Key events
Half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
That was a pretty fun half and Wednesday deserve their lead – they’ve defended well, attacked with enterprise, and Leicester haven’t got going.
45+3 min El Khannouss stamps on the gas to screech across the face of the box, earning a yard before unleashing a shot that hits Bannan on the arm. Leicester want a penalty, but he was pretty close, the ball came at him quickly, and his position was not an unnatural one. Good decision from the officials.
45 +2 min Crystal Palace have beaten Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time; they add the Community Shield to the FA Cup won in May.
45 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
44 min Leicester have picked it up, Iorfa heading away well when Fatawu crosses from the right. But Wednesday then counter, cadamarteri running in behind Okolu before slowing him up and sliding an excellent pass inside for Jamal Lowe, who crosses low … but there’s no one attacking the box, never mind its six-yard iteration.
42 min The delivery is excellent too, arcing out and ripping in to pick out Okoli at the back post. He might go for goal, but instead heads back across, where Vestergaard arrives … to power wide! That was a really good chance, and though Leicester will be disappointed not to have equalised, the execution of the creation was very nice.
41 min More like it from Leicester, Fatawu dipping infield and curving a delicious cross to the back post, which causes minor panic and winns a corner.
40 min Wednesday knock it about at the back then, when Leicester win the ball, they can’t penetrate, Cadamarteri chasing and almost shaking off Okoli, who recovers just in time. The contest between those two is developing nicely.
38 min Since going behind, Leicester have done the cube root of zilch.
37 min At Wembley, the Community Shield has gone to penalties. In their history, Liverpool are 20-8 at them…
36 min “Clearly the secret of comedy is timing,” returns Bill, who is, I imagine, still grimly glad but slightly less so.
34 min “It’s been a cruel summer for Wednesday,” writes Bill Preston, “and I am grimly glad the season has started to get some focus back to what’s happening on the pitch. After getting such a stomp on in the first half of last season, I fear it’ll take some thrilling heroics to even be within touching distance of the previous 12th-place finish, let alone out of the relegation places. Not hopeful today, goal difference means being bottom or not: I’d settle for a 3-1 loss. Still, the sun’ll rise again tomorrow, and each day is a step closer to eventual success.”
Trudat, and it’s nice to see solidarity from the Leicester fans. As a Manchester United fan, a different thing, I know, we’ve experienced only glee from rivals when protesting the pillage of our club.
32 min Oh man, the highs and the lows. Sven minutes after scoring his first goal for Wednesday, Chalobah departs, replaced by Fusire.
30 min Ach, Chalobah looks to have diddled a hammy. I fear that’s his afternoon done, and probably a few more besides. He looks absolutely devo’d.
30 min We see another angle of the celebration, Chalobah leading players towards fans, cavorting with bodies everywhere. Nothing else makes you feel like this – I’ve no skin in this game and my eyeballs are lightly sweating nevertheless.
28 min And now Bannan has another chance to stick a free-kick into the box … but the delivery isn’t flat enough and Leicester clear.
27 min I wouldn’t say that the goal was coming, but Wednesday have played really well so far. Leicester have not.
GOAL! Leicester City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Chalobah 25)
Wednesday win it high with Chalobah and the ball goes into Lowee J, who does well to find Valery out wide. He charges on to it, cuts back to the edge and, arriving with perfect timing 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!
26 min Happier times: this, Wendesday’s kit from 1984-85, is one of the greats.
24 min But, as I type, Leicester win a throw deep inside the Wednesday half … which is too hard and too high for Fatawu.
23 min Leicester are struggling to pick holes in the Wednesday defence. You can only credit their manager and captain, who’ve galvanised the team into what it, so far, a gritty, confident performance.
21 min Palmer wins a flick-on following a long goalkick which, out of nowt, allows Ingelsson to cut back, and Lowe J shoots low … his effort deflected behind for a corner which comes to nothing.
19 min Gradually, Leicester are exerting control. Their defenders, given time on the ball – it’s hot and Wednesday aren’t pressing – are picking passes into midfield, with Fatawu and Mavididi stretching the play in wide areas.
17 min 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.
15 min 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 … but Charles is wise to the ruse, holding easily enough. Leicester, though, come again, Mavididi wining a corner down the left.
14 min I said earlier I thought Leicester would dominate possession with Wednesday sitting off and seeking to counter; well, I was wrong. They’re taking it to their hosts, and so far have been the better team.
13 min There’s been a development at Wembley!
12 min Now it’s Wednesday with an attacking free-kick, Bannan curling towards the back post where Iorfa is up … but he can’t impart any power into his header and Stolarczyk is there.
11 min Ayew fancies it, but he doesn’t get enough power or curl on his shot, lifting over the wall but way too close to Stolarczyk.
10 min This is a really good game so far, Justin winning a free-kick 30 yards out, almost dead centre.
8 min Wednesday aren’t waiting to be invited, winning a throw deep inside the Leicester half with Ingelsson winding up a biggun. It’s 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.
7 min Facing the touchline. Ayew backheels, changing the angle to take Fatawu closer to goal; his shot loops wide.
6 min At which point the away support makes its entrance, to a standing ovation from the Leicester fans.
