Leicester City: Position Battles

The next position battle focuses on Leicester City's central midfield, where  it would appear that Nigel Pearson has considerable depth to select from.

3. Matty James v. Danny Drinkwater

The position battle in the centre of midfield is likely to extend further than just these two players – throw Neil Danns, Andy King and Richie Wellens into the mix, and you have five more capable first-team starters.  With Wellens sidelined until September or October after suffering an injury to his cruciate knee ligament, Nigel Pearson is likely to rotate his central midfield players to keep them fresh throughout the season -  but it'll certainly be interesting to see who gets the nod more often out of these two former Manchester United youngsters.

Matty James and Danny Drinkwater were both signed by Nigel Pearson, which makes it difficult to conclude who the manager would prefer to start.  Pre-season will have been telling for Pearson, but Drinkwater did make nineteen starts for Leicester after signing from Barnsley in January this year, and made a notable contribution during the final four months of the Foxes' Championship campaign.  Matty James, like Drinkwater, began his career at Manchester United, however he has received limited first-team football to date (James spent two loan spells at Preston North End in 2010 and 2011).  However, a few years ago, the same also applied to Tom Cleverley, and he played a big part in Leicester's promotion back to the Championship and has since played more regularly for Manchester United while impressing during the Olympics for Team GB. 

©  eschipul, Flickr

Can Matty James have the same impact for the Foxes as Tom Cleverley did three years ago?

Likely winner: While the midfield is likely to be rotated on a regular basis by Nigel Pearson, Danny Drinkwater is will probably start more matches in the middle than Matty James this season, especially at the beginning of the season with Richie Wellens injured.  That being said, James' versatility also allows him to play in defence, which means that he could provide cover at the back.

Leicester City 4 Doncaster Rovers 0 - 7th April 2012

Foxes boost playoff hopes with resounding victory

Leicester have won eleven times at home in the Championship this season

Leicester City maintained their slim playoff hopes with a comfortable 4-0 win over relegation-threatened Doncaster United at the King Power Stadium.

Danny Drinkwater netted in the first-half following David Nugent's clever knock down, before Lee Peltier doubled the Foxes advantage after the break when his low cross somehow crept underneath Doncaster goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.

Ben Marshall put the game out of sight with a sublime curling strike from twenty yards, before substitute Paul Gallagher added a fourth with just minutes remaining.

It was a resounding victory for Leicester who are now unbeaten at the King Power Stadium since January, and one that closed the gap on sixth-placed Cardiff to just five points with as many games remaining in this Championship campaign.

Leicester came out swinging from the kick-off with David Nugent testing Carl Ikeme with a fierce strike from 30 yards, before Wes Morgan's clever header back across goal from a corner kick was almost turned in by Jermaine Beckford.

Beckford – who was showing no signs of any apparent fallout with Foxes manager Nigel Pearson after last weekend's 1-0 loss to Peterborough United – might have opened the scoring after five minutes after collecting Lee Peltier's ball into the Doncaster penalty area, but his shot lacked power and was easily cleared by the visitors.

At the other end, James Coppinger's shot from just outside the penalty area flew inches wide of Kasper Schmeichel's far post, while Giles Barnes came close for the away side moments later after a mix-up in defence between Sol Bamba and Wes Morgan.

Ben Marshall fired over the bar after initial good work out wide from Lloyd Dyer, before another defensive mistake gave Chris Brown the chance to give Doncaster an early advantage, but his shot failed to trouble Kasper Schmeichel.

Midway through the first-half, former Rovers captain Richie Wellens rose to meet Ben Marshall's out-swinging free-kick, but his header flew inches over the crossbar. 

The deadlock was eventually broken with just over ten minutes remaining in the first-half when David Nugent cleverly headed down Wes Morgan's long ball into the path of Danny Drinkwater, whose half-volley beat Carl Ikeme and clipped the inside of the post on its way in.

It was a cleverly worked goal from the Foxes, and Drinkwater's first since joining Leicester at the beginning of the year.

Doncaster looked good value for adding an equaliser before the break but Kasper Schmeichel did well to save James Coppinger's well-hit effort from outside the penalty area.

Leicester doubled their advantage two minutes into the second-half when Lee Peltier fired a low near post cross into the six yard box which initially appeared to have been comfortably dealt with by Carl Ikeme, only for the ball to squeeze underneath his body and across the goal line.

It was an agonising goal for Dean Saunders' side to concede but just the stroke of luck which some Foxes fans would argue their side has not received so far this season.

