Open, Attacking Football – What To Expect From Plymouth
- Saturday’s visitors to King Power Stadium are Plymouth Argyle (3pm kick-off)
- Steven Schumacher’s side were promoted to the Sky Bet Championship this term
- Plymouth Herald reporter Chris Errington gives his take on the Pilgrims
The Pilgrims visit King Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off) having made a decent start to life in the second tier after more than a decade away, holding their own against the newly relegated teams so far this term. It provides optimism for the weekend, Errington believes.
“I think there’s excitement,” the journalist said, assessing the mood in camp. “It’s the reason that you try to get promoted out of League 1 and get back to the Championship after a 13-year absence and test yourself against former Premier League teams.
“Argyle have come up against Southampton and Leeds already this season and lost 2-1 to both of them. Once they’ve played on Saturday, they’ll have a pretty good idea of exactly what it takes to be a strong team.
“The fact that they pushed both to the end, that will give them some hope and encouragement that they can go to Leicester and certainly give Enzo Maresca’s side a good game.”
Manager Steven Schumacher has instilled a mindset which is serving the team well, especially back at Home Park, where their form has been impressive. All six of Argyle’s league wins in 2023/24 have come on home soil.
“Steven Schumacher is committed to playing attacking football,” Errington analysed. “Ahead of this game, he stressed how he doesn’t see the point in being negative. It’s not what they do. I’d be very surprised if Argyle turn up and put everyone behind the ball.
“Will they be able to play open, attacking, expansive football at King Power Stadium? Probably unlikely because of the opposition, but they’ll give it a go. The home and away form is so contrasting. I think it stems from last year. They won 20 home league games out of 23 and it’s what fuelled their title triumph.
“They are used to winning at Home Park. They’ve got a winning mentality. The fans are used to them winning. It’s become a bit of a fortress. Away from home, it has proved a challenge. Generally, they have been coming off the wrong side of some narrow defeats. Even though their away record is not good, they’ve been in virtually every game.”
One man Leicester will need to be aware of is Plymouth winger Morgan Whittaker, who has blossomed in an attacking role since his permanent move to Devon, following a successful loan spell.
“I think he’s one of the best players in the Championship from what I’ve seen,” the reporter added. “He’s a really talented player. He’s scored eight goals, a lot of them left-foot shots from 25 yards out or further out. He’s a terrific, clean striker of the ball. He has got that ability.
“They tend to play 4-3-3 and he plays on the right of the three up front and just loves drifting inside and getting the ball on his left foot and getting shots away. He’s got four assists as well. His goal contributions are considerable.
“He’s 22 and is only going to get better. I think they made a really good signing there, he only cost £1M from Swansea City in the summer. That was a club record for Argyle but even now, that looks a relatively bargain buy.”
All times GMT.