Enzo Maresca action proves hardline stance as Leicester City left with decision over debutant
Analysis from Leicester City’s 2-0 win over Tranmere Rovers, looking at Maresca’s quadruple substitution, Wilfred Ndidi’s future, Yunus Akgun and Ben Nelson’s debuts, and more
When “Enzo, give us a wave!” got an airing in the last round of the Carabao Cup at Burton, the Leicester City manager, bemused at first, turned around and saluted the fans singing it.
At Prenton Park, the chant went ignored by the City boss, in the first half anyway. He was so engrossed in his team’s performance that he was oblivious to any frivolities in the stands.
That’s perhaps because, as he made clear at full-time, he wasn’t happy with certain players’ performances in the first period. He expected more. City were not poor in the first half, but they weren’t good either.
There have been times in City’s run of victories where creating chances has been a struggle, but there was particular dearth of goalmouth action in the first 45 on the Wirral.
Four changes were made at the break and some of those were because players were underperforming. It showed that even with the score at 0-0 on the back of a five-game winning run, there is no room for complacency. Standards have to be kept, and Maresca made that clear.
He could have afforded not to take such a stance. City’s quality may have come through anyway in the second half and they could have moved into the third round of the cup all the same. But if he didn’t nip it in the bud now, there’s more chance of complacency creeping in during Championship fixtures, when there is less margin for error.
Maresca’s strictness has been mentioned by a number of players and was evident just a few days earlier in his decision to leave Wanya Marcal out of the squad at Rotherham. It is a trait that has developed since coming to City.
Callum Doyle has noticed it too. As the only player to have previously worked under Maresca, he can chart the differences between the Italian now and when he was in charge of Man City’s Under-21s a few years ago.
Asked if Maresca had changed, the defender said: “Yes and no. Coming to this big club, there’s a lot of pressure, so you’ve got to be more strict on how we play and how we act. But I think he’s got the same ideas.”
The past couple of seasons showed what happens when good players let standards slip: a team can fall from the brink of Champions League qualification to relegation in two years.
In the first month of this campaign, City have produced a level of performance that has at least put them in a position to win. So far, they have always come out on top. It means a baseline has been set for the rest of the season, and Maresca is not prepared for anybody to dip under it for even a second.
Fans make stance clear on duo
This was the final game before the transfer deadline and City supporters made their opinions clear on certain rumours.
When Kelechi Iheanacho went to warm up, his song was belted out by the 1,200 travelling fans. They don’t want him to go to Crystal Palace, or Wolves, or anywhere.
When Wilfred Ndidi then joined him on the touchline, a series of anti-Nottingham Forest chants were sung. For the midfielder, there is less of a clamouring to keep him, more so a desire to see him sold to a club outside of the East Midlands.
Maresca wants to keep both but knows his opinion is not the be-all-and-end-all. The club have to balance their value to the Italian against their looming free transfers next summer.
The manager is committed to turning Ndidi into an attacking midfielder and this was a night in which his experiment paid off, the Nigerian a threat throughout his 45 minutes in which he was at the heart of both goals.
But Cesare Casadei was there to show just how good he is at that box-to-box midfield position too. The young Italian’s relentless runs into the box were critical to City creating chances.
It is movement off the ball that City have sometimes lacked to break down opposition defences and if he continues to be so energetic and so willing to get beyond the striker, he will be a starter. And if he’s a starter, the club may feel there’s less of a reason to reject any offers for Ndidi.
Akgun’s quick feet introduced
His final game with Galatasaray was a Champions League qualifier and his first with City was a Carabao Cup tie against a League Two side. It cannot be argued that Yunus Akgun has only joined for the glamour.
He is the fourth left-footed right winger that City have signed since selling Riyad Mahrez, the man they are inevitably all compared too. The previous three – Rachid Ghezzal, Cengiz Under, and Tete – scored six goals between them. Akgun doesn’t need to do that well to be the best of the bunch.
But having set his sights on trophies in his maiden interview, and having pushed for the move despite Galatasaray wanting to keep him, there is ambition in Akgun that should hopefully see him prosper.
His first appearance was an introduction, rather than a showcase, of his talents. Unlocking the tightest defences will be his objective under Maresca and there were a couple of moments where he danced through tiny gaps, his feet a blur. More of that will be the request from the manager.
Getting him up to speed with the Maresca’s plans should be the priority now so that he can receive the ball as much as possible. While he was involved in the moves for both goals, his tendency to drift infield can clog up the centre of the pitch and see him get lost in the mire.
Maresca will want him to stick as wide as possible so that he can stretch the opposition but also receive plenty of passes to feet. Then he can weave his magic from there.
Decision to be made over Nelson
At the 12th time of being included in a matchday squad, Ben Nelson finally got his chance to make a competitive appearance for City. Now comes a big decision.
He has long been one of the most-talked about talents coming up through the ranks, first appearing on the senior squad bench aged 16, and he’s now had a year getting used to men’s football, playing more minutes in League Two than any other player born in 2004 or earlier.
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