Every Leicester player ranked from best to worst against Stockport
The King Power Club defeated Stockport County to climb the table and leave themselves within striking distance of the play-off spots. After Liam Cullen, Emil Riis, and John Lundstram gave Leicester a 1-4 lead, the defence was shaky and left us with a 3-4 win. It is pretty clear which players were the best, and which really were not very good.
Leicester City's best to worst
Louis Page put out a 9/10 performance, securing multiple assists, putting in strong corners, and showing exactly why we need him. The academy graduate has that spark we need to be intelligently creative, and has the passing range and technical ability to pull it off. The midfielder's well-timed pass to Liam Cullen made it simple for the forward to get his shot off under no real pressure, and his corner kick found John Lundstram waiting at the far post.
The Danish forward, Emil Riis, has proven himself to be the undoubted starter for the Foxes, with a 9/10 performance. Two goals, one simple, one powerful, and the Dane has illustrated his ability to convert from a small number of chances. With only three chances in the match, getting two goals either shows the goalkeeper was rubbish or shows that, unlike Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka, Riis knows where the net is.
Liam Cullen was in the right place, at the right time, and took his chance really well to set the King Power side off immediately (a 7/10 performance). LCFC seldom ends up ahead first, so to start ahead, Cullen can be credited with having the right off-the-ball movement and positioning to create chances and give us a confidence-inspiring beginning. Specifically, he created an overload in the centre and left by occupying a far narrower forward position; this did mean we did little on the right (reflected in Jayden Joseph's struggles), but in the centre and on the left, Leicester City were in a strong position.
With John Lundstram finally making his debut, the midfielder showed us why experience does matter and got into a really good position from the corner to take a shot at goal (a 7/10 performance). His header at the far post was a little lucky to have such little pressure on him, but the point remains that finally a Leicester player actually scored from a corner in recent memory.
Our academy graduate and rising star, Will Alves, put in another strong performance from out wide. Although not some glittering, goal-studded match for the English winger, a good run from his marker, strength to retain the ball under pressure, and neatness in passing to Emil Riis saw the Dane set up very nicely for his long-shot on goal. Of course, that was an assist for Alves, seeing him put in a 6/10 performance.
On his left, Harry Souttar was incessantly beset by missed clearances and rushed defending from Luke Thomas. With so many players getting at him later in the match, the Australian defender made the most clearances, intercepted the most passes, and reached out to quash attempts to create chances on goal. That being said, 'Souts' did not really put in challenges, mainly just positioning himself well. So, I would rate that about 6/10.
A debut outing for Warren O'Hora, and it was decent. The defender won all of his challenges and performed well enough to justify his inclusion, and hopefully will continue to be seen in future fixtures. Something I genuinely appreciate was that the player did not give the ball away in Leicester's half, a clear departure from the norm for Leicester City defenders. So, another 6/10 performance.
Sammy Braybrooke is always solid, but a fairly quiet outing for the young midfielder. Braybrooke was not involved too much, gave the ball away a few times in the final third, and did not really make up for it from a defensive standpoint. So, a simple 5/10 performance.
The substitutes came on late in the game (the first was at the 71st minute) and helped to see the game through. Those who came on really did not have an opportunity to make a difference to the game, so a 5/10 performance, I think, is a fair rating. Plus, bringing Bobby De Cordova-Reid on does not help make me feel any better about the group.
Jayden Joseph has a surprisingly quiet performance for LCFC. I think part of the issue was the removal of a real right winger to support him and offer an outlet up the flank, but really the right-back never really went forward, was not entirely neat at the back, did not put many challenges in, and of those he did put in, Joseph did not win them. This was perhaps the worst performance for the youngster since becoming a nailed-on starter; however, it is likely due to Russell Martin's choices with Cullen rather than any lack of effort from the right-back. A 4/10 game.
We are missing Jakub Stolarczyk greatly. The Polish goalkeeper was strong with his feet, claimed balls in the air, and caught them too. Alex McCarthy, by contrast, struggles to play with the ball to feet (although he has improved his neatness in recent games), particularly when under pressure, does not catch the ball, and does not possess the shot-stopping ability to keep shots out to make up for the shortfall elsewhere. His performance was negative today, with shots he should have been able to keep out going in due to a mixture of poor positioning and slower reaction speeds. That was a 3/10 performance.
Finally, we arrive at the academy graduate Luke Thomas. I feel bad being harsh on him; unlike many on the pitch, he shows gusto and passion, but whether due to less confidence or instructions from management, the defender does not put in enough challenges, apply enough pressure, or position himself between the goal and attacker anywhere near enough. I do not necessarily need to see prime Ben Chilwell, but we do need to see a player who can actively apply pressure and challenges intelligently to disrupt attacking plays, and on our left flank, Thomas simply does not do this. A 2/10 performance.
Today's best reads
Leicester City's Emil Riis finds a way for Foxes to claim another victory
The starting XI Russell Martin has to choose for the Stockport County test
Leicester vs Oxford: Predicted starting 11 as Foxes look to make it two in a row
Russell Martin's Leicester City loses again, and it's the same story all over again
3 free agents Leicester City should sign to bolster League One squad
