Tottenham Hotspur’s record-breaking start at the Premier League 23/24 season was quickly battered down by the time they reached mid-season. Ange Postecoglou’s dynamic tactics outsmarted even the wittiest of managers of the league, but it only lasted for the first ten matches. When they were struggling to get their form back, once league winners, Leicester City was fighting in the Championship to get themselves back into the Premier League. They managed to win the English championship, that too, with 97 points. Now they are all set to face each other in their first Premier League match on matchday 1.
Ange Postecoglou’s aggressive approach gave fans new hope at the start of the season, but that didn’t last long as their long-running issue of “inconsistency” took on. His team continued to be outplayed, and what was seen to be a title fight run ended up with a 5th-place finish on the table. They also lost the Champions League spot, the one that they have been craving for years, by just three points. But this indicates nothing but a good sign for them because if Ange can fully sharpen his tactics, then who knows, this time, they might take the title fight till the end of the season.
Leicester City, a club that not so long ago used to have the most potent teams and even won a Premier League in 15/16 season, had to fight in the Championship to get a position in the Premier League this upcoming season. But they were pretty dominant under Enzo Maresca and played like they knew they were going to play in the PL next season. However, the departure of Enzo Maresca to Chelsea might have demotivated the fans and the management, but they will do everything they can to prevent anything like what happened in the 22/23 season.
Keep yours locked for the Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City encounter set for Premier League matchday one on August 20 at 1 am.
Tottenham Hotspur Team Preview
Tottenham Hotspur is a club that, at times, is hailed as the most unlucky and unpredictable in the Premier League. There are several examples to back this statement, the prime one being having a very balanced and strong team, at least on paper. For years, Tottenham has been building squads that have players of great caliber, such as Harry Kane, but they still fail to bring out any fruitful results. The most likely cause of this should be their selection of a coach. However, this time around, the arrival of Ange Postecoglou seems to have changed things a bit.
The reason why Ange Postecoglou is being hailed as the solution is because of his playing style. It’s not that Tottenham hasn’t seen a coach who likes aggressive playing; in fact, forward attacking is what they have been most good at for the last few years. However, Ange seems to know how to use his resources in the best of ways. His way of using his fullback to arrange forward attacks and keeping high-line defenses seemed to work greatly. This was evident in the first ten games of the last season; they were simply unstoppable. But inconsistency caught up to them quickly and followed them till the end. I am sure he has been working on it to find a solution, and if he can arrive at one, then we are yet to see the best of them.
Ange’s management has been making changes in the squad since the end of last season. They have released several old campaigners and are looking to transition into a more young, energetic squad, which is one of the bigger requirements for his playstyle. They have taken in Dominic Solanke from AFC Bournemouth, who by any means is a very good signing. He scored 19 goals for his former club last season and helped them evade relegation, by miles to be precise. A young, prolific striker like him could help fill the gap of Harry Kane. They have also onboarded two young, talented midfielders, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, who have already shown their capabilities in the preseason games. A young and pacey midfield will help Ange execute his maneuvers more precisely. Judging by the quality of the players they have taken in, they can build one of the strongest squads this season.
Besides inconsistency, Tottenham’s weakest link last season was their defense. Ange likes to deploy a high-line defense to make his midfield more compact and stronger. This has proved costly for him several times. So, Ange would like Porro and Udogie to be more energetic and tactical in the field to ensure the defense line is not infiltrated so easily. There are several factors that have to go right for Tottenham to succeed in the 24/25 season, but till now, all things point to the north Londoners.
Predicted XI: Guglielmo Vicario(GK), Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke.
Leicester City Team Preview
The way Leicester City were playing in the 22/23 Premier League, it was only a matter of time till they got relegated. But how they bounced back just in the EFL Championship was remarkable. Under Enzo Maresca, they were a force from the very first match, and they continued to be till they became the champion and got promoted to the Premier League again. If he had stayed, his high-pressing style could have helped Leicester get a favorable result in the top flight, too. However Enzo’s departure has created uncertainty among the fans about the club’s future. Steve Cooper, Enzo’s replacement, is also a Championship-winning coach who took Nottingham Forest to the Premier League; however, he couldn’t do much wonders in the top flight. Fans still have hopes for him in the long run, as he is well known for developing young talent.
Steve Cooper likes to build his team by focusing on the defense part and prefers to play in counter-attacking strategies. He employed this tactic for Notting Forrest, whose primary aim was to prevent the relegation zone and reach a mid-table position. But things are different for him now as he is the coach of a once Premier League-winning club. He would naturally look to build a team that could put up a fight with the top team in the league. However, the loss of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea has come off as a big blow for both him and the club. Dewsbury-Hall was the best playmaker for Leicester in the Championship. He provided 14 assists throughout the whole season, which was the highest.
To address the loss of Dewsbury-Hall, Cooper has brought in Michael Golding from Chelsea, who is also a young, talented midfielder. But the Dewsbury-Hall’s shoes have to be filled in by Issahaku Fatawu, who was the second-best assist provider last season and a great playmaker nonetheless. Bobby De Cordova-Reid has also been brought in from Atlanta to company Jamie Vardy. Coming to Vardy, he has also made an incredible comeback in the last season and scored 18 goals. There will be much less pressure for Steve Cooper if the veteran forward can also take this form to the Premier League.
However, fans will be most nervous seeing the Foxes’ performance in the Preseason games. They have managed to win only one out of three, and I wouldn’t say they faced the strongest of opponents. Their two defeats came against Palermo and Augsburg, and both times, they failed to score any goals.
Predicted XI: Ermansen(GK), Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen, Winks, Ndidi, Reid, Fatawu, Mavididi, Vardy.
Tottenham vs Leicester Betting Odds
Tottenham 1.60 – 4.00 Draw – 5.25 Leicester(Bet365)
Tottenham vs Leicester Head-to-Head Stats
In the last 36 times they have faced each other, Tottenham won in 16 and Leicester City in 14, and the rest ended in stalemate. This would naturally mean their encounters are tightly contested; however, the recent results say otherwise.
In the last five encounters, Tottenham came victorious in four of them. However, there is an interesting pattern: in all the five matches, all of them turned out to be high-scoring. More interestingly enough, the last time they faced Leicester City, they absolutely destroyed Tottenham’s defenses, scoring four goals against one.
Tottenham vs Leicester Betting Tips and Predictions
Tottenham Hotspur is expected to win against Leicester in their first match. However, the manner of their win might not be so one-sided given their past history. There is a huge possibility that this match might turn out to be a multiple-scoring match. Moreover, the match will be played on the turf of the Foxes in the King Power Stadium, and as they are coming back to the top flight after a whole season, they will be extra motivated.
However, Ange will make sure they are battered right from the start by Tottenham’s forwards. Given his track record in the last season, his quick attacks will be tough to evade by Cooper. Not to mention the manner of Transfer he has made, they may very well become nightmares for Leicester Defenders.