Leicester City Fan View: Chilwell has a bright future ahead

It was one of those days for Leicester City. Everything that could have conceivably gone against us, did. Already stretched by injury in certain positions, we were on the receiving end of some poor luck but we didn’t help ourselves either. In the end, a 2-1 defeat feels unlucky but nothing to be ashamed of against Manchester City. There were positives to take away though, not least from Ben Chilwell.

The Foxes can feel unlucky to have left Manchester without a point after some bad luck and a very poor challenge saw the home side 2-0 ahead. With just two away wins in the Premier League all season, this is the sort of game we would never have recovered from earlier in the season. Part of the revival under Craig Shakespeare has been the ability to go behind, pick ourselves up and fight back. A fine goal from Shinji Okazaki gave Leicester hope and the second half performance was very pleasing, even if we couldn’t quite get that equaliser.

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You could argue that the Foxes back-line had a makeshift feel to it, Christian Fuchs filling in for the injured Robert Huth at centre-back, but it’s something we’ve dabbled with already this season. The Austrian looked ok there too, even if it’s not his preferred position. Chilwell deputised for Fuchs at left-back and while the back four grew stronger as the game progressed, the full-back impressed throughout. He was arguably the man of the match for the away side.

Tasked with keeping Raheem Sterling quiet, it’s a big ask for any defender, not least one who is no doubt promising, but still learning. He largely accomplished it though and didn’t look phased by the task in hand for one moment. It was a clever performance that frustrated the Manchester City winger and stopped him providing too much of a threat from that wing. What also impressed was his decision making, when to put it out or when to play on. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s improved from matches last season for example. This looks to have been learnt from Fuchs who’s usually spot on in these situations.

Chilwell has perhaps not had the amount of game time that he would have liked, but he’s certainly been thrown in at the deep end more this season. He’s been used on the wing, or as a wing-back too, showing versatility. It’s left some questioning exactly which position his future lies in and some debate over where he’s best. So far what we’ve asked of him fits the modern bill for current day full-backs though, somebody who is just as apt charging up field and crossing in as covering their lines at the back.

He’s got aspects to improve on, as any young player has, but the signs are all pointing towards greatness for the Englishman. With confidence in abundance and composure on the ball or in tricky positions, he’s got the right attributes of a defender and is on his way to being a solid defender. Though he’s not lacking pace, his lack of experience sometimes translates to naivety and the opposition are able to pass him in one on one situations, but he’s got the right people around him to develop that side of his game.

We got to see the full-back’s attacking prowess when he came on more as wing-back in the Atletico Madrid match. He had no trouble in getting forward or carving out an opportunity but his final ball left a lot to be desired. It’s not something we’ve asked him to do much previously though, so you can’t fault him for this. He’s looked more promising on this front when overlapping with the likes of Demarai Gray for England and this is a partnership that will surely be explored and tried more next season.

With Danny Simpson the very patient, anchored full-back on the right side, we can certainly afford to have a left-back who gets more involved going forward. Fuchs is the perfect mentor for Chilwell in this respect. He’s shown glimpses that this side of his game will only improve, long, twisting run yesterday illustrating this. He’s not afraid to take the ball on, pleasing for such a young player. Had he have managed more game time this season, you’d think he’d be giving Wilfred Ndidi a run for the young player of the year award.

While Fuchs may be thirty-two, he’s still got plenty to offer for the Foxes and with a year left on his contract, it’s likely that he’ll retain that first team spot. Chilwell is snapping at his heels though and we’ll surely only see more and more of him, with a regular starting eleven not far off. For now, Chilwell has the perfect opportunity to learn from the likes of Fuchs, Huth and Wes Morgan.

Leicester have two games left for the season, both at home. After Chilwell’s display this weekend, it would be great to see him given the chance to start both and get more valuable minutes under his belt. We’ve struggled with producing academy players good enough to break into the first team, one every few years. Chilwell looks to be that one of his generation.

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