Leicester looked rusty in Hull defeat
Leicester City’s defence of the Premier League title could not have gone worse. The Foxes opened their campaign with a 2-1 defeat at relegation favourites Hull City on Saturday lunchtime.
The display was very different to the ones that we saw the Foxes put in week-in week-out last season. The defence looked unsure about themselves and the midfield lacked the harrying of the now departed N’Golo Kante.
German centre-back Robert Huth was missing through suspension was replaced by new signing Luis Hernandez. The Spaniard looked shaky on his Premier League debut and the Foxes backline lacked the protection that Kante used to provide.
The simple things like retaining the ball were concerning for the champions, as on a number of occassions their players needlessly gave away possession to the Tigers, who to be fair produced a spirited display.
England international striker Jamie Vardy missed a few chances that last season he probably would have buried, while mercurial Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez enjoyed a relative quiet afternoon apart from his goal from the penalty spot.
It just seemed like the Foxes were not quite at the races throughout the game, against a team that only had 13 fit outfield players. They seemed like the perfect opponents for Leicester to play on the first day of the season.
However, now Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri is left with more questions than answers. He needs to plug the gap left by Kante and maybe new signing Nampalys Mendy will do that when he is available.
This season is going to be a far more difficult one than the last campaign and the Foxes face a major fight to be anywhere near the top of the Premier League table this season.
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