Barton rolls over as Foxes go on rampage
JOEY BARTON made no apology for effectively giving up on his first game as a manager against Premier League opposition before a ball had been kicked.
Barton changed his entire starting line- up from Fleetwood’s draw in League One against Charlton at the weekend so it was little surprise Leicester cantered to victory with goals from Christian Fuch, Vicente Iborra, Kelechi Iheanacho and Rachid Ghezzal, two in each half.
‘I don’t want to be disrespectful to the Carabao Cup but it comes off the back of us playing loads of games,’ said Barton. ‘We got back in the wee hours of Thursday morning from a game last week and had another long trip to Charlton at the weekend. We don’t have the ability to fly back from away matches on private jets.
‘I’m a young manager and I’ve got to be mindful of managing the squad. Look at what happened to Kevin Nolan at Notts County (sacked).
‘Yes, we got a battering but Leicester are at another level. They can bring in replacements like Christian Fuchs who can volley them in from 30 yards.’
Fuchs, one of the club’s 2016 title heroes, marked his first appearance of the season by scoring his first goal for 18 months with a stunning half-volley after Fleetwood had not cleared a corner fully.
The left back then broke forward to set up the second goal after 39 minutes that effectively killed the tie. Iheanacho, deputising for the suspended Jamie Vardy, had a nightmare first half in which he missed a hatful of chances but redeemed himself 13 seconds after the restart by slotting home Marc Albrighton’s pass for his side’s third goal.
Leicester added a fourth with Ghezzal marking his first start for the club following a move from Monaco by striking from long-range.
Leicester fans hope the winger will be a long-term replacement for Riyad Mahrez and manager Claude Puel said: ‘He can always create something different. It was a very good professional performance. I made some rotation but the idea is to go as far in this competition as we can. This cup is a possibility to win something.’
Paul Jones spared his side a heavier beating by twice saving well from Iheanacho’s replacement, Demarai Gray, while at the other end Danny Ward couldn’t have had a quieter debut following his summer move from Liverpool.
Puel said he was sad about Vardy’s decision to retire from international football, revealing: ‘We discussed it two or three weeks ago. We have to respect his decision. I am just a little sad because like a fan in the national team, he gave his best.
‘Now he will dedicate his time for his club and to continue to give his best.’