The Talking Points: Half-Time Talks, Justified Optimism & Ndidi’s Equaliser
The Foxes fell behind at Stamford Bridge after Mason Mount dispossessed Wilfred Ndidi before firing into the back of the net.
But Ndidi, alongside his determined team-mates, made amends in the second period by sending a powerful header beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Reflecting on the fixture on LCFC Radio, Taggart, Elliott and Guppy all provided their thoughts on the Premier League encounter in the capital.
Half-time team talk pays off
Gerry Taggart said: “You have to say, what a difference a half-time team talk takes. In the first half, I’ve put down on paper four things that Chelsea were doing better than Leicester. Better movement off the ball, they were picking up the second balls, they were getting tighter without the ball than Leicester were, and they were moving the ball quicker. Instead of writing all of those things down in the second half, I just crossed Chelsea’s team name out and put Leicester, because that’s exactly what Leicester did to Chelsea in the second half – those four things.”
Optimism justified
Steve Guppy said: “To me, that second-half performance really justifies all of the optimism going into this season. We said maybe it’s a good time to play Chelsea, but they’re still a big club and they’ve still got some great players. To go there and to put in a second-half performance like that, to really take it to the home side, outplay them and outwork them, it just shows what this team is capable of.”
City capitalised on drop in intensity
Matt Elliott said: “It was a total contrast to the first half. They started the game to maybe just try and contain and sometimes that can bring about some negativity of your play. Chelsea were spritely, in Leicester’s faces and they were too sharp physically and mentally. It was surprising to see. Then, they inched their way back in and Chelsea dropped off. When Chelsea’s intensity did drop, Leicester were ready to capitalise.”
Maddison & Ndidi combination
Steve Guppy said: “James Maddison kept going for it and kept whipping the ball in to give the attackers a chance against Wolves. He nailed the delivery against Chelsea and put it on a plate for Wilfred Ndidi, who showed a lot of character after being at fault for the first goal. He wanted it more than the Chelsea defenders. It was a great cross, he attacked it and it went into the back of the net.”
Hard work a prerequisite
Gerry Taggart said: “Every time you walk out onto that pitch, if you can’t outwork the team, then you have to match them at least. The best teams in the world work just as hard as a team that comes and is renowned for working hard, if that makes sense. It’s a prerequisite, I would say.”
City’s reaction to equaliser
Matt Elliott said: “The Leicester players and staff were leaping out of their seats as one. It didn’t come out of the blue, but Wilfred Ndidi scoring from a set-play doesn’t happen too often. He should be more of a threat to be honest. Brendan Rodgers was out there and out of his technical area, as he was quite regularly to the end of the game because Leicester were quite close on a few occasions.”