Leicester City ended their preseason fixtures with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Spanish giants Real Madrid in front of a sell-out crowd at the King Power Stadium.
Jose Callejon put the tourists ahead just before half-time following a defensive error from Matt Mills, while Karim Benzema doubled Real's lead after the hour mark through a wonderfully crafted counter-attack.
Lloyd Dyer netted for the Foxes with two minutes remaining but the home side were unable to find an equaliser against Jose Mourinho's side.
Although Real Madrid were a clear step above Sven-Goran Eriksson's men, there were some real positives for the former England manager to take from the match - including positive performances from Sol Bamba and new signings Lee Peltier, Neil Danns and David Nugent.
Real Madrid - who fielded a world class side featuring the likes of Kaka, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Sami Khedira - started the match positively, and it was the French international Benzema causing the Leicester backline problems, being thwarted only by a last ditch challenge by Sol Bamba.
Benzema was soon in again behind the Foxes' defence, but fired just wide after great work from Sami Khedira.
Neil Danns fired wide for the Foxes but the visitors maintained a high tempo, forcing goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel into making a fantastic save from Fabio Coentrao who was in on goal.
Sol Bamba was on hand again midway through the first-half to keep Leicester in the game, preventing Brazilian midfielder Kaka from breaking the deadlock with another great block.
Chances for the home side were few and far between, with David Nugent firing into the side netting from the near post with an ambitious effort - but Real maintained a level of superiority, coming close to breaking the opening the scoring again, this time through Marcelo and Sami Khedira
Mourinho's Galacticos were rewarded for their persistence three minutes from half-time when Matt Mills' poor defensive header allowed Karim Benzema to round Kasper Schmeichel and find Jose Callejon unmarked at the far post, who passed the ball into an empty net to put the visitors ahead.
The interval saw a change of personnel for both sides - Leicester introducing Andy King and Michael Johnson in replacement of Richie Wellens and Paul Gallagher, while Real brought on Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo - and it was the hosts who had a glorious opportunity to level when the Sol Bamba rose to meet Neil Danns' corner - but could only direct his header into the safe hands of goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Bamba continued to impress defensively as well as in attack, doing well to slide in and block yet another effort on goal by Karim Benzema.
Marcelo fired high and wide for Real following a mazy run through midfield ten minutes after the break but the visitors soon doubled their advantage just after the hour mark, countering strongly following the breakdown of a Leicester set play, and a mix up between Yuki Abe at Sean St. Ledger saw Marcelo's strike hit the post with Benzema on hand to fire home neatly from an acute angle.
The goal was a deserved one from Mourinho's men, and a sublime demonstration of Real's ability to counter-attack in numbers.
With time running out, Leicester continued to press forward with ambition and came close to pulling a goal back when Steve Howard connected with fellow substitute Martyn Waghorn's in-swinging free-kick, but the big striker's header fell agonisingly past Casillas' far post.
Leicester maintained some pressure as Sol Bamba's header on target was deflected over the bar - and the hosts eventually managed to pull a goal back when Bamba again managed to flick on a Lee Peltier throw in towards Lloyd Dyer who fired brilliantly into the bottom corner.
It may have been too little too late, but it was certainly a memorable moment for the speedy winger - and for all Foxes supporters at the King Power Stadium.
The final whistle blew shortly afterwards but the day still belonged to Leicester City, who now begin their promotion push from the Championship next weekend away at Coventry City.
Man of the Match - Sergio Ramos
Sunday 31 July 2011
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Fresh faces could become Foxes fan favourites
Why Sven's newest signings have the opportunity to become instant hits at the Walkers Stadium...
After a relatively quiet summer up until last week, Leicester City made three signings in quick succession - capturing Lee Peltier from Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns and former Leeds and Notts County goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Foxes have also been linked with numerous other players including Nicky Maynard, David Nugent, Craig Mackail-Smith and Sean St. Ledger.
It might be that the previous lack of activity could relate to (unsuccessful) attempts to bring some of last year's loan signings back to the Walkers Stadium next season. But regardless of that, Sven-Goran Eriksson might be right on the money with the new players.
At the very least, the majority of Foxes supporters will be happy.
It is no secret that Leicester City relied heavily on loan players during the second half of last season. Some became instant hits with the fans, others did not. But on the whole, those loan players improved the starting line up and were effective - irrespective of whether they were liked or disliked. A case could also be made for every single one of those players as to why Eriksson should attempt to bring them back next season.
Because of the timing of Eriksson's arrival last year, there was little opportunity for him to make permanent signings. Whilst the loan signings generally did, at the very least, a decent job during their time with the club, their addition somewhat painted over the cracks of the real problem - which was that Eriksson was not entirely happy with his overall squad. And when they left at the end of the season, it was clear that there were several positions which needed to be filled.
