The opening fixture of the 2016/17 season served us a big shock as champions Leicester City were stunned by newly promoted Hull City by a 2-1 scoreline. The Champions were disappointing throughout the 90 minutes and offered little going forward. Let’s take a look at how the players fared out of 10 against Hull City.
Kasper Schmeichel (5/10)
It was a strange day for the keeper, there wasn’t much to do but he was well beaten for the two goals. He made an error with his judgment during a corner, which could have cost his team but made a great save from a Curtis Davies header which then fell to Diomande and resulted in the opening goal.
Danny Simpson (4/10)
Had a bad game, being clumsy in his tackles. Got booked in the 33rd minute which put him under more pressure. Diomande troubled him regularly with his forward advances.
Luis Hernandez (4/10)
Leicester’s new signing had a bad debut. He looked unconvincing, to say the least, was poor with his tackling and took unnecessary risks also. Could have cost his team more if not for the lenient referring.
Wes Morgan (5/10)
Leicester’s captain was not his old self at the KC Stadium. He also looked uncomfortable and was not helped by the new boy Luis Hernandez by his side.
Christian Fuchs (7/10)
Fuchs was one of the better players for his side in the match. Played well, and defended well too. Got very little chance of making overlapping runs due to the bad passing of his teammates but carved out a good opportunity in the first half with one of his runs forward.
Andy King (5/10)
King provided plenty of running but was unable to influence proceedings in the middle. Was ultimately subbed in the second half
Danny Drinkwater (6/10)
Played the most successful passes in the middle but also misplaced quite a few of them. Came very close to scoring a goal in the first half but that was just about it.
Riyadh Mahrez (6/10)
Mahrez was expected to provide the cutting edge in the tie but after some decent work in the first half, he faded completely in the second. The set piece deliveries were also below par. Seemed predictable with his play on most occasions.
Demarai Gray (4/10)
Was the most disappointing player on the pitch for the visitors. Lacked tactical awareness completely, crowding out the middle of the penalty area by cutting infield taking up the spaces of Musa and Vardy. Made bad decisions throughout. Won a penalty for a foul outside the box and was subbed in the 68th minute which was very late and surprising considering what he offered on the pitch.
Ahmed Musa (7/10)
Musa was the best player for the Foxes as he looked the most likely to make something happen up front. Utilised his pace whenever he got the chance, the striker created great chances for Fuchs and Vardy (twice) one which had the goal at the mercy of the Englishman but his teammates missed all of them. Musa looks like a very good player who can shine in the Premier League.
Jamie Vardy (4/10)
Vardy looked short of match fitness and a bit disjointed in front of the goal. Missed two glorious chances to score badly and gave a thoroughly lacklustre performance struggling to play when there is no space to run in behind the defence. A bad performance, most importantly a big indicator of his lack of adaptability.
