[FM20] Leicester City F.C.

[RazorsEdge]

LEICESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB:

END OF SEASON ROUND UP:

Leicester City and their fans will reflect upon the 2020/2021 season with fond memories for the rest of their days. In a story that will be told by fans for years to come, the little team that could won their second Premier League title after the success of the 2015/2016 campaign under then manager Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri stated in the press that he was delighted that Leicester had won another title and heaped praise upon current manager Phillip Smith.

Leicester's main competition all year was Arsenal with the season coming down to the wire with Leicester beating the Gunners 1-0 in the last month of play. Last year's winners Liverpool were disappointing slipping to 6th on the table after the loss of key defender Virgil van Dijk proved to be a massive blow for the Reds.

Leicester can once again but their success down to consistency. Losing only once in the league, to Chelsea, Leicester approached every match with the mentality of "if you score 1 goal, we're going to score 2" and took the fight to the opposition.

The good work started at the back with goalkeeper and captain Kasper Schmeichel leading a defense that consisted mainly consisted of Greg Taylor, Scott McKenna, Thilo Kehrer and Daniel Amartey (although Reece James displaced him after his arrival in January). The solid defense was backed up by one of either Wilfred Ndidi or Nampalys Mendy sitting just in front of them as the first of the midfield trio. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans were the central midfield pairing most commonly used, though new signing Olivier Ntcham did enough in his appearances to be named in the team of the year. On the wings and Ukrainian winger Victor Tsygankov proved to be a steal of a buy at just under 20 million pounds as he went on to score 17 goals in all competition with his trademark cutting in from the right wing and using his deadly left foot. Demarai Gray took the left wing spot off of Leicester academy product Harvey Barnes and was superb in attack. Finally Jamie Vardy proved again that age is just a number as the 34 year-old striker winning the Premier League Golden Boot with 19 goals, plus adding a further 9 in other competitions.

It would be remiss to not mention the Carabao Cup win, which secured Leicester a domestic double after beating Liverpool 2-1. They would go on to face Liverpool again in the FA Cup Final, this time with the scores reversed and the Reds robbing Leicester of a domestic treble.

Leicester were knocked out of the Champions League in the 1st Knockout Round against AC Milan. Manager Phillip Smith has made it known that they have unfinished business and he will not rest until the team secures a continental title.

Looking ahead to the future and the question is what do Leicester do now? They have won the Premier League with a team that most pundits and armchair experts say had no right winning it, but the sheer determination and mental strength of the squad saw them home. We already know that they will be adding Ajax's Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana in the off-season with Kasper Schmeichel likely to see himself relegated to cup matches. The aging Dane has made it known he is interested in coaching so he may take this up as well. James Maddison has, as normal, been scouted heavily by clubs both in England and abroad and many believe if he goes that Leicester will fall. With the transfer window soon to open it will be interesting to see what moves Leicester make - if any.

To top it all off that lingering question remains as it did in 2016 - was this just a fluke?

[abulezz]

Congrats on the PL title - onwards to the CL!

[Lenzar]

Does Vardy EVER get too old?

Doing very nicely indeed!

[john1]

Congrats on winning the title on last day of the season Hopefully there more to come from Leicester  

[Rileigh84]

Hey, great posts.
I'm in my second season with Leicester, and I had no where near the success you've had with Vardy (for example, who is declining rapidly despite playing time). Could you share with us you tactics from that first season, and what roles you've played the likes of Vardy and Barnes to get the best out of them?
My key performers have been Tielemans and Maddison. Finding the second season a lot tougher as I'm relying on Iheanacho due to Vardy's decline (and copious amount of missing sitters for both players.)
Cheers.

[Rileigh84]

On 18/11/2019 at 03:28, RazorsEdge said:

LEICESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB:

JANUARY ROUND UP:

James Maddison had a solid month.

January got under way with Leicester confirming the signing of FC Midtjylland defender Japhet Sery Larsen for 800,000. The 20 year old Dane who usually plays centrally but can be deployed on either side of the pitch as well was immediately sent on loan to Belgian Leicester affiliate Oud-Heverlee Leuven to give him regular first team football.