5 min 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 … pushed away by Charles before Fatwu wins a free-kick, just outside the box, right of centre.
3 min Wednesday have started well here and, while we’re admiring Banan’s 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’ve scored.
2 min The delivery isn’t great but Wednesday win a corner, sticking all their big lads down the far side of the box. This time, Bannan’s ball in is better, Iorfa heading back across before the ball goes out for a goalkick.
1 min 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.
1 min And off we go!
I’ve not seen Leicester in pre-season, 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’ll not be detained by Afcon.
Our teams, though, are tunnelled … and here they come!
To be clear, the away end is also sold out, but there are 1000 fans on the concourse, its capacity, so the remaining 2000 are locked out. Things’ll move five minutes in.
The away end is almost entirely empty. Well done to the Wednesday fans; what a disgrace they’ve been forced to this point.
News on another departed Premier League legend:
Bristol City fans were singing “Jamie Vardy, your wife is a grass”
He scores a penalty, runs to the other side of the pitch and celebrates in front of them 🤣🤣
pic.twitter.com/5w7T0HkjNt— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) September 23, 2023
This is, of course, the first time in 13 years Leicester have started a season without James Vardy. 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’ll take over his mantle when it comes to rustling opposition supporters?
Henrik Pederson, the new Wednesday manager, says he has every faith in his players to do their job despite all that’s 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 – I fear you may need it.
Where is the game? Wednesday will, I imagine, sit deep and target the centre of Leicester’s defence, which looks a little soft – though the full-backs will need to supply width.
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.
Some thoughts on the regulator from someone who should know:
It’s worth remembering that the threat of a points deduction still hangs over Leicester.
Aas for Wednesday, their best players have left. They’ll look to absorb pressure and counter at pace with two strikers, in Jamal Lowe and Bailey Cadamerteri, good enough to give Leicester’s centre-backs grief. Getting them the ball, though, might a tricky.
Back to the teams, Leicester’s looks pretty strong. At full-back, James Justin and Luke Thomas are good players; in midfield, Oliver Skipp is solid and Boubacar Soumaré is a much better player than he’s shown during his time in England; and behind Jordan Ayew, Fatawu, El Khannouss and Mavididi are a very serious trident – on form, perhaps the best in the league. If they hit a groove, Leicester will be vey difficult to stop.
Signs you watch too much football, part 690,492: I just identified Marc Albrighton from his voice. Feel free to send in examples of your own.
Barry Bannan – Wednesday captain, football’s foremost baldness denier, and all-round top bloke – speaks to Sky. He says it’s been a testing time for everyone at the club, but they’ve stuck together and come through. Today’s a big day and they’re all looking forward.
“Where are the players in that dressing room?” asks the next question, inadvertently answering itself, and Bannan adds that he’s 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’ll be behind the team.
There’s a lot of experience in the squad, though they’ll be underdogs all season, and he’s looking forward to the challenge.
I’ll write these down and, in the meantime, here’s some reading on Wednesday.
Let’s have some teams…
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, Soumaré; Fatawu, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Ayew. Subs: Begovic, Faes, Nelson, Winks, Choudhury, Page, McAteer, Monga, Daka.
Sheffield Wednesday (5-3-2): Charles; Valery, Palmer, Iorfa, Otegbayo; Lowe M; Chalobah, Ingelsson, Bannan; Lowe J, Cadamarteri. Subs: Stretch, Johnson, Siqueira, Fusire, Shipston, Fernandes, Kobacki, McNeill, Ugbo.
First things first: it’s been a terrific start at Wembley. Join Rob Smyth to follow along.
Preamble
When Leicester began their last Championship season, just over two years ago, it felt almost impossible they’d fail to secure promotion, most likely having taken the title. They had a new manager, Enzo Maresca, with decent pedigree, and a raft of players who were simply too good for the competition.
Shonuff, they won the league. But at the start of last term, it felt almost impossible that they’d fail to secure relegation, Maresca having left and the squad not good enough for the top tier; such is modern football.
Shnouff, they were relegated, 13 points and goal difference shy of safety, so now the process begins again. And, though it is no longer obvious that their squad is the best in the division, Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Bilal El Khannouss will be a handful for any defence they face, while Jeremy Monga, still only 16, showed plenty of potential in the Premier League. They are only fourth favourites for promotion, but Marti Cifuentes looks another smart managerial appointment, and if he can get things going, they have the players to contest promotion once more.
Sheffield Wednesday, on the other hand, are a shameful, shambolic state of affairs: once again, a proud club has, with the authorities watching, been vandalised by an inappropriate owner. Consequently, Danny Röhl, a promising young manager, has left; so too have Josh Windass, Djeidi Gassma and Michael Smith; and as such, struggle looks inevitable and relegation a near-certainty.
Thing is, the fans will barely care. Not because they’re no longer interested in their beloved club, rather the battle now is not for points, but for survival. Real talk, the amount of money there is in the game means every member of the 92 should be safe in perpetuity – all the more so given the governmental oversight the game ought to have had for decades is imminent. In the meantime, though, Owls’ fans are furious and desperate, rightly so, and nothing, not even a win today, will change that.
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
#Leicester #Sheffield #Wednesday #Championship #live #Championship