Because Peltier, Schmeichel and even Danns are all relatively young players who have risen through the lower leagues, they are all still learning their trade. Whilst Danns also offers Championship experience, all three signings will be keen to prove that their best is still yet to come. For these players, it is not necessarily about the money. It is debatable whether last season's loan signings - especially those who have had a taste of the Premier League - would offer such enthusiasm and determination.
Even the apparently targeted signings are in the same vein as those already drafted in to the club. The likes of Nicky Maynard and Craig Mackail-Smith both have fantastic scoring records, but also still have a lot to learn and a lot to prove. Their best is yet to come, and that is exciting for the manager and fans alike. Even if the end result is exactly the same, the majority of Leicester City supporters will appreciate the effort from these new players, whilst it might have simply been expected from the likes of Yakubu or Diomansy Kamara. This is not a criticism of those players; however, Yakubu could have scored 30 goals a season in the Championship and a large number of Leicester fans would still have been disgruntled with his style of play - in spite of such a record.
Foxes supporters, like the majority of football fans, have demonstrated a tendency to warm to players who give 100 percent in every game. That is why players such as Martyn Waghorn and Richie Wellens have become fan favourites. A good goal scoring record like Yakubu's during the latter part of last season seems impressive on paper, and also provides a means to an end - but supporters, generally, would rather see a player's desire and zealousness towards establishing themselves within the team and towards reaching its ambitions, rather than any one particular individual milestone or achievement. Peltier, Danns and Schmeichel all have the potential to become this type of player, which makes them a good fit at Leicester City. They also all have the potential to play at the highest level - which is where this club wants to be.
The next few weeks should bring about more new activity at the Walkers Stadium. More of the same would be very popular amongst the Blue Army faithful.
After a relatively quiet summer up until last week, Leicester City made three signings in quick succession - capturing Lee Peltier from Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns and former Leeds and Notts County goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Foxes have also been linked with numerous other players including Nicky Maynard, David Nugent, Craig Mackail-Smith and Sean St. Ledger.
It might be that the previous lack of activity could relate to (unsuccessful) attempts to bring some of last year's loan signings back to the Walkers Stadium next season. But regardless of that, Sven-Goran Eriksson might be right on the money with the new players.
At the very least, the majority of Foxes supporters will be happy.
It is no secret that Leicester City relied heavily on loan players during the second half of last season. Some became instant hits with the fans, others did not. But on the whole, those loan players improved the starting line up and were effective - irrespective of whether they were liked or disliked. A case could also be made for every single one of those players as to why Eriksson should attempt to bring them back next season.
Because of the timing of Eriksson's arrival last year, there was little opportunity for him to make permanent signings. Whilst the loan signings generally did, at the very least, a decent job during their time with the club, their addition somewhat painted over the cracks of the real problem - which was that Eriksson was not entirely happy with his overall squad. And when they left at the end of the season, it was clear that there were several positions which needed to be filled.
Because Peltier, Schmeichel and even Danns are all relatively young players who have risen through the lower leagues, they are all still learning their trade. Whilst Danns also offers Championship experience, all three signings will be keen to prove that their best is still yet to come. For these players, it is not necessarily about the money. It is debatable whether last season's loan signings - especially those who have had a taste of the Premier League - would offer such enthusiasm and determination.
Even the apparently targeted signings are in the same vein as those already drafted in to the club. The likes of Nicky Maynard and Craig Mackail-Smith both have fantastic scoring records, but also still have a lot to learn and a lot to prove. Their best is yet to come, and that is exciting for the manager and fans alike. Even if the end result is exactly the same, the majority of Leicester City supporters will appreciate the effort from these new players, whilst it might have simply been expected from the likes of Yakubu or Diomansy Kamara. This is not a criticism of those players; however, Yakubu could have scored 30 goals a season in the Championship and a large number of Leicester fans would still have been disgruntled with his style of play - in spite of such a record.
Foxes supporters, like the majority of football fans, have demonstrated a tendency to warm to players who give 100 percent in every game. That is why players such as Martyn Waghorn and Richie Wellens have become fan favourites. A good goal scoring record like Yakubu's during the latter part of last season seems impressive on paper, and also provides a means to an end - but supporters, generally, would rather see a player's desire and zealousness towards establishing themselves within the team and towards reaching its ambitions, rather than any one particular individual milestone or achievement. Peltier, Danns and Schmeichel all have the potential to become this type of player, which makes them a good fit at Leicester City. They also all have the potential to play at the highest level - which is where this club wants to be.
The next few weeks should bring about more new activity at the Walkers Stadium. More of the same would be very popular amongst the Blue Army faithful.
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