Share<\/a><\/p>\n 27 min <\/strong>I wouldn\u2019t say that the goal was coming, but Wednesday have played really well so far. Leicester have not.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Chalobah 25)<\/p>\n Wednesday win it high with Chalobah and the ball goes wide to Lowe, who cuts back to the edge and, arriving on to it is Chalobah, who punches low, then sees a loopy deflection off Skipp take the effort high above Stolarczyk! And what celebrations! Chalobah makes straight for the away end, a moment of glorious communion allowing all involved to forget their worries just for a second. Football!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 26 min<\/strong> Happier times: this, Wendesday\u2019s kit from 1984-85, is one of the greats.<\/p>\n 24 min <\/strong>But, as I type, Leicester win a throw deep inside the Wednesday half \u2026 which is too hard and too high for Fatawu.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23 min <\/strong>Leicester are struggling to pick holes in the Wednesday defence. You can only credit their manager and captain, who\u2019ve galvanised the team into what it, so far, a gritty, confident performance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min <\/strong>Palmer wins a flick-on following a long goalkick which, out of nowt, allows Ingelsson to cut back, and Lowe J shoots low \u2026 his effort deflected behind for a corner which comes to nothing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min <\/strong>Gradually, Leicester are exerting control. Their defenders, given time on the ball \u2013 it\u2019s hot and Wednesday aren\u2019t pressing \u2013 are picking passes into midfield, with Fatawu and Mavididi stretching the play in wide areas.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 17 min <\/strong>The corner is cleared but Justin wins the second ball, inadvertently heading backwards to El Khannouss, who arrives on to it beautifully, lashing a low shot that looks set to zip inside the near post but, in the event, lasers just wide of it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 15 min <\/strong>El Khanouss spreads nicely and the ball makes it sway out to Fataeu, who ducks inside Ingelsson with a deft little meg then, from 25 yards, attempts a curler \u2026 but Charles is wise to the ruse, holding easily enough. Leicester, though, come again, Mavididi wining a corner down the left.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min <\/strong>I said earlier I thought Leicester would dominate possession with Wednesday sitting off and seeking to counter; well, I was wrong. They\u2019re taking it to their hosts, and so far have been the better team.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 13 min <\/strong>There\u2019s been a development at Wembley!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12 min <\/strong>Now it\u2019s Wednesday with an attacking free-kick, Bannan curling towards the back post where Iorfa is up \u2026 but he can\u2019t impart any power into his header and Stolarczyk is there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 11 min <\/strong>Ayew fancies it, but he doesn\u2019t get enough power or curl on his shot, lifting over the wall but way too close to Stolarczyk.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10 min <\/strong>This is a really good game so far, Justin winning a free-kick 30 yards out, almost dead centre.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min <\/strong>Wednesday aren\u2019t waiting to be invited, winning a throw deep inside the Leicester half with Ingelsson winding up a biggun. It\u2019s quickly nodded back to the edge, where the waiting Chalobah chests down early then, as the ball drops, he shoots surprisingly early and is headed fore the far corner, until Charles flings himself right, a fingernail tipping on to the post! Great play from both.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.41 EDT<\/p>\n 7 min <\/strong>Facing the touchline. Ayew backheels, changing the angle to take Fatawu closer to goal; his shot loops wide.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 6 min <\/strong>At which point the away support makes its entrance, to a standing ovation from the Leicester fans.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5 min <\/strong>First bit of Leicester possession, the ball zipping about as they look for angles before Vestergaard hits a clever, straight pass into Ayew. He knocks off to Soumare, who finds Thomas, and here comes the low scudder \u2026 pushed away by Charles before Fatwu wins a free-kick, just outside the box, right of centre.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.37 EDT<\/p>\n 3 min <\/strong>Wednesday have started well here and, while we\u2019re admiring Banan\u2019s crown, win another corner. This time, Ingelsson takes it, swinging in from the right and, peeling away from near the keeper, Cadamarteri heads over the top. A thinner contact and he might\u2019ve scored.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.35 EDT<\/p>\n 2 min <\/strong>The delivery isn\u2019t great but Wednesday win a corner, sticking all their big lads down the far side of the box. This time, Bannan\u2019s ball in is better, Iorfa heading back across before the ball goes out for a goalkick.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1 min <\/strong>Valery, racing forward down the right, nips in front of Justin, wears in the inevitable foul, and Wednesday have a chance to stick a ball into the box.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.32 EDT<\/p>\n 1 min <\/strong>And off we go!