As the curtain raises on the greatest show on earth, it must also be acknowledged that this weekend see’s the start of the premier league.
Live @ https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/436976
One match ban enabled
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful Timothy Castagne will play despite a fractured eye socket.
Jonny Evans and James Justin are due back after the international break, but Wesley Fofana is out for up to eight months after breaking his leg.
Striker Raul Jimenez is available for the first since suffering a fractured skull in November.
Pedro Neto, Jonny and Daniel Podence remain on the sidelines, while Willy Boly has a hamstring injury.
Leicester set to sign Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard
Premier League predictions: Who will finish where in 2021-22?
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Leicester's only defeat in their past 24 home league games against Wolves was by 4-1 in the Championship back in May 2007.
Wolves have failed to score in six of the past seven meetings in all competitions.
Three of the last four Premier League encounters have ended goalless. The exception was a 1-0 win for Leicester in November 2020.
The only away win in the last 22 top-flight fixtures between these sides was 1-0 to Leicester at Molineux in March 1981.
Leicester City
Leicester were in the top four at the end of 69 of the 76 matchrounds across the last two seasons, but they finished both campaigns in fifth.
Last season, Leicester became the first top-flight team to lose as many as nine home matches and still finish higher than 10th.
They let in 30 league goals at home last season, the most by a side finishing fifth or higher of the top flight since Queens Park Rangers in 1992-93.
Jamie Vardy has scored six goals in six games on the opening weekend of a Premier League season, the joint-most of any current top-flight player with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have lost their opening league fixture in only one of the past 11 seasons, a 1-0 defeat at Leeds United in the Championship in 2012-13.
They managed just 15 Premier League away goals last season, with only Sheffield United scoring fewer.
Wolves are unbeaten in the 33 Premier League games in which they have scored the opening goal since November 2018 (W28, D5).
Bruno Lage is the sixth Portuguese to manage in the English top flight, after Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Marco Silva, Andre Villas-Boas and Carlos Carvalhal. None of those five lost their first Premier League match in charge.
Leicester v Wolves [LIVE]
posted on 19/8/21
I'm getting a bit bored of journalists unquestioningly peddling the "it's FFP, the club has to be creative in its dealings etc." it doesn't - it's choosing to take that approach. Which is fine and their prerogative - but let's acknowledge that.
I suppose Fosun has said that what was a five year plan is now a twenty year plan but I think they need to front that up a bit more because it looks, currently, like the ambition has just dried up completely. We shouldn't forget that we got seventh twice with these players and a manager we decided to let go - that should be the target again. And yet it's another transitional year, mid table etc.
It's such a shame because if they hadn't spoken in such a lofty way about their ambitions at the beginning - if they'd not published those stadium plans etc. - we'd all be absolutely thrilled with where we are. It's only because we seem to have rowed back so much that people feel anxious and frustrated.
And above all I'd really like to understand WHY the ambition has been scaled back - even just acknowledging that they were a bit niaive when they came in and saying it's actually harder than they thought it would be to break top seven but they remain committed to getting there would go a long way.
posted on 19/8/21
Looking at our squad and how the transfer window looks like panning out for us, I would snatch your arm off now for a mid table finish.
I think if we get off to a bad start we could be looking over our shoulders for the rest of the season. I just don't see where our goals are going to come from. We create next to nothing and miss the few chances that do come along.
posted on 19/8/21
First and foremost..when Fosun came in, it was a ten year plan, not five. They stated quite clearly that the club would have to generate funds to buy players and that one way to do that was to buy players at a young age and groom them to become better players. They would then either stay at the club and challenge for a first team spot or sell them on for a profit. Otasowie is the latest in that category.
If Mir does get sold for 15m, then our transfer dealings will be in the black.
I'm not sure we let Nuno go either. It was his choice to leave, with some reports stating that he had taken us as far as he could.
However, I do agree that Fosun should be spending money on ground improvements which do not conflict with the FFP rules. The corners could have been fixed during the time there were no fans in.
Time will tell whether they invest money into making us a club challenging the top six or European competitions.
posted on 19/8/21
I for one don't recall them stating anything about taking lads at a young age and grooming them?
posted on 19/8/21
comment by Tino Bambino (U2087)
posted about 7 hours ago
not sure if this will work without joining the group but
https://www.facebook.com/CaughtOffsideOfficial/photos/a.117865799777932/366291454935364/
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That is awesome
posted on 19/8/21
comment by (U17339)
posted about 3 hours ago
I'm getting a bit bored of journalists unquestioningly peddling the "it's FFP, the club has to be creative in its dealings etc." it doesn't - it's choosing to take that approach. Which is fine and their prerogative - but let's acknowledge that.
I suppose Fosun has said that what was a five year plan is now a twenty year plan but I think they need to front that up a bit more because it looks, currently, like the ambition has just dried up completely. We shouldn't forget that we got seventh twice with these players and a manager we decided to let go - that should be the target again. And yet it's another transitional year, mid table etc.
It's such a shame because if they hadn't spoken in such a lofty way about their ambitions at the beginning - if they'd not published those stadium plans etc. - we'd all be absolutely thrilled with where we are. It's only because we seem to have rowed back so much that people feel anxious and frustrated.
And above all I'd really like to understand WHY the ambition has been scaled back - even just acknowledging that they were a bit niaive when they came in and saying it's actually harder than they thought it would be to break top seven but they remain committed to getting there would go a long way.
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Yep, no doubt they have scaled back big time. I am convinced they are looking for an out personally.
posted on 19/8/21
Also, If I were Daniel Levy and Nuno by the way, I'd snap City's arm off for £150m for Kane, and I'd come straight to Wolves with £50m for Jiminez.
posted on 19/8/21
Pretty sure if Jimenez hadn't been injured then we would have seen him leave this summer.
posted on 19/8/21
comment by Cinciwolf----Wolves poster of the millennium (U11551)
posted 15 minutes ago
Pretty sure if Jimenez hadn't been injured then we would have seen him leave this summer.
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Ditto Neto
posted on 20/8/21
I do think Fosun made a rod for their own back with their comments initially that money was no object and we could compete for the Champions League places. Right now it looks like those claims are way short of reality and getting back to competing for 7th would be a more reasonable objective.
Having not improved the stadium and only 12 days away from no investment in the team in this window, Fosun are in danger of losing the goodwill they built up in their first few seasons.
I still think a fully fit Wolves team with the players we have would be close to finishing 7th but fully fit is not what we’re going to have purely looking at the injuries to Neto and Jonny. And I do think we have made decent signings this summer in Mosquera, Trincao and Ait Nouri.
But you would hope for more signs of investment rather than signings funded by sales and promises of stadium improvements one day some day