Tag: Leicester City

Premier League home stretch: Where things stand as season enters its final month

Some teams are having a blast, while others are going through it

The Premier League is getting down to the nitty-gritty.

The end of the season is approaching, with most teams having five or six games left to secure a trophy, a spot in Europe, or just keep themselves in the top flight for another year.

For some teams, the end of the season was expected to be a pressure-cooker, but has instead been something of a celebration. For others, it’s one last chance to fight their way to safety, or at least salvage some pride in an otherwise disappointing season.

Here’s where everyone stands heading into the last month of the 2022-23 season.

Jesse Marsch turns down a Premier League return — again

The American has turned down yet another chance to return to the Premier League

Once again, Jesse Marsch has backed out of an opportunity to return to the Premier League.

Just two months after he was sacked by Leeds and subsequently turned down the chance to take over Southampton, the American has again seen a Premier League job opportunity vanish at the last minute — this time at Leicester City.

After Brendan Rodgers was sacked earlier this month, reports emerged over the weekend that Marsch was the front-runner to take over the relegation-threatened Foxes.

But that deal has fallen through, with Dean Smith now taking over Leicester on an interim basis.

According to The Telegraph: “Marsch is understood to feel that the club would need a different kind of manager in the Championship next season if they were to be relegated – as well as a different profile of player to the one that he is accustomed to recruiting.”

It would appear that the Leicester job is the second Premier League managerial position in a row that could have been Marsch’s if he wanted.

Marsch was very nearly snapped up by Southampton just over a week after he was dismissed by Leeds, but a disagreement over his contract length at St. Mary’s saw a deal fall apart at the last moment.

Much like Southhampton (and Leeds), Leicester is in serious relegation trouble. Despite having a talented squad featuring the likes of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes, the Foxes currently sit in 19th place, one place above the bottom and two points from safety.

Marsch is clearly being choosy about his next position, but it’s unclear if better Premier League jobs will be forthcoming. The American did an admirable job at Leeds, saving the club from relegation last year and constructing a team this season that was statistically outperforming its position in the league.

But Leeds was — and is — still in deep relegation trouble, which won’t result in top-tier Premier League sides beating down Marsch’s door.

He’ll likely manage in Europe again, but Marsch may have seen his window of opportunity in the Premier League close — at least for now.

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Brendan Rodgers is out as Leicester City manager

Rodgers departs after four years at the helm at the King Power Stadium

Leicester City has parted ways with manager Brendan Rodgers, the club announced.

In a statement that said the decision was a “mutual agreement,” Foxes chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said “performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations.”

After a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, Leicester dropped into 19th place, one point and two places from safety.

Assistants Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell will take over on an interim basis as Leicester aims to secure survival with 10 Premier League games remaining.

Though the decision was framed as mutual, Srivaddhanaprabha admitted that the club’s recent results had forced the board to “take alternative action.”

“It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management,” Srivaddhanaprabha said. “Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.”

Though the Foxes have slipped this season, Rodgers led the club to plenty of success over his four-year tenure.

“Brendan departs King Power Stadium as one of the most successful managers in the club’s history, having guided us to our long-awaited first FA Cup triumph in 2021, the FA Community Shield in the same year, two of the club’s three highest Premier League finishes and consecutive European campaigns, including our first European semifinal in 2022,” the statement read.

In the past three Premier League seasons, Leicester finished fifth, fifth and then eighth last term.

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Chelsea might just be turning the corner, win third game in seven days

Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Leicester completed a much-needed good week for the Blues

Graham Potter’s start at Chelsea has been something of a struggle, but this week things might have started to change for the better.

Chelsea’s confident 3-1 win at Leicester City — their first victory away from Stamford Bridge since October 16 — made it a perfect seven days for Potter’s side.

Last Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win over Leeds bought some time for the club, and a crucial (and largely deserved) 2-0 win over Dortmund sent Chelsea through to the Champions League quarterfinals mid-week.

Just under two weeks ago, things were so much different. Potter was telling reporters that he hadn’t earned much good faith from the club amid questions over whether he would be sacked after less than five months on the job.

