Would it not be better to swap Matic and Kante positions?.

I did think that at first but after watching yesterday Matic looks a lot more comfortable further forward where he's not the last line of defence in midfield.

I thought he played well, and filled those gaps we had last season. A player like Kante or Maka would never get many MOM awards, because the role they play. We only realise how good they are when they aren't playing.

didn't think he had a great game. he was decent, and obviously playing on a yellow with a bit of nerves on his debut contributed, but I think he was a little hesitant and there is going to be more adaptation needed.

Considering the fact that he played most of the game on a yellow, he was marvellous and why would he need to adapt? After the season he just had, didn't see any nerves either, looked like he had Caroll in his pocket to me, even tackled him on the floor at one stage.

Edited August 16, 20169 yr by Floyd25

I think there were a lot of positives in his performance. Athletic, good touch, plenty of zip on his passes and always looking for an opportunity to make a forward pass rather than just knocking it to jt or matic all night. The early booking no doubt tempered his aggression somewhat, but he did a solid job. Good debut, hope to see him build from here

A very very good debut. 

Would it not be better to swap Matic and Kante positions?.

 

Matic sitting in front of the back four and Kante box to box would be perfect as long as Matic regains his form from 14/15

didn't think he had a great game. he was decent, and obviously playing on a yellow with a bit of nerves on his debut contributed, but I think he was a little hesitant and there is going to be more adaptation needed.

Maybe a little harsh G4. If he hadn't had that yellow I'd agree he was just decent. But to play as he he did for 93 mins on a yellow, on his debut, was outstanding I thought. Harsh yellow too in my book.

Pretty confident he is going to be a marvellous player for us.

Edited August 17, 20169 yr by bjd

I think he's a great signing mate. and the signs are good, but he's going from being in a side where he would get ahead of the ball a lot on counter attacks to one where he will need to be more positionally disciplined and he'll need to improve his decision making with the ball as well. those things should come with time but in the friendlies and the other night I feel that he isn't quite there yet.

Please never compare Matic to Essien.

I largely agree with bjd, I think he did an excellent job considering how nervous he looked, the nature of the fixture (both as a local derby and as the first gig on our comeback tour), and the fact that he was booked almost immediately. That said, I think the booking was entirely deserved and only seemed harsh because of its timing.

 

I agree with g4 that he will take some time to adapt to what is a quite different system with quite different expectations; while he didn't get ahead of the ball especially often for Leicester (at least not in a crucial manner), he will have to be far more restrained with his runs as the destroyer in a three-man midfield than he was in a two-man midfield next to a player (Drinkwater) who was the team's main conduit of possession, and who relied almost exclusively on counter-attacking. That said, early signs are extremely encouraging and, short of injury or some freak occurrence, I fully expect him to become a top player for us. I already think that he is the second name on the teamsheet after Hazard.

 

Also, our back four looked solid and confident for the first time in over a year. We played with a defensive midfielder who performed at a top level for the first time in over a year. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Saw this today:

Kante lost his virginity at 18. He won it back immediately.

I think he's a great signing mate. and the signs are good, but he's going from being in a side where he would get ahead of the ball a lot on counter attacks to one where he will need to be more positionally disciplined and he'll need to improve his decision making with the ball as well. those things should come with time but in the friendlies and the other night I feel that he isn't quite there yet.

From watching him last season and the last few games, I feel exactly the opposite. He is known for his defensive exploits but his positioning and decision making are also top notch. Sharp as a tack too. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I am in the boat that he was solid and decent enough without being amazing. All the tools to become a top player for us though.

 

But he kept it simple and broke up play a fair few times. Cant upgrade his performance because he was on a yellow. He was the one who got himself booked with a late challenge, so that makes no sense to me.

I thought he played well, and filled those gaps we had last season. A player like Kante or Maka would never get many MOM awards, because the role they play. We only realise how good they are when they aren't playing.

 

This... exactly what I thought watching the replay vs West Ham. Far too many times last season the ball found it's way behind our midfield of Matic and Fab and I thought Kante did an excellent job plugging those holes and sweeping up. Good point about DM's not collecting many (if any) MOM awards too, players that are banging in goals often stand out and rightly so. It'd be nice to see Kante pick up a few  votes this season and I think he will but a lot of the time it's the work he puts in off the ball that makes him stand out imo

He just wins so many 50/50s. Exactly what we have needed for a while and Matic will benefit from his presence.

I think the yellow was rightly given, however massively unfair that Collins didn't get one mere seconds before for a worse challenge. Going shoulder to shoulder with Carroll so many times and coming off better greatly impressed me. 

I thought he was our best player again today, he didn't stop hassling the Watford players. One of the only players to perform well for the whole match in my opinion.

Edited August 20, 20169 yr by Scott Harris

Looking a great signing already.

"Kante - Little Diamond".

There's a real little diamond. :)

Edited August 20, 20169 yr by Kante Conte

what a little stud this guy is. we're blessed to have him in our side. 

He's a brilliant footballer, Leicester must hate not having him anymore.

Watching him play is an absolute pleasure. The way he wins the ball and starts everything off is just lovely viewing. Still can't help think if he had a brilliant passer beside him like Fabregas to recycle the ball to we would be a lot better going forward, but after 4 wins it's hard to complain.

^Hard. But you still managed. So, well done!

:] (just kidding, mate. Agree about Kante. A joy to watch.)

What a performance today! I'm glad he got him. Matic was actually good too.

One season wonder