while his first game for City was a Carabao Cup encounter against a League Two club. It is impossible to say that Yunus Akgun has merely joined for the sake of fame.
He is City’s fourth left-footed right winger since selling Riyad Mahrez, to whom they are all unavoidably likened. Rachid Ghezzal, Cengiz Under, and Tete scored six goals between them in the previous three games. Akgun doesn’t have to do exceptionally well to be the best of the lot.
But, having set his sights on trophies in his first interview, and having pushed for the move despite Galatasaray’s desire to keep him, Akgun has ambition that should hopefully be rewarded.
His initial appearance was more of an introduction than a presentation of his abilities. Under Maresca, his goal will be to unlock the tightest defenses, and there were a few occasions where he danced through tiny spaces, his feet a blur. More of that will be the manager’s request.
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