Winning last Saturday and then again on Tuesday was helpful, but only brought so much in terms of stability. A bad result against relegation-threatened Leicester would have brought all the doubts back to the fore, as Chelsea could have still been in the bottom half of the table if Aston Villa were to win on Sunday.

Instead, the Blues looked confident from the start, and got their reward as Ben Chilwell’s angled volley found a way through traffic for an 11th minute opener.

Still, Chelsea has struggled to turn positive spells into wins, and Patson Daka’s splendid 39th minute equalizer felt like the kind of blow a team in such a fragile place might not respond well to. Between Ricardo Pereira’s spinning backheel and Daka’s beautifully-placed shot from distance, the crowd at King Power Stadium roared back to life.

However, Kai Havertz — who scored the Blues’ Champions League winner from the spot mid-week — popped up with another goal in a crucial moment. In the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, and facing a wall of eight Leicester players behind the ball, Enzo Fernández surveyed his options and made eye contact with Havertz.

Leicester may have suspected a through ball was coming, but Fernández and Havertz had something different in mind: a lob, paired with a perfectly-timed run between the center backs, allowed an onside Havertz to cruelly guide the ball over Danny Ward, giving Chelsea their lead back at the perfect time.

Leicester made an effort to come back, but ultimately Chelsea did what a big club is supposed to do: manage the game with confidence, and then finish it off with an additional goal.

Havertz was involved again, getting in behind to float a cross to Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian didn’t have an option to turn the delivery into a shot, so he did the next best thing, cushioning a header to Mateo Kovačić for an improvised finish.

“It’s been a really positive week for us,” Potter told Sky Sports after the match. “Three wins against Leeds, Dortmund and today says a lot about the development of the team. It’s a hard fought game, as they always are, but in the end I thought we deserved to win.”

“Three wins in the week at this level is very pleasing,” added Potter before underlining the fact that there’s still a long road ahead. “We have to follow that up with a win next weekend and then into the international break. We will try to get three points against Everton.”

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Leeds winless run hits seven as Jesse Marsch’s side falls flat at Leicester

Leeds are now only above the relegation zone on goal difference

It might be time to start worrying about Leeds United.

Leeds fell to a 2-0 defeat at Leicester on Thursday, extending their winless run to seven games. In that spell they’ve been shut out four times, and supporters appear to be getting pretty agitated.

That poor form has completely unraveled what was a good start to the 2022-23 season. Leeds took seven points from their first three games, including a 3-0 win over Chelsea. Since then, though, they’ve picked up just two points, and are only above the relegation places on goal difference.

Not all defeats are the same, and Leeds will maintain that they were unlucky to lose to Leicester, who even with the win remain two spots further down the table than Jesse Marsch’s club. It took a Robin Koch own goal to put Leicester on the board early, and the one and only shot on goal from the Foxes saw Harvey Barnes finish off a flowing move to make it 2-0.

That is a fair argument for Leeds to make, but they offered little going forward as Leicester defended their box with a distinct sense of comfort. Sure, Leeds gave up very little in the game, but even while trailing for most of the match, they managed to test Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward with a whopping two shots.

With all that in mind, it wasn’t a shock to find out that traveling Leeds fans were unhappy with what they saw at the King Power Stadium.

Pressure building on Marsch

Marsch is under pressure for a few different reasons. The raw results don’t help, and there’s always the issue of following a beloved coach like Marcelo Bielsa (who some fans brought up as this game wore down). Coaches from the U.S. are also received skeptically in the UK — just ask Bob Bradley — as a matter of course. Marsch’s past successes in MLS and Austria deserve respect, but in a “sure he’s won in Europe, but can he get it done on a rainy night in Brentford?” kind of environment, his seat will likely heat up faster than another coach’s would.

There’s also the fact that Leeds — after selling Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, it must be said — spent more than Liverpool on additions this summer, with five different players coming in on nine-figure transfer fees. That spending was designed to avoid needing another dramatic escape on the final day of the season, and at the moment that unwanted outcome appears to be distinctly possible.

