PLAYER RATINGS: A Young Tottenham Hotspur Thwarted by Leicester City & OAP Vardy
Leicester have been relegated, promoted, won the Premier League and the FA Cup, got relegated and promoted again and Tottenham have not won a trophy yet. To make matters worse, Tottenham could not even beat Leicester City in the Premier League opener this season.
Let’s get into the ratings, then.
Player Ratings
Leicester City
Mads Hermansen (9): I have never heard of the guy but he is good-looking. Regarding his saving skills, they are quite good, He was a wall against Spurs barrage of chances and kept Leicester in a game they had no business being in. Man of the match.
James Justin (5.5): One of the few players that have Premier League quality in this Leicester City team. Unfortunately for him, Tottenham have thrown a Maddison/Son combination that he struggled to deal with in the first half with no help from the midfield. Looked much better in the second half after Leicester system tweak.
Wout Faes (5): The man famous for scoring two own goals against Liverpool in Anfield. Lost Solanke countless times in the first half and if the English striker found his shooting boots, this could have been a disaster for Leicester. Very bad in the first half, very good in the second half.
Jannik Vestergaard (5): He has been playing in the Premier League for years and I still can not pronounce his name. Like Faes, did not help in stopping any of Spurs attacks. Very bad in the first half, very good in the second half.
Victor Kristiansen (4): Always thought of him as a right back, but I discovered today he is a left back. Or he may be a right-back; I don’t know after this performance. Did not attack, defend or look good. Tottenham also did not attack from his side so much.
Wilfred Ndidi (7): Had two goal line clearances in the 6th minute and 50th minute, keeping Leicester in a game they had no business being in. Was a lot better than Winks and it looks like he was rolling back the years. Speaking of which, he is still 27. Had a chance to win Leicester the game in added time but Vicario made a great save.
Harry Winks (3): Playing against his former team, he showed why Tottenham sold him.
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (6): As one of our editors wrote before, I am not trying to pronounce his name; you can. He was the only one making an effort to attack in the first half, and he received a assist in the second.
Facundo Buonanotte (5.5): Wasn’t he playing for Brighton? Since when did Brighton let go of players to anyone other than Chelsea? Was anonymous in the first half, as he had 9 passes and lost possession six times. Was more lively in the second and was at the heart of everything Leicester tried to create. Put Vardy one on one but the English man could not capitalise.
Bobby Decordova-Reid (3): This guy has been in the Premier League for years and I still do not know if he is good enough to play in the Premier League. This performance shows he is not good enough. Wasted Leicester’s only half chance of the first half and was offside for another one in the second half.
Jamie Vardy (6.5): Vardy as a starting striker in 2024? The guy may not have the pace to threaten teams anymore but whenever he gets the chance, he scores. Scored a goal from two chances. Leicester needs reinforcements in attack, though.
Subs
Boubakary Soumare (N/A): Did not play enough to have a rating.
Stephy Mavdidi (N/A): Did not play enough to have a rating.
Kasey Mcateer (N/A): Had a good header the moment he went on the pitch but did not play enough to have a rating.
Tottenham
Gugliemo Vicario (6): I just found out for the first time while writing these ratings that his first name is Gugliemo, not Guillermo. He was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League last season. He did not have anything to do today as he was not responsible for the goal. Reliable when called upon, and saved a Ndidi header in added time to save Tottenham from a disaster.
Pedro Porro (7): I have him in my fantasy team so this rating is affected by how many points he bought me. Created a chance for Solanke and scored Spurs opener. Backed Spurs press well and was an outlet in attack.
Cristian Romero (4): After winning the Copa America this summer, he returns to Spurs, knowing he is not going to win anything at club level. This is why he was caught napping in the Leicester goal, playing Vardy onside. At least he has enough international trophies. Was tormented by Vardy in the second half.
Micky Van De Ven (6): Colossal at the back and cut off whatever hopes of counter attacks Leicester had.
Destiny Udogie (2): Worst player on the pitch. Did not add anything to attack and had some mishaps in possession in the first half that Leicester did not capitalise on. As expected, a Leicester goal came from his side. Some players were bad in the first half and others were bad in the second half. He was bad in both and was by far the worst player on the pitch
Rodrigo Bentancur (6): Nothing fancy; kept the ball ticking and backed the press well.
Pape Mateta Sarr (6): Same as his midfield partner.
James Maddison (8): Returning back to King Power, he showed Leicester what they were missing. Created Spurs opener was the heart of everything good Spurs were doing. Had an xA of 0.95 in the first half only. Faded a lot in the second half.
Heung Min Son (6.5): One of the best wingers in the Premier League in the last few seasons, the South Korean returned to his favourite left wing position. He combined a lot with Madisson and they tormented James Justin. Lacked the final touch, though but if he stays that lively, Spurs fans should be excited.
Dominic Solanke (4.5): I also have him in my fantasy team so this rating is solely based on how many points he bought me. Lively performance but wasted three easy chances, hence the rating. His wastefulness helped Leicester stay in a game they had no business being in. Tottenham signed him to score the chances they create, not to waste them.
Brennan Johnson (4.5): I still do not know if he is good enough to be a consistent performer for a top-level Premier League team. A lot of good moves combined with some bad decision-making and anonymous in the second half.
Subs
Timo Werner (N/A): Timo Werner in 2024 to change a game result?
Archie Gray (N/A): Did not have anytime to impact the game.
Lucas Bergvall (N/A): Had one beautiful take on but lost the ball in a dangerous position, leading to a very dangerous Leicester chance, created a chance. It was chaotic. Welcome to the Premier League kid.
Dejan Kuluskevski (N/A): Did not have anytime to impact the game.
Djed Spence (N/A): Subbed on at the added time, did not have enough time to impact the game.
Richarlison (N/A): Subbed on at the added time, did not have enough time to impact the game. Cleared a Leicester corner. Wasted a glorious chance
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