Match Ratings: Leicester City vs. Everton

Leicester City 0 Everton 2

Jonny Evans persistent yellow cards meant he had to sit this one out, leaving his team bitterly missing a center back and pushing their best defensive mid back to cover his position. He wouldn’t be the only veteran to let the team down that day, as Kasper Schmeichel blundered in the opener and Jamie Vardy neatly placed an equalizing header directly into Robin Olsen’s arms.

Kasper Schmeichel 5/10

His rating would be much lower if it weren’t for his heroics almost keeping out Everton’s second goal. His wrist strength on the first goal matched what I would describe as “Thanksgiving dish washer duty” when you’ve made it through all the pans and now the desert plates show up and you’re just standing there eyeballing the last piece of pie and then your Brazilian uncle Richie comes over and snags it even though he’s allergic to nuts, he does it just to piss you off.

James Justin 7/10

JJ is a hustler and a wiling runner to do anything for this team at the moment. It’s a damn shame he’s being asked to occupy the same space and Cengiz Ünder. I checked out the heat maps of JJ, Cengo, Harvey Barnes and Christian Fuchs from last game, and they burn hotter than a collapsing star, which I guess is close to 600,00 Kelvin.

Wesley Fofana 8/10

Lil Wes played well against Everton and I honestly thought there was no need drop Wilfred Ndidi back into defense as Big Wes Morgan would’ve paired nicely against a slower CF like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, especially in a back 4. But that would’ve required JJ covering Richarlison so Lil Wes doesn’t get caught in a 1v1, leaving Cengo to actually operate as a RW. Basically, the setup does not seem to support wingers at the moment, as they both just stand out wide, looking to cut in, but there’s no space left but the pass to the left or right back.

Wilfred Ndidi 7/10

Wilf played an excellent game and it really sucked he wasn’t in midfield. Papy Mendy had little place being in that game, and is the direct cause of the second goal because his genetics don’t favor height. It’s not his fault, he should’ve never been in a position to try and block Mason Holgate from blocking Kasper. We’ll need him back in midfield on Sunday against spuds.

Christian Fuchs 6/10

I think that was his best game for us in awhile, and its absolutely because he was playing LB and not the third CB. His positioning, much like on the right, was exactly where Harvey Barnes’ was and it was incredibly annoying. There is only so much space on a pitch, and having 36% of your players in the same spots doesn’t equate to chances. Maybe Brendan’s tactics will make sense once everyone is healthy, if that ever happens this season.

Youri Tielemans 5/10

His worst game of the season. He looked exhausted out there. What is the point of having Dennis Praet if not to rotate with Youri?

Papy Mendy 2/10

That game relied too much on Mendy being able to move the ball forward and his default is to make, and I’ll quote Juvenile here, “hoes frown when you pass, yeah, they mad, yeah.” This particular hoe definitely frowned every time he passed.

Cengiz Ünder 6/10

Cengo tried almost everything to get us going into the game, and was subsequently subbed out at the 60 minute marker. This is another game I would’ve liked to see Islam Slimani used in. Everton’s height at the back made it very difficult to cross the ball in, also tough to defend on set pieces where we’re already sh*t. Cengo coming onto his left foot and whipping a ball onto Slimani’s head is a chef’s kiss ready to happen, but only if Brendan open’s up the kitchen cabinet and starts messing with his ingredients.

James Maddison 7/10

Arguably coming off his best game this season, it sucked to watch him not be able to produce the same result as the match before. Not his fault as options were slim chance wise on the day, and had Lee Mason got his head out of his ass and called the match equally, would’ve won a free kick in a very dangerous area for us. But that wasn’t the case, and oddly enough, was Everton’s 22nd win with Lee Mason as part of the officiating crew. Only Man City has a better win rate at 25.

Harvey Barnes 5/10

The man needed some service to back up his great runs, and by the time he got it, it was getting trapped under his feet. He too fell victim of sharing the same space with Fuchs and did not prosper when he tried to receive the ball coming in on his right. If you want to play with a speedy front three, don’t make your wing backs an integral part of creating chances. I don’t get what the plan is here.

Jamie Vardy 5/10

One shot on target and two key passes. He hardly received the ball and never had much time to do anything with it. Another bad match-up across the pitch, but the most annoying thing about it is, Everton were not better on the day, we were just worse.