On the plus side, at least for U.S. men’s national team fans, the heat Marsch is starting to feel hasn’t yet extended to Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams. Both have started every one of Leeds’ games in the Premier League, and Aaronson in particularly seems to have become an instant hit.

However, any time a team goes this long between wins, changes might arrive. Marsch has long stuck to his high-pressing principles, but we may soon see a change in roles, formation, or specific tactics that could impact the USMNT duo in some way.

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Son Heung-Min hits hat trick as Tottenham steamrolls Leicester 6-2

No start, no problem for Son

Son Heung-Min’s slow start to the Premier League season appears to be over.

Son, who was rotated to the bench by Antonio Conte after starting the season with only one goal contribution in Tottenham’s first eight games, produced a hat trick anyway as Spurs clobbered Leicester City 6-2 on Saturday.

Richarlison got the start for Tottenham over Son, but a wild first half saw Leicester take the lead on a twice-taken Youri Tielemans penalty, only to see Harry Kane and Eric Dier put Spurs ahead by the 21st minute (with both Tottenham goals coming on corner kicks).

Leicester equalized through a James Maddison stunner, but the second half was all Spurs. Rodrigo Betancur put them ahead in the 47th minute, and Son made his way into the match 12 minutes later.

Son notched his first goal in transition, showing supreme confidence. Spurs forced a midfield turnover and the South Korea international found himself one-on-two on the counter. With help not exactly arriving at the speed required, Son called his own number, freezing both Leicester defenders before feinting right and sending a rocket past Danny Ward.

His second was even better. Leicester had numbers back, but Kane still found a seam to pass to Son, in the right half-space. From 23 yards and with no one in blue opting to close him down, Son went to his less-preferred left foot to fire a gorgeous curling shot just inside the post, sending the home fans into rapture.

Leicester threw numbers forward in search of any positivity to take away in the final minutes, but that just meant another Spurs counter set Son up to claim the match ball. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg led the break before sending Son, who had gone wide left, in alone to tuck the ball under Ward.

The goal was initially called back for offside, but after a minute-long VAR check, that call was overturned, giving Son his third Premier League hat trick.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Son told the BBC about his extremely calm reaction to scoring his first goal of the year. “All the frustration and what I had, disappointment and negative feeling just went (away). I couldn’t move so I stood still. It made me really happy.”

“I was really frustrated as well,” added Son. “I can do much better than I have been. I have been disappointed, the team has been doing really, really good but I was disappointed with my (recent) performance.”

Watch Son’s amazing hat trick for Spurs

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Chelsea spending spree continues with £75m deal for Wesley Fofana

Chelsea’s back atop the list of Premier League spenders

Chelsea, who broke their club record transfer fee for a defender earlier this summer, has broken that record again.

The Blues have signed defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City in a deal worth a reported £75 million. That expenditure comes just weeks after Chelsea had signed Marc Cucurella in a deal that could be worth £63 million if the various add-ons all come into play.

“I trained this morning with the team and it’s a dream for me. I’m very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club,” Fofana told the Chelsea team site. “I’m here to win trophies: the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything. I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies so I’m here to continue that.”

At just 21, Fofana already has 37 Premier League starts, and would have a higher number if not for missing most of last season after a gruesome preseason injury just over a year ago left him with a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle.

He’ll be expected to become first-choice for Thomas Tuchel alongside Kalidou Koulibaly—another pricey summer acquisition for Chelsea—and the ageless Thiago Silva, which would allow Reece James to move back out to the right flank. With Tuchel toggling between a back three and back four (he used the latter in a 2-1 loss to Southampton on Tuesday), Fofana will have plenty of competition for playing time.

The move takes Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League spending charts this summer. Data from Transfermarkt says that the new ownership group led by Todd Boehly has spent $296 million since taking over, bringing in 18 players in the process. That puts them around $33 million clear of Manchester United, who have been spending wildly without necessarily seeming to know why.

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VIDEO: Escalofriante lesión de jugador del Leicester en pretemporada

El defensor francés Wesley Fofana del Leicester City, sufrió una aparatosa lesión que lo compromete para la temporada.