With the Foxes now in control, Paul Konchesky and Lloyd Dyer both had chances to extend the lead, but Ikeme this time was equal to both efforts.

At the other end, Chris Brown inexplicably headed over from six yards when it seemed easier to hit the target – a moment which summed up the visiting side's day.

With ten minutes remaining in the game, Ben Marshall added a third to Leicester's tally when he picked the ball up on the left-hand side of the pitch before cutting inside and firing a stunning twenty yard curling strike past the helpless Ikeme.

It was Ben Marshall's third goal for the Foxes and one which added to his collection of outstanding strikes as the youngster continues to make a real name for himself at the King Power Stadium.

With Doncaster on the ropes, Marshall and substitute Paul Gallagher came close to furthering the Foxes' lead with successive efforts on goal, before Marshall struck the crossbar with a looping shot which had Ikeme well-beaten.

Gallagher added a fourth for Leicester in the dying moments of the match, latching on to a dissecting pass from Andy King and firing into the bottom corner of the goal from eighteen yards.

It was the Scotsman's tenth goal of the season and a good confident boost for the out-of-favour forward who has seen his chances limited in recent weeks due to injury.

The final whistle put Doncaster out of their misery as they slip further into relegation trouble, while a comfortable home win for Nigel Pearson's side reignites their playoff hopes for this season.

Man of the match – Ben Marshall

Leicester City 2 Cardiff City 1 - 11th February 2012

Gallagher brace gives Leicester important win

Gallagher has scored seven goals for Leicester this season

Two goals from Paul Gallagher gave Leicester a deserved win over promotion-chasing Cardiff City to keep their own playoff hopes alive.

Gallagher scored from the penalty spot after Richie Wellens was clumsily fouled by Haris Vuckic, before the midfielder doubled Leicester's advantage with a fine second-half free-kick.

Peter Whittingham's penalty kick gave the visitors a lifeline, but Nigel Pearson's men held on to take an important three points, leaving the Foxes just six points outside the playoff places and ending Cardiff's nine game unbeaten streak.

Danny Drinkwater was handed his home debut by Nigel Pearson, and the former Manchester United man looked lively from the beginning, playing a dangerous ball across goal to Jermaine Beckford, but the in-form striker was unable to make contact.

Paul Gallagher volleyed wide for the Foxes after some good link-up play by Richie Wellens and Lee Peltier, while Chris Conley's bobbling shot was well-handled by Kasper Schmeichel.

Wellens then had an unorthodox overhead kick tipped away by Bluebirds' goalkeeper David Marshall, while Matt Mills' header from a free-kick flew inches wide of the far post.

Leicester continued to dominate possession in the first-half, looking more like the team in fourth place than thirteenth, with Jermaine Beckford and Paul Gallagher continuing to pepper away at the Cardiff goal.

With five minutes remaining in the first-half, Paul Konchesky hit a thunderous 25 yard volley on target, with David Marshall doing well to tip it around the post.

From the ensuing corner, Richie Wellens was untidily challenged by Cardiff's Haris Vuckic inside the penalty area, leaving referee Mark Halsey no option but to award the home side a spot kick, which was slammed home by Paul Gallagher to give Leicester a deserved half-time lead.

Leicester continued to dominate the game during the second-half, and came close to doubling their advantage when Danny Drinkwater dispossessed Peter Whittingham in midfield before finding Lloyd Dyer breaking down the left wing, whose pinpoint pass to David Nugent allowed the striker to fire across goal, but David Marshall made another excellent save to keep his side in the game.

The hosts did eventually get their second goal when Lloyd Dyer was bundled over on the edge of the Cardiff penalty area, allowing Paul Gallagher to curl a stunning free-kick over the wall from twenty yards.

The goal demonstrated the Scotsman's superb technique and ability from set pieces after a superb team counter-attack.

Substitute Rudy Gestede continued to be Cardiff's biggest threat, and won a penalty for the visitors against the run of play when Paul Konchesky was adjudged to have pushed the striker in the area following a corner kick.

Peter Whittingham made no mistake from the penalty spot, giving Malky Mackay's side a lifeline and the visiting fans something to cheer about.

As the minutes ticked away, Leicester substitute and home debutant Ben Marshall fired a long range shot over the crossbar, before playing a tempting near post ball towards Jermaine Beckford.

The hosts never looked like conceding a second goal, and the final whistle confirmed Leicester's first win in five games as their quest for a playoff spot continues.

Man of the Match – Danny Drinkwater