Leicester City Fan View: Vicente Iborra was worth the wait

Vicente Iborra looked every bit the commanding player we hoped we’d bought from Sevilla. He was instrumental in helping a side, who took a few minutes to make it work last night, progress through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. It was a generally professional display from Leicester City to beat Leeds 3-1 and the Spaniard deserved man of the match for his part.

Pass the man a cigar

Iborra was a class above for us in the first half. Unsurprisingly, a few of the senior first team players were rested, giving fringe and young players a chance. This did mean it was a frustrating start to the evening though, a lack of chemistry early on quite apparent. Having finally had the chance to get full ninety minutes under his belt, the midfielder was in his element.

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With vision and confidence, Iborra was very much the boss in our midfield. With the amount of times he made simple but clever passes, distributing the ball almost effortlessly, he wouldn’t have looked out of place in a robe, smoking a cigar. Yes, he’s used to facing teams with bigger, more experienced players, but Iborra constantly looked in his element. Yet again, he was the calming influence when Leeds took an early, if not inevitable, lead. This is the exact type of game we’d have slipped in before and the midfielder deserves credit for helping steady the ship and get us back up the pitch.

Despite the ability to thread a ball beautifully through to his team-mates, Iborra can switch to being physical easily too. We’ve rarely had a central midfielder with great heading ability, but he’s got it. His first touch isn’t sloppy either. It may have felt like a long wait, but he was incredibly worth it. Perhaps a captain’s armband may grace his arm again.

A chance to impress capitalised on by some Foxes players

Daniel Amartey was given another start last night at right-back. It’s a position we’ve never truly had a replacement for Danny Simpson in, but the club see no need with Amartey’s presence. He looked incredibly composed and comfortable on the ball last night. Contributing to a performance from a backline that was fairly impressive, despite the lack of clean sheet. Perhaps we will finally start to see more of the athletic player now we seem to know where to utilise him.

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He wasn’t alone either. Brought in on a season long loan, we’ve seen little of Aleksandar Dragovic. He was the elected partner for Harry Maguire last night and it was an eye-catching display. He’s not making any of the headlines but it was pleasing to see how well he slotted in. Comfortable on the ball and always in the right place to cover his colleagues when they went forward. Considering we had what felt like a big weakness at the back, with the arrival of Maguire and others stepping up, it’s no longer the concern.

Whoever is hoping to land the Leicester job will inherit a squad feeling positive again. They’ll welcome the healthy competition amongst our strikers, all of whom are firing currently. It’s odd to think Vardy is the most goal-shy among them in recent weeks. With Kelechi Iheanacho getting a goal at last, and cleverly setting up Islam Slimani, all are vying for a spot in the starting eleven.

A mazy, Mahrez special

The Foxes made it clear progression was the aim. Even at 2-1, looking quite comfortable, Michael Appleton took no risks. We introduced the two players Leeds fans probably hoped not to have seen. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.

It was Mahrez who made his presence most felt. After finding himself in incredible pockets of space consistently at Swansea, he didn’t have much trouble finding some again. In performances like the last week, there’s few who are more exciting to sit back and watch than the Algerian. From his turns, to that killer first touch, he helped us add a little extra pedigree to our display. It was a somewhat trademark goal for the winger too. Finding that nobody wanted to close him down, he weaved among the Leeds defence and made a run towards goal, pulling the trigger at a similar angle to that gorgeous goal against Chelsea.

His time at the club is probably running out, but it’s been a good run. This extra few months we’ve enjoyed have had their ups and downs for Mahrez, but we’re certainly seeing the best of him currently.

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All signs point to Claude Puel to take the helm

He wasn’t quite spotted at the game, but it looks as though the club are in advanced talks to bring the former Southampton manager to the King Power. It’s resulted in quite a few fans being a little underwhelmed. I’m more open to the idea, then again I wasn’t thrilled when it was constant links to Sean Dyche or Alan Pardew.

The Frenchman appears to have had a mixed reputation at the Saints. This despite leading them to a cup final and a fairly respectable eighth place. It may not have set the league on fire, but they went quietly about their business. Which is more than can be said for us last season. He’s a little more of a household name than Craig Shakespeare too, which was expected this time around.

It’s not about excitement though. We just need a man who can get the best out of a good squad and help us climb the table. Nobody thought Nigel Pearson or Claudio Ranieri would achieve what they did, so we should welcome Puel with open arms and give him a chance.