Matchday Minus Two Talking Points: Assessing West Brom, LCFC Women's Flying Start & City's Depth Of Talent
- Matt Elliott starred in the first episode of Matchday Minus Two in 2020/21 on LCFC TV
- The former Leicester City skipper looked ahead to Sunday's Premier League opener at West Brom
- Elliott also reflected on wins for the Club's Development Squad and LCFC Women over the past week
- Matchday Minus Two will continue to be your place for analysis and previews throughout the year
Matchday Minus Two – a 30-minute preview show encompassing all of the Club's teams – airs two days before each first team matchday on LCFC.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Brendan Rodgers' men head to the Hawthorns to tackle Slaven Bilić's West Bromwich Albion on Sunday (2pm BST kick-off) as the Club begin their seventh consecutive top-flight campaign.
As well as looking ahead to that Baggies clash, Elliott also reflected on wins for the Club's Development Squad and LCFC Women over the past week, who both started their seasons with impressive results.
Goals from Callum Wright and George Hirst registered a 2-1 EFL Trophy success at Hull City on Tuesday, while Charlie Devlin's opener for LCFC Women was followed by a brace from Natasha Flint against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Women's Championship on Sunday.
New-season excitement
Matt Elliott said: “It is slightly different this year, there’s a different mentality, because of how things have been. The end of last season was not so long ago, which was later than normal, and before you know it, you’re back down to business again! It was a really short break – if you can call it a break at all for some players – and there’s been internationals mixed in with pre-season friendlies. It’s bizarre times, it’ll take some getting used to, but I’m sure the players are still really excited at the prospect of a new campaign and what it holds.”
Assessing the Baggies
Matt Elliott said: “There are very few easy games in the Premier League, but Leicester will be as well prepared as anyone, although it has been difficult because of injuries. West Brom are a side with Premier League experience. There’s still some of their players there from their time in the league last time, but they’ve added a little bit of flair and flamboyance as well. They’re going to be a tough proposition at the weekend. It’s probably a good thing the supporters aren’t there because that would make it a little bit more difficult.”
Vardy's Hawthorns form
Matt Elliott said: “West Brom used to play a certain way. I used to think they were a little bit unambitious the last time they were in the Premier League and they paid a price for that. I don’t think that will be the case this time around. Leicester were often given the opportunity to show they were the better team at that moment in time. It’s a favourite hunting ground for Jamie Vardy too and I’m sure he’ll be looking for a repetition of that. I’m sure, with the way things have panned out, Brendan will be looking for a steady start.”
It all goes to plan for LCFC Women
Matt Elliott said: “It went according to plan didn’t it! It was a great result for them; a clean sheet and a first win in the opening fixture. There were some great goals too… [Natasha] Flint with the right foot, left loot… bang! No messing about from her and they were wonderful strikes, both of them, weren’t they? There was some good football played and things are looking encouraging for LCFC Women. The profile of women’s football has changed drastically – rightly so – and they're a part of the Club now and we welcome that.”
A depth of talent at the Club
Matt Elliott said: “They were relatively successful last year, and they’ve carried on in similar form. The Development Squad are quite a big part of proceedings at Leicester. We know the involvement that a lot of the players have had. They’ve featured prominently for the first team in pre-season. The number of players at professional clubs like Leicester City these days is unbelievable. You can see the depth of talent we have. They started off well and they’ll hope to continue to do so on Monday when they play Manchester United.”
Watch the show in full
Matchday Minus Two: West Brom (A)
Jamie Vardy's form at The Hawthorns, the Premier League opener, LCFC Women's debut victory and the Development Squad's win in midweek are all discussed on Matchday Minus Two.