The first match of the month was an away trip for the Foxes to Goodison Park to take on Everton in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. Player of the Match Hamza Choudhury got things started in the 30th minute with a strike from outside the box after getting on the end of a Nampalys Mendy pass. Things stayed relatively quiet for most of the game until young Everton superstar Moise Kean sent a cross in for Yann Karamoah to head in in the 84th minute and bring things back equal. Jamie Vardy was immediately introduced off the bench replacing Kelechi Iheanacho and immediately found himself with the ball, playing it to Mendy who forwarded it on to Harvey Barnes who scored from a tight angle. The icing on the cake came in the 4th minute of injury time. Vardy was tackled by Paulo Diaz, Domagoj Bradaric gathered the ball and sent it back to Vardy who put it in the back of the net to see Leicester walk away 3-1 winners. The Foxes would go on to draw Leeds United in the 4th Round.

The first leg of the Carbao Cup Semi Finals was a home game for Leicester hosting their opponents Chelsea. Leicester continued their trend of scoring in the first 3rd of the match with Nampalys Mendy stealing the ball off of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho and sending in a thunderbolt of a shot from long range past a stunned Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. The rest of the match was a fairly pedestrian affair until Youri Tielemans laid the ball off to Ukrainian winger Victor Tsygankov who, in what is becoming something of a regular thing for him, cut in from the right wing into the box to put the 2nd goal past Kepa and see the Foxes take a 2-0 lead into the away fixture.

Speculation about Ricardo Pereira's future was finally put to rest with the 28 year-old fullback joining Beijing Guo'an and reuniting with former teammate Dennis Praet for a fee of 35 million pounds. In a statement from his agent, Ricardo thanked the Leicester fan's for their support and wished the club the best of luck in the future. Manager Phillip Smith wished Ricardo well and said that the deal was right for both the club and Ricardo financially. When pressed on the now lack of depth at fullback with only Daniel Amartey and Thilo Kehrer, who usually plays as a central defender, came into question, Smith replied that the transfer window was open and there would likely be some movement to rectify that situation.

The King Power Stadium played host to defending Premier League Champions Liverpool who under new manager Roberto Mancini find themselves well off the pace in 9th on the table. The match was largely underwhelming for all fans and neutrals alike with the final result being a 0-0 draw in what was an evenly fought contest.

Sitting alongside his new signing and Leicester Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Phillip Smith was proud to introduce Chelsea's 21 year-old fullback Reece James. James, a natural on the right side of defense will plug the hole filled by Ricardo and has potential to boot. Leicester broke their transfer record to bring the young Englishman in (the previous being 35 million pounds for Youri Tielemans) by paying 40.5 million pounds upfront with the potential of the fee rising to 55 million pounds with installments and clauses involved. Despite suffering from a groin strain and being a week or two away from fitness, both Smith and Srivaddhanaprabha said they were delighted to get their man to replace Ricardo and said that talks had been ongoing for some time. Unable to break into the Chelsea first team on regular basis despite his talent, James said he was excited for a fresh start at Leicester and couldn't wait to get out on the park. He was assigned the number 2 shirt, previously assigned but never worn by James Justin.

An away trip to Brighton was next with the Foxes walked out 3-1 winners. Olivier Ntcham headed the ball forward but it was headed back to him by Brighton defender Daryl Janmaat, so with the ball at his feet Ntcham struck it cleanly to pick up the first goal of the match in the 16 minute. Kelechi Iheanacho scored the 2nd in the 25th minute heading in a cross from Daniel Amartey. In the 39th minute Brighton's Florin Andone pegged one back, but just before halftime Daryl Janmaat gave away a penalty that was easily converted by Ntcham, securing his brace and the win for Leicester.

