Tigers ring changes for Bears
BORTHWICK SHAKES UP HIS SQUAD FOR THE TRIP TO THE PREMIERSHIP LEADERS
LEICESTER Tigers have made 11 changes for their daunting showdown against Gallagher Premiership leaders Bristol Bears this afternoon (1pm).
There were always going to be new names in the starting XV at Ashton Gate as Hanro Liebenberg and Jasper Wiese start their bans following the red cards they picked up in the 27-8 win over Wasps.
Tom Youngs returns as captain alongside Nephi Leatigaga and Joe Heyes in the front row, while Tomás Lavanini is joined by former Scotland Under-20s cap Cameron Henderson at lock.
With Liebenberg and Wiese unavailable, a new-look back-row combination of Ollie Chessum, Tommy Reffell and Harry Wells will start against the Bears.
Jack Van Poortvliet, who was voted Fans’ Favourite for his performance at scrumhalf away to Harlequins in round nine, returns to the starting line-up to partner Argentinian Joaquín Díaz Bonilla as the half-backs.
Fly-half Diaz Bonilla has not featured for Tigers in the Premiership since round three.
In the Leicester midfield, Dan Kelly makes just his eighth Tigers appearance at inside centre and Matías Moroni retains his place at outside centre.
Guy Porter returns on the wing as Kini Murimurivalu moves to full-back and Kobus Van Wyk competes the back three.
Regular full-back Freddie Steward misses out for only the third time in the Premiership this season while half-backs Zack Henry and Richard Wigglesworth are also not included.
Charlie Clare is included alongside James Whitcombe, Dan Cole, Calum Green and Luke Wallace as the forwards on the bench, with Ben White, Johnny McPhillips and Harry Simmons the backs replacements.
Head coach Steve Borthwick, right, said: “The changes we have made elsewhere also present chances for members of our group and we are excited to see how they perform, as well as how the combinations work together.
“Every game we play, we add to the little experience we have together as a group and continue to build as a squad and teammates.”
Looking ahead to this afternoon’s fixture, Borthwick said: “Bristol are a very good team, who lead the competition at the halfway point of the season.
“We are aware of the challenge ahead of us at Ashton Gate and we’re excited for the opportunity to take on the Premiership’s top team at this point in our journey as a group.”
Joe Joyce returns to the Bristol starting line-up following a shoulder injury. The homegrown lock is one of five changes to the side that drew with London Irish in their last outing. Alapati Leiua replaces the suspended Sam Bedlow in the midfield, Ioan Lloyd starts at fly half as Callum Sheedy returns to Six Nations duty with Wales, and Niyi Adeolokun is included in the 23-man squad.
In the pack, Jake Woolmore comes into the front row, while Jake Heenan moves to no.8.
Leicester Tigers: 15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Kobus Van Wyk, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Guy Porter, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Jack Van Poortvliet, 1 Nephi Leatigaga, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Cameron Henderson, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Harry Wells, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Ollie Chessum.
16 Charlie Clare, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Calum Green, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Ben White, 22 Johnny McPhillips, 23 Harry Simmons.
Replacements:
15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Alapati Leiua, 11 Siva Naulago, 10 Ioan Lloyd, 9 Andy Uren, 1 Jake Woolmore, 2 Will Capon, 3 John Afoa, 4 Chris Vui, 5 Joe Joyce, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 7 Dan Thomas, 8 Jake Heenan.
Bristol Bears:
Replacements: 16 George Kloska, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Ed Holmes, 20 Fitz Harding, 21 Tom Kessell, 22 Tiff Eden, 23 Niyi Adeolokun.
THE Europa League was Leicester City’s reward for their excellent season last year, but it was one they chose not to enjoy to the fullest.
After their shock exit to Slavia Prague on Thursday night, manager Brendan Rodgers said his side could now go “all-in” on the Premier League and FA Cup, which were the club’s priorities anyway.
This may have just been a case of trying to downplay the disappointment of losing to less-fancied opponents, but if not, it raised questions about whether City had their priorities right.
The team selection suggested Thursday’s tie wasn’t seen as important as the Premier League games either side of it, otherwise the likes of Timothy Castagne, Ricardo Pereira, and Harvey Barnes would have started.
In the busiest season football has ever known and with the squad suffering so many injuries, City were right to be careful about the trio. They can’t play every game.
But should they not have started on Thursday night and rested against either Aston Villa or Arsenal?
This was only City’s fifth ever European campaign. It’s a rare treat in their history.
Meanwhile, City are in the FA Cup every season, no matter how well the previous season’s cup run goes, while they don’t appear to be in danger of losing their Premier League status any time soon.
There is the possibility of securing Champions League qualification in the Premier League this season, which would be a huge achievement for the club, but winning the Europa League also earns a place in Uefa’s top competition, while there is silverware to go with it.
It doesn’t say much for the Europa League if City, competing in it for the first time since its format changed, and a team with a genuine chance of winning it, could not make it their priority.
It has been a theme throughout Rodgers’ career too, with this is his fifth exit from five attempts at the last-32 stage, following two eliminations each