Tottenham Hotspur took on Leicester City in the last game of match week 1 of the Premier League 2024/25 campaign. Having seen 18 teams play before them, Spurs had the best idea of the points table coming into this game.
Here is how we predicted Ange Postecoglou would line his team up against newly promoted Leicester City. The Aussie tactician made two changes by going safe in midfield and opting for the experienced Rodrigo Bentancur rather than trusting a young Archie Gray like we thought he would. He also started Brennan Johnson over Dejan Kulusevski which was quite a surprise.
To say that Spurs dominated the first 45 minutes against the Foxes would be an understatement. Leicester would be thanking their stars they could go into the half-time break trailing by just one goal. Tottenham were fast, fluid and precise with their actions. Led by a buoyant James Maddison, Postecoglou’s team looked like they meant business.
The second half started on a similar note with Spurs dominating and creating chances to score. As it always happens when a team doesn’t take their opportunities, Leicester through Vardy scored against the run of play. The Foxes suddenly looked like a different team after the goal. Ultimately, the game petered out to a tame 1-1 draw.
Tottenham players ratings vs Leicester City
GK | Guglielmo Vicario (7/10): Absolutely nothing to do in the first 45 minutes except for a few crosses into the box that he dealt with well. Could not have done anything for Vardy’s goal where he was let down by his defence. Brilliant save to deny Vardy a second. Yet another great save after a Bergvall mistake.
RB | Pedro Porro (7.5/10): PP lights up KP! Excellent run to get on the end of Maddison’s cross which he nodded home for the first goal. Did not get help from Johnson and was caught between two men for Vardy’s goal. Hobbled off and Spurs will hope it isn’t an injury.
CB | Cristian Romero (5/10): Solid as always but did not face any threat in the first half. Should have dealt better with
the cross for Vardy’s goal. Did not cover himself in glory by losing his man. Made quite a few mistakes in the second half.
CB | Micky van de Ven (7/10): Showed his recovery pace early on in the game and marshalled what was a two-man defence along with Romero. More of the same in the second half and cannot be faulted for the goal either. Lovely anticipation in general.
LB | Destiny Udogie (6.5/10): Someone tell this guy he is a left-back. Udogie found himself more inside Leicester’s box than out of it in the first 45 and had a telepathic connection with Son and Maddison. Was lucky to escape a yellow in the first 45. Needs to tone down his tendency to tackle.
CDM | Rodrigo Bentancur (6.5/10): Often operated as a single pivot and controlled the game with short, simple passes. Became a bit more adventurous in the second half. Booked for a cynical foul to stop a counter-attack. Nasty injury in an unhappy ground for the Uruguayan who needed long treatment. Let’s hope he is okay.
CDM | Pape Matar Sarr (7/10): More adventurous than his holding midfield partner, Sarr stepped further up and often found himself in and around the edge of the box. Excellent block tracking back early in the second half although it was called offside.
RW | Brennan Johnson (4/10): Surprise inclusion ahead of Kulusevski but decision-making left a lot to be desired in the first 45. Failed to track back in the lead-up to Vardy’s goal. If this was an audition, the Welshman failed miserably. A game to forget.
CAM | James Maddison (8.5/10): Conductor of the orchestra. Magician. Simply sublime in the first 45. Inch-perfect assist for Porro’s goal. Can’t say we didn’t see it coming though! Lee Carsley, hope you are taking notes! Lost his influence in the second half but that was more to do with the end-to-end nature of the game than his own doing.
LW | Son Heung-min CAPTAIN (6.5/10): Lovely first 45 from the captain who combined brilliantly with Udogie and Maddison. By the own standards that
he has set, should have done better with the chances he got throughout the game. Taken off at the end.ST | Dominic Solanke (7/10): Big Dom is the #9 Ange wanted. Made some good movements in the first 45 and had a few attempts on target. Pressed well and proved to be the reference point that the team sorely missed last season. Tested the keeper 10 minutes into the second half. Excellent hold-up play too.
Substitutes:
Timo Werner => Brennan Johnson (6/10): Lined up on the right side of the attack. A few good runs but nothing more.
Archie Gray => Rodrigo Bentancur (6/10): Tasked to be the sole holding midfielder after coming on. Committed a foul in one of his first actions as a Spurs player.
Lucas Bergvall => Pape Matar Sarr (5/10): Played as an attacking midfielder after coming on. Took a shot that deflected safely into the keeper’s hands. Energetic in midfield. Awful mistake that almost cost his team.
Dejan Kulusevski => James Maddison (6.5/10): Replaced Maddison at the heart of the midfield in a much more central role. Came on and tried to force the game.
Djed Spence => Pedro Porro (N/A)
Richarlison => Son Heung-min (N/A)
What about Ange Postecoglou?
Postecoglou surprised everyone with his lineup, dropping Kulusevski to the bench in favour of Brennan Johnson. That said, his team were such fun to watch in the first half, especially on the left side where an overload saw Son, Udogie and Maddison toy with the Leicester defence.
His team seemed to be losing the plot in the second half in the aftermath of the Leicester goal. Postecoglou responded with a quadruple change and slightly altered the formation to a 4-1-4-1. This helped Spurs gain more control of the game. The result however remained unchanged and this would feel like two points lost for the
manager.