The King Power Stadium played host to Crystal Palace next with the scoring starting early after Victor Tsgankov played the ball to Jamie Vardy who had his initial shot blocked by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, but was able to follow up and collect the ball, quickly putting it past the Spaniard. Tsygankov added himself to the scoresheet next by curling in a beautiful free kick from 23 yards out into the top corner of Guaita's net in the 32nd minute. Greg Taylor switched play to Daniel Amartey in the 41st minute, who played it on to Tsygankov who then sent the ball in for Vardy to follow up and nab his 2nd goal of the match. Swiss midfielder Noah Okafor was tripped inside the box in the 43rd minute with Danish striker Kasper Dolberg converting the penalty. A few minutes after the halftime break Greg Taylor sent the ball to James Maddison in the middle of midfield just outside the box who sent the ball past the Guaita who barely even moved to save the ball. Reece James made his Leicester debut off the bench late in the game and received a nice welcoming applause from the Foxes faithful. Olivier Ntcham, Victor Tsgankov and Jamie Vardy would all be named in the Premier League Team of the Week.

Stoke visited Leicester next and the most to be said about the match is that it happened. A 0-0 bore draw with nothing of note to speak of. Reece James again came off the bench, building his fitness, whilst Victor Tsgankov suffered some slight hamstring tightness that saw him come off as a precaution. After the match Phillip Smith expressed his displeasure with the draw and confirmed that he had spoken to young Italian forward Sebastiano Esposito, who was on loan at Stoke, and confirmed that he would be recalled to the Leicester squad.

A trip to Elland Road to play Championship side Leeds United in the FA Cup 4th Round was next with the Foxes leaving 2-1 winners thanks to the efforts of midfielder Olivier Ntcham. In what was Reece James' first start for Leicester he sent a corner in early which was headed away by Leeds defender Pascal Struijk, however his header only went as far as Ntcham who volleyed the ball past Leeds 'keeper Kiko Casilla. Ayoze Pérez went on a long run down the right side of the pitch before losing the ball in a tackle from Leeds defender Kévin Rodrigues. Hamza Choudhury was quick to pounce and collected the ball, passing it on to Ntcham who put his 2nd past Casilla. Rodrigues got a measure of revenge after halftime when Mateusz Bogusz crossed the ball to him allowing him to finish from a tight angle in the 52nd minute. Leicester would draw Southampton at home in the 5th Round of the FA Cup and manager Phillip Smith confirmed that Youri Tielemans had suffered a pulled hamstring and would miss the next 2-3 weeks of action.

The 2nd leg of the Carabao Cup Semi Final took place at Stamford Bridge with the Foxes walking away with a decisive win. James Maddison's corner was cleared by Andreas Christensen but Victor Tsgankov ran on to the ball and rifled in a huge shot from outside the box in the 22nd minute. Tsgankov would add a 2nd after Demarai Gray sent in an early cross that the Ukrainian was able to get on the end of and Volley past Kepa. James Maddison played the ball to Gray late in injury time with the forward calmly putting the ball past Kepa, who had an atrocious day in goal, to secure the 3-0 victory and the 5-0 win on aggregate. Greg Taylor picked up another yellow card that will see him banned for the Final which will take place in February against Liverpool.

The last piece of transfer news came as somewhat of a shock to Leicester fan's. Whilst he had been a suitable deputy to Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho wanted more first team football. The club was able to sort out a loan deal with Portuguese team Sporting CP with the club able to turn the loan into a permanent move for a sum of 21 million pounds, should they so desire. The deal was thought to be largely responsible for the recalling of Sebastiano Esposito from Stoke.

The final match of the month for Leicester would be an away trip against Tottenham, after their fixture against Southampton was pushed back to February. Reece James started his first game for the club and Sepastiano Esposito made his competitive debut for Leicester off the bench. The game was largely back and forth with attack after attack being repelled by both team's defenses. Dele Alli broke the deadlock in the 81st minute with a beautiful strike, before Jamie Vardy cancelled that out in the 86th minute after receiving the ball from Greg Taylor. The match would stay as is and ended 1-1.