La pretemporada está en juego para muchos equipos de Europa, pero esta vez en un partido amistoso entre Leicester y Villarreal, el defensor francés Wesley Fofana sufrió una aparatosa lesión que lo compromete para la temporada.

Fue el jugador de Villarreal, Fer Niño quien cometió la terrible entrada al futbolista del Leicester en una barrida por detrás donde quedó prensada la pierna izquierda del defensor de 20 años de edad y un futuro muy prometedor.

ATENCIÓN: IMÁGENES SENSIBLES SE RECOMIENDA DISCRECIÓN.

De inmediato los compañeros notaron la gravedad de la lesión de Fofana que prácticamente se rompió la pierna izquierda en varios pedazos pues en las imágenes se pudo constatar que no estaba colocada de forma natural.

El jugador fue retirado en camilla del estadio y llevado al hospital donde le habrán de intervenir la pierna para reparar la o las fracturas sufridas pues hasta el momento la directiva del Leicester.

Finalmente el Leicester derrotó 3-2 al Villarreal en su partido de preparación, sin embargo la victoria salió muy cara por la baja de Fofana.

Foto vía ESPECIAL

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Leicester City enseña cómo vencer al Chelsea y gana la FA Cup por primera vez

Un tremendo partidazo se mandaron Leicester City y Chelsea en Wembley ante unos 20 mil aficionados para definir al campeón de la FA Cup, el torneo de clubes más antiguo del viejo continente. Habían pasado 149 años desde que la FA Cup disputó su …

Un tremendo partidazo se mandaron Leicester City y Chelsea en Wembley ante unos 20 mil aficionados para definir al campeón de la FA Cup, el torneo de clubes más antiguo del viejo continente.

Habían pasado 149 años desde que la FA Cup disputó su primera edición y el Leicester City no había logrado nunca conseguir el trofeo más prestigioso del futbol inglés.

Pero esa mala racha se acabó esta tarde en Londres en una verdadera batalla de un equipo más humilde pero que encontró irse adelante en el marcador con un golazo de media distancia de Tielemans al minuto 63.

Chelsea lo intentó, empujó e inclinó la cancha en su favor ante un Leicester City que poco a poco iba poniendo a su portero Kasper Schmeichel, hijo de Peter, la leyenda danesa del arco del Manchester United, como su mayor figura.

Incluso el VAR le metió mucha emoción a los minutos finales cuando después de tanto insistir y tras un par de estupendas atajadas de Schmeichel, el Chelsea logró conseguir un gol que al ser revisado en video evidenció una posición adelantada que fue celebrada por los fanáticos del Leicester como un gol de su equipo.

El tiempo transcurrió, los minutos finales fueron aún más dramáticos pero el Leicester City, cobijado por el incansable aliento de su afición logró cerrar el partido y llevar a sus vitrinas la FA Cup por primera vez en 127 años de historia de los ‘foxes’.

Ya había perdido cuatro finales, la última en la temporada 1968 – 1969, además era el único equipo en haber ganado la Premier League sin tener un trofeo de FA Cup por lo que se une a esa lista de prestigio en una maravillosa historia de éxitos recientes de este histórico equipo.

Foto portada ESPECIAL

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Tottenham vs. Leicester City Live Stream, Premier League Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time

Tottenham will take on Leicester City in Premier League action on Sunday, both clubs are looking for a win, you can stream it right here.

Tottenham Hotspur will take on Leicester City with both clubs looking to keep their European hopes alive in Premier League action on Sunday afternoon.

Leicester is currently in fourth place and the final Champions League spot while the Spurs are one-point out of sixth place and the final Europa spot.

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Tottenham vs. Leicester City

  • When: Sunday, July 19
  • Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
  • TV Channel: NBCSN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Premier League Lineups

Spurs possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Tanganga, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies; Winks, Sissoko, Lo Celso; Lucas, Kane, Son

Leicester possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Bennett, Evans, Morgan; Justin, Ndidi, Tielemans, Thomas; Gray, Vardy, Perez

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