Leicester City v Wolves: Inside track on the Foxes

Luke Hatfield spoke with James Sharpe of the Mail on Sunday, Richard Cusack from LCFC Live and Rob Hayes of the For Fox Sake podcast, to get a proper take on Brendan Rodgers' side.

See what they had to say here...

So, it's the start of a new Premier League season, what are the expectations around Leicester City for this campaign?

RC: Expectations are high after a busy summer under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

Four new players were signed, with City potentially breaking their transfer record twice with Rodgers backed by the hierarchy at the King Power Stadium.

The club is in a strong position, with plans to develop the stadium progressing and a brand new training ground on the horizon.

It will be Rodgers' first full season as City manager and it will be viewed as a transitional campaign with a vastly different style being played to that of Claude Puel, who was replaced by the former Liverpool manager in January.

Nevertheless, City will be hoping to crack the Premier League's top six again this season.

JS: Expectations differ slightly from ambitions.

Leicester will expect to be one of the teams battling it out — alongside Wolves — to be the ‘Best of the Rest’. If they fail in that, there will be plenty who feel a little disappointed too as they feel the squad and manager warrants it.

And also because their ambitions are to challenge the top six. Brendan Rodgers has not shied away from that since he arrived.

Not only do they feel they have built a squad with the ability to do it, and have a manager with the know-how to achieve it, but also see some of the established Big Six teams dropping their standards and leaving a gap to exploit.

I have no doubt Wolves also feel the same.

RH: My expectations are for Leicester to knock on the door of the top six as loudly as possible and I think that's the intention from within the club too.

Realistically, finishing best of the rest in seventh would be a strong season; City fans would love to finally win the FA Cup too!

What transfer business have Leicester done this summer? Would you say they've strengthened compared to last year?

RC: City signed James Justin, Ayoze Perez, Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet, while Harry Maguire was the major departure with title-winners Shinji Okazaki and Danny Simpson also leaving at the end of their contracts this summer.

Justin, a 21-year-old who impressed in League One with winners Luton Town last season, is one for the future while Perez and Praet are the players Rodgers was after when he said he wanted creative wingers and attackers who could chip in with goals.

Tielemans needs no introduction to the City faithful having impressed on loan from AS Monaco in the second half of last season.

In 13 Premier League games, he set up five goals and scored three establishing an instant connection with talisman Jamie Vardy.

He's continued that in pre-season and it's easy to see why City and the Blue Army were so keen to see him come back.

They have certainly strengthened, in attack and midfield but it will be interesting to see how City get on without Maguire at the back.

Centre-back Filip Benkovic enjoyed a stellar season at Celtic until knee injury marred the end of his campaign, while fellow defender Caglar Soyuncu has the admiration of Rodgers.

Rodgers said in Friday's press conference that he is happy with the centre-back options at his disposal.

JS:Definitely. Leicester brought in some key players last summer, James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira the two stand-outs, and have now added some more real quality to that this time around.

To get Youri Tielemans for £40m after the sensational loan spell he had in the back half of last season was vital. Leicester fans were convinced he would get picked off by a bigger club. His vision and ability to pick and weight a pass through the smallest of gaps is what turned Leicester from a team who kept the ball but could only knock it sideways to one that could penetrate and unlock deep defences.

Then they have added real quality in areas that needed it. Ayoze Perez for £30m can score goals and can play anywhere across the front three, providing both assistance and competition to Jamie Vardy — on whom they are often over-reliant — while £18m Nicholas Praet from Sampdoria will provide another creative ball-playing option alongside Tielemans and Maddison. James JustIn, from Luton, will give back up to Pereira and Ben Chilwell at either full-back.

While they have strengthened, they have also lost a key player for another summer running. Last time it was Riyad Mahrez, this time it is Harry Maguire to Manchester United. While they got £80m for him, it also meant they were then priced out of the targets they wanted to replace him with Bournemouth wanting £75m for Nathan Ake and Burnley demanding £40m for James Tarkowski.