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ve not seen Leicester in pre-season, <\/strong>but Fatawu, badly injured in November, has apparently been great. He might develop into the best player in the Champo, and with Ghana somehow having finished bottom of their qualifying group, he\u2019ll not be detained by Afcon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Our teams, though, are tunnelled \u2026<\/strong> and here they come!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n To be clear, the away end is also sold out,<\/strong> but there are 1000 fans on the concourse, its capacity, so the remaining 2000 are locked out. Things\u2019ll move five minutes in.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The away end is almost entirely empty. <\/strong>Well done to the Wednesday fans; what a disgrace they\u2019ve been forced to this point.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n News on another departed Premier League legend:<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bristol City fans were singing \u201cJamie Vardy, your wife is a grass\u201d<\/p>\n He scores a penalty, runs to the other side of the pitch and celebrates in front of them \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 \u2014 Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) September 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n This is, of course, the first time in 13 years Leicester have started a season without James Vardy. <\/strong>His goals will, of course, be missed, but so too will his attitude and presence. What a signing he was, one of the best of all time, any club. Who\u2019ll take over his mantle when it comes to rustling opposition supporters?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Henrik Pederson, the new Wednesday manager,<\/strong> says he has every faith in his players to do their job despite all that\u2019s going on. He knows he has a small senior squad and his bench lacks depth, but the players he has are high quality and the young lads are hungry. Good luck, old mate \u2013 I fear you may need it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Where is the game? <\/strong>Wednesday will, I imagine, sit deep and target the centre of Leicester\u2019s defence, which looks a little soft \u2013 though the full-backs will need to supply width.<\/p>\n Leicester, meanwhile, will look to dominate, Soumare and Skipp looking to feed the three in front as soon as possible, with Ayew both dropping off and running channels. The Wednesday back five will, no doubt, look to crowd them out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Some thoughts on the regulator from someone who should know:<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s worth remembering<\/strong> that the threat of a points deduction still hangs over Leicester.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Aas for Wednesday, <\/strong>their best players have left. They\u2019ll look to absorb pressure and counter at pace with two strikers, in Jamal Lowe and Bailey Cadamerteri, good enough to give Leicester\u2019s centre-backs grief. Getting them the ball, though, might a tricky.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back to the teams, Leicester\u2019s looks pretty strong.<\/strong> At full-back, James Justin and Luke Thomas are good players; in midfield, Oliver Skipp is solid and Boubacar Soumar\u00e9 is a much better player than he\u2019s shown during his time in England; and behind Jordan Ayew, Fatawu, El Khannouss and Mavididi are a very serious trident \u2013 on form, perhaps the best in the league. If they hit a groove, Leicester will be vey difficult to stop.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Signs you watch too much football, part 690,492:<\/strong> I just identified Marc Albrighton from his voice. Feel free to send in examples of your own.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Barry Bannan \u2013 Wednesday captain, football\u2019s foremost baldness denier, and all-round top bloke \u2013 speaks to Sky. <\/strong>He says it\u2019s been a testing time for everyone at the club, but they\u2019ve stuck together and come through. Today\u2019s a big day and they\u2019re all looking forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are the players in that dressing room?\u201d asks the next question, inadvertently answering itself, and Bannan adds that he\u2019s proud of the way the squad have responded. He knows the fans in a sold-out away end will come in late as protest, but once they do, they\u2019ll be behind the team.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of experience in the squad, though they\u2019ll be underdogs all season, and he\u2019s looking forward to the challenge.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ll write these down and, in the meantime, here\u2019s some reading on Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a>Let’s have some teams…<\/p>\n Leicester City (4-2-3-1): <\/strong>Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, Soumar\u00e9; Fatawu, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Ayew. Subs: <\/strong>Begovic, Faes, Nelson, Winks, Choudhury, Page, McAteer, Monga, Daka.<\/p>\n Sheffield Wednesday (5-3-2): <\/strong>Charles; Valery, Palmer, Iorfa, Otegbayo; Lowe M; Chalobah, Ingelsson, Bannan; Lowe J, Cadamarteri. Subs: <\/strong>Stretch, Johnson, Siqueira, Fusire, Shipston, Fernandes, Kobacki, McNeill, Ugbo.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.51 EDT<\/p>\n First things first: it\u2019s been a terrific start at Wembley.<\/strong> Join Rob Smyth to follow along.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n![\"gary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/184.jpg\")
Photograph: PaniniShare<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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