Leicester City’s relatively routine 2-0 win over League One side Fleetwood Town in last night’s FA Cup replay will mostly be remembered for the first goal retrospectively awarded by VAR.
But despite the modest quality of the opposition, who could only manage 28% possession, there were some big positives for Claude Puel to take from his side’s comfortable victory.
The most obvious is the two goals from young striker Kelechi Iheanacho, who has struggled to embed himself in the first team since arriving from Manchester City in a club-record deal during the summer. The second-biggest positive relates to a summer recruit as well, who had to wait until January to make his first competitive appearance for the Foxes – midfielder Adrien Silva.
The former Sporting Lisbon star is no doubt a talented player, and although he still needs more time to adapt to English football, there were promising signs from his performance last night. The 20-cap Portugal international struck up a strong partnership with Vicente Iborra in the middle of the park that gave Leicester an irresistible foothold in the match.
And along the way, the 28-year-old showed glimpses of the quality in possession he offers Leicester. As well as making two tackles and winning four aerial duels, Silva created one chance and recorded four dribbles – the most of any Foxes player – while having over 100 touches of the ball and completing 90% of his passes.
If there’s one criticism of Silva’s performance, it’s that his creative qualities didn’t lead to more goals for Leicester in a match they comfortably dominated. A player of his obvious pedigree can probably bring a little more to the team. But the midfielder – who Transfermarkt value at £22.5million – is clearly moving in the right direction.
So, Foxes fans, would you start Silva against Watford this Saturday? Let us know by voting below…
[ad_pod ]