Leicester end the month 2nd on the Premier League table on goal difference alone, equal on points with new leaders Arsenal. The Foxes, however, have a game in hand and are still undefeated in the league though they will need to start converting their draws into wins if they want to win the title. February will start with an away trip to St. Mary's Stadium to play Southampton before The King Power Stadium hosts Manchester United. A trip to London will be up next as the Foxes take on 5th place West Ham. After that the 1st leg of the 1st Knockout Round of the Champions League will see Leicester play hosts to AC Milan, before ending the month with the Carabao Cup Final against Liverpool at Wembley.

I will PM you I don't want to clog up the thread with tactics.

Could you Pm them to me as well please?

[fluffy-engine]

good season, congrats! btw can i get the tactics? please...

[Veobeast]

Would you be able to send the tactics in messages? Would be greatly appreciated!!

[collisonmullan]

Anyone else still playing as Leicester or starting a new save? 
 

[yorkie87]

On 22/12/2019 at 14:53, fluffy-engine said:

good season, congrats! btw can i get the tactics? please...

Me too please. 

[yorkie87]

On 22/11/2019 at 02:29, RazorsEdge said:

LEICESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB:

END OF SEASON ROUND UP:

Leicester City and their fans will reflect upon the 2020/2021 season with fond memories for the rest of their days. In a story that will be told by fans for years to come, the little team that could won their second Premier League title after the success of the 2015/2016 campaign under then manager Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri stated in the press that he was delighted that Leicester had won another title and heaped praise upon current manager Phillip Smith.

Leicester's main competition all year was Arsenal with the season coming down to the wire with Leicester beating the Gunners 1-0 in the last month of play. Last year's winners Liverpool were disappointing slipping to 6th on the table after the loss of key defender Virgil van Dijk proved to be a massive blow for the Reds.

Leicester can once again but their success down to consistency. Losing only once in the league, to Chelsea, Leicester approached every match with the mentality of "if you score 1 goal, we're going to score 2" and took the fight to the opposition.

The good work started at the back with goalkeeper and captain Kasper Schmeichel leading a defense that consisted mainly consisted of Greg Taylor, Scott McKenna, Thilo Kehrer and Daniel Amartey (although Reece James displaced him after his arrival in January). The solid defense was backed up by one of either Wilfred Ndidi or Nampalys Mendy sitting just in front of them as the first of the midfield trio. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans were the central midfield pairing most commonly used, though new signing Olivier Ntcham did enough in his appearances to be named in the team of the year. On the wings and Ukrainian winger Victor Tsygankov proved to be a steal of a buy at just under 20 million pounds as he went on to score 17 goals in all competition with his trademark cutting in from the right wing and using his deadly left foot. Demarai Gray took the left wing spot off of Leicester academy product Harvey Barnes and was superb in attack. Finally Jamie Vardy proved again that age is just a number as the 34 year-old striker winning the Premier League Golden Boot with 19 goals, plus adding a further 9 in other competitions.

It would be remiss to not mention the Carabao Cup win, which secured Leicester a domestic double after beating Liverpool 2-1. They would go on to face Liverpool again in the FA Cup Final, this time with the scores reversed and the Reds robbing Leicester of a domestic treble.

Leicester were knocked out of the Champions League in the 1st Knockout Round against AC Milan. Manager Phillip Smith has made it known that they have unfinished business and he will not rest until the team secures a continental title.

Looking ahead to the future and the question is what do Leicester do now? They have won the Premier League with a team that most pundits and armchair experts say had no right winning it, but the sheer determination and mental strength of the squad saw them home. We already know that they will be adding Ajax's Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana in the off-season with Kasper Schmeichel likely to see himself relegated to cup matches. The aging Dane has made it known he is interested in coaching so he may take this up as well. James Maddison has, as normal, been scouted heavily by clubs both in England and abroad and many believe if he goes that Leicester will fall. With the transfer window soon to open it will be interesting to see what moves Leicester make - if any.

To top it all off that lingering question remains as it did in 2016 - was this just a fluke?

Could I have the tactics sent over too please?