Losing one of England’s best defenders in Maguire, someone with the ability to bring it out from the back so well, will be a loss to Leicester but plenty of fans feel they have a lot of talent in that position already in Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu, Filip Benkovic and Wes Morgan.

RH: Before the late departure of Harry Maguire, I'd have said that our squad was definitely stronger overall.

We've added in key areas with attacking players such as Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez and Dennis Praet which makes us look much more dangerous, but I'm not convinced the centre backs at the club are strong enough to replace Maguire.

Brendan Rodgers is obviously the man at the helm now having taken over last season, how do you think he'll take at the King Power Stadium now he has a full pre-season under him?

RC: Rodgers drew the ire of Celtic fans and pundits alike for leaving the Bhoys mid-season, but he wanted a full pre-season to size up his players and took stock in his ten games he had last season.

He won five of those games, losing just three and one of those was to eventual champions Manchester City.

What we will see is Rodgers' tactical plan in full force having had an entire summer and time on the training ground before that to impress his methods upon City's players.

And, crucially, it will be his players he has on the pitch having had a whole transfer window to size up his squad.

Puel came under criticism for stale football at home matches, whereas Rodgers is expected to woo crowds with his brand of the game.

JS: Very well. The fans love him already.

His name’s not Claude Puel, so that gave him a head start anyway.

Rodgers has infinitely more charisma and far better communication skills than his predecessor which means it is far easier for him to get his message and philosophy, while similar to Puel’s, over to the fans and players.

He is the perfect fit for this team. He has got a young, exciting, talented squad and his style of attacking free-flowing football are suited down to the ground.

RH: Coming in mid-way through a season is always difficult; there were signs before the summer that some of Rodgers's tactical ideas had started to take shape, but with limited time he could only do so much.

As is the case with most clubs these days, pre-season has been a little bit broken up by internationals, but I think having the summer to implement his style of play and really get to know the players will help hugely.

Who are the big names Wolves will need to keep an eye on this Sunday, and why?

RC: Jamie Vardy is an obvious one, given his potency in front of goal and the attacking options afforded to Leicester and Rodgers.

He will have no shortage of suppliers and the service will be there for him this season.

Last year's player of the year Ricardo Pereira will be up to his usual tricks bombing up and down the right-hand side.

Tielemans, Praet and Perez will be keen to impress on their home debuts as permanent City players.

Wilfred Ndidi's form has gone under the radar, but he has been consistent as the base of City's midfield for a while now.

JS: You’ve always got to keep your eye on Jamie Vardy. If you take it off him for a second, you’re in serious trouble.

This season more than any because he now has both Tielemans and Maddison behind him all season. With those two behind him, he’s even more dangerous because when he makes those trademark early runs on the shoulder of the last defender he has two players behind him who can pick him out.

If it’s a player you might not have seen before who you want to know about then keep an eye on Hamza Choudhury this season.

You can’t miss him, he’s the lad with the massive hair. Played a huge part in Leicester’s wins over Chelsea and Man City last season. Loads of athleticism in the middle of midfield, huge engine, absolutely loves a crunching tackle.

RH: Much of City's play will go through Tielemans and James Maddison, so keeping them quiet would make things easier for Wolves.

They both have a fantastic eye for a quick turn and a forward pass, and if they're linking up we'll together then they can cause all sorts of problems.

Perez looked sharp in pre-season and Jamie Vardy always knows where the back of the net is.

What kind of style of play can we expect from the Foxes this season?

RC: Expansive, attacking and free-flowing.

One criticism of Rodgers' football during his last Premier League stint, with Liverpool before he was sacked in 2016, was that his side conceded too many goals.

Expect Rodgers' style of play to have evolved during his time north of the border with Celtic, whose teams were a joy to watch at times even with the resources afforded to the Parkhead club, in relative terms.

Rodgers isn't looking to reinvent the wheel at City - Puel had City in 12th place, eight points off seventh place at the time of his sacking.

What he will do is speed up their transitions from defence to attack and implore his players to play with a purpose.

JS: Leicester have had to find a way to add extra strings to their bow from the counter-attacking style that became such a trademark of their title-winning campaign. It had become an over-reliance.

Teams just sat back, gave Leicester the ball and they had no idea what to do with it.

Puel tried to start that necessary change into a team that could hold on to the ball more but, at times, it went too far the other way.

Now, they appear to have found a good balance.

They still have the pace, with Vardy as the spearhead, to punish teams who leave too much space in behind but they also have players such as Tielemans and Maddison who can keep hold of the ball for longer periods but also penetrate defences that sit back.

RH: Pretty much the opposite to this time last year!

Rodgers demands a high pressing game so expect to see everyone in a blue shirt constantly hunting the ball in packs when Wolves have the ball.

In possession, don't expect any individuals to hang on to the ball for too long. It'll be quick, incisive passing, trying to release the likes of Vardy and Perez into goalscoring opportunities.

How is the Foxes' injury list looking? Will there be any big names likely to miss out?

RC: City have a clean bill of health concerning their first-team players.

Soyuncu partnered Jonny Evans at centre-back in last Friday's dress rehearsal against Atalanta, so expect to see that partnership with Maguire no longer a Fox.

JS: It looks pretty good at the moment.

Filip Benkovic, the central defender who spent last season on loan with Rodgers at Celtic, is really the only one who is not up to speed.

In terms of injuries, though, it’s quite clear. Touch wood.

RH: Wilfred Ndidi has only recently rejoined the squad after featuring for Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations, so he'll be in the squad but whether he's got 90 minutes in him remains to be seen.

Sunday's game may also be considered too early for deadline day signing, Praet. But apart from that it's pretty much a clean bill of health and a full squad to choose from.

What did you make of Wolves last season, how do you think they'll get on this year having seen them from afar?

RC: Having seen Wolves storm the Championship two seasons ago, it was interesting to see how they would perform a step above.

However, they were fantastic last season, from Connor Coady's reinvention as a centre-back to Ruben Neves making the step up with ease.

Making Raul Jimenez's move to Molineux permanent was crucial, while the signing of Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan is astute.

Should Wolves qualify for the Europa League, that could hamper their hopes of another top-seven finish.

Under the impressive Nuno Espirito Santo, though, it's unlikely they will suffer the dreaded 'second season syndrome' this campaign.

I expect them to finish in the top half of the Premier League once again and progress through to the latter stages of the Europa League.

JS: I, like everyone else, was hugely impressed with Wolves last season. Leicester were fortunate to nab a win at home at the start of the season while that 4-3 defeat at Molineux was all sorts of madness.

They have serious quality. Neves and Jota even played against Leicester in the Champions League. Raul Jiminez was a staple of my fantasy team as well.

My only concern for them is the Europa League commitments. We’ve seen it with so many sides over the years: they do brilliantly, finish seventh, start their season all over again in July, travel all over the globe, play Thursday/Sunday and suddenly they have no idea how to deal with the work load. That will be their biggest issue.

RH: I think as long as there is no Europa League hangover, Wolves will certainly be in the top half again this season.

I really enjoyed watching them last season and I think they've got the quality, spirit and support to establish themselves as a top half Premier League club.

You match prediction?

RC: I expect Wolves to be suffering from their long-distance trip to Armenia for their Europa League tie and am predicting another win at the King Power Stadium for City after last season's 2-0 win.

A 2-1 win for City is my prediction.

JS: It’s a big game early on in that battle to be the best of the rest. Leicester fans are excited, and that will show in the atmosphere around the King Power Stadium. I expect Leicester to start strongly and, from their point of view, hope Wolves are still feeling the effects of a trip to Armenia.

2-1 Leicester.

RH: I think Leicester will want to kick off the campaign with a home win, so I'll say 3-1.

You can follow Richard Cusack and James Sharpe on Twitter here. Rob can be found here.