GW 1: Leicester vs. Wolves

Of course, a lot of attention will be given to the big six on gameweek one but a fixture that could go under the radar is Leicester vs. Wolves. With a number of problems plaguing temas such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal and given that Wolves and Leicester have looked very positive in the transfer market this summer while they also performed brilliantly during the backend of last season, they could both be looking to squeeze into the top six spots and push the elite clubs. They also have a number of young prospects who either played well last season in the Premier League or who have been brought in from abroad to do the trick meaning they the sides should be even better than they were last campaign. Last season, when they played against each other, the games were incredibly exciting and pretty even as well. When at the King Power Stadium in mid August, Leicester beat Wolves 2-0 and despite a comfortable looking scoreline for the home team, Wolves managed the bulk of possession while the also managed more scoring opportunities. It was a different story at Molineux though, as the teams produced an absolutely thrilling match that ended 4-3 in Wolves’ favour despite Leicester having the better of the game this time. Changes to the squads have gone through though, and now, the focus is on this season and on this upcoming match between them.

Leicester are an incredibly exciting team at the moment as they’ve signed a variety of young stars ahead of the upcoming campaign while they also have a team full of interesting talents. Following the signing of Dennis Praet on transfer deadline day, Leicester have now added their fourth signing of the summer along with James Justin, Ayoze Perez and Youri Tielemans with none of these players over the age of 26. However; they have lost their star defender Harry Maguire to Manchester United and although they received a large fee for his departure, they have been unable to sign a replacement in that position which could leave them weak defensively. Against a high quality attacking team in Wolves, this could prove to be a problem and they might have to sacrifice in other areas of the field if they are to secure defensive solidity. They could do this by playing Maddison as a winger instead of a central midfielder and bringing in a player like Choudury or Mendy to slot into the midfield. Their other option is to go very attacking and hope that they can keep the ball and dominate the game as a whole, limiting the contact between Wolves’ attack and their center-backs. The problem with this is that Wolves thrive off this type of game where they are able to break from deep and make the most of very few chances, most of which coming from counter attacking scenarios.

Whatever gameplan Leicester decide to go for, Wilfred Ndidi will be key, as he is Leicester’s only prominent defensive midfielder and his sides best defensive player. Last season his defensive stats were outrageous as he was making 6 tackles and interceptions per game which was second best in the league after only Idrissa Gueye who has moved on to Paris Saint-Germain. Also, he played the most minutes out of any of Leicester’s outfield players last year, proving how important he is to his side. Wolves don’t typically play with an out and out attacking midfielder in their lineup meaning Ndidi might not have a particular player that he is marked up against, however; Diogo Jota loves to drop deep from his position as a striker and Ndidi is the perfect man to counter is superb dribbling ability. Ndidi’s midfield partner Tielemans will also be important as he is a well-rounded player who can both defend and progress the ball. Although Tielemans is technically a new signing, he was on loan at Leicester for the second half of last season where he was incredibly impressive during his time. From a relatively deep position, Tielemans was averaging a combined 0.38 expected goals and assists per 90 minutes meaning he should be contributing to a goal at least once in every three games. This is very exciting considering that he was also managing 1.7 tackles and interceptions per match showing that he can support Ndidi if Leicester get overloaded before progressing the ball to his more attacking teammates.

At the moment, Wolves look more secure than Leicester and while they might have less exciting youth prospects in their ranks, the solid squad that they had last year has improved and still has room to grow. Wolves did excellently not to lose any of their big players in the transfer market this summer while they also secured the signatures of Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker after their loan spells last season which should be crucial to them sustaining their form. Wolves have looked incredibly good in pre-season, and in Europa League qualifiers, and while some people had doubts about them maintaining their high level of play from last year, it looks like they are set for another successful season in the top flight of English football. It’s quite clear that Wolves will be playing their tried and tested 3-5-2 formation this season and in this upcoming match. However; they might want to adjust their strategy slightly in order to best counter Leicester’s style of play and they could do this by playing two more attacking central midfielders instead of one. Over the backend of last season, Nuno Espirito Santo employed Dendoncker alongside Neves and Moutinho, but now, he might want to replace Dendoncker with young prospect Morgan Gibbs-White who is a more attacking outlet. Then, him and Moutinho can play ahead of Neves and in behind Leicester’s two attacking central midfielders in order to expose their oppositions midfield and open a route to their relatively weak defence.

As always, Joao Moutinho will be crucial to Santo’s gameplan and the tactics he wants to employ. Moutinho’s creative abilities and tactical awareness from the middle of the field have shaped Wolves’ strategies and style of play over the last season and in this match he could be more important than ever given he is going up against a very young and attacking midfield. Moutinho will most likely be directly up against James Maddison who was one of Leicester’s best players last year, however; not from a defensive standpoint. This means that when Moutinho pushes forwards, whether it be on the counter or when Wolves are dominating possession, he will be granted more space than usual. Because of this, you’d think that his already impressive key pass numbers would rise above the 2.2 per game that he was averaging last year. Striker Diogo Jota will also be incredibly important in terms of Wolves’ creativity. Jota has had a brilliant pre-season and he looks set to start where he left off last year, playing as a striker alongside Jimenez which has created a formidable little and large partnership. While Jimenez is in charge of hold up play and the finishing side of things, you often see Jota as the progressor, usually through his incredible dribbling ability but also through his passing which has developed incredibly over the last few months. Last season Jota was completing 2.2 dribbles per 90 while also making 1 key pass and this should improve given that he seems to have found a role that suits his style of play nicely.

Coming into this game, Leicester are clear of any injury problems that might have affected the team selection which will leave Brendan Rodgers with a full roster of players to choose from. It’s very similar for Wolves as well with only Morgan Gibbs-White potentially missing the game. Gibbs-White is currently suffering from a small knock but it shouldn’t be enough to keep him out of the team and it’s very probable that he’ll be available for selection. This means that both teams are likely going to be fielding their strongest starting squads and we should have a very high quality game to watch. One thing to look at though is Leicester’s absence of Harry Maguire who was an integral part of their squad last year. Although he is not injured, his departure could leave Leicester in a bad position and especially around the start of the season, they might take a while to adapt to life without him and struggle defensively. He was undoubtedly Leicester’s best defender last season and it will be interesting to see if Rodgers chooses to replace him with experienced players such as Evans and Morgan or one of the youth options in Soyuncu and Benkovic who look to be the future of the clubs defence.

Whatever Leicester do decide to go for in defence, they should be able to give us a good game and with both teams looking incredibly strong, it will be exciting to watch two of the Premier League’s most promising teams in action. Leicester will have the slight advantage of being the home team for this game but when you look at their records from last year you see that it might not make much of a difference. In the 2018/19 season, Leicester managed 27 points at home compared to 25 when away meaning that playing at their own ground clearly didn’t boost them as much as it does for other sides. Saying this, their matches against Wolves last year might say otherwise with Leicester winning the home match between them and losing when they traveled to Molineux. Anyway, both teams look great coming into a new season and should be able to offer us some great football with so much on the line, as they are looking to push into those top six spots which have become somewhat of a myth over the past few years. In my opinion, Wolves look to be the team to do that, and also to win this match. I predict a 2-1 win due to their slightly better all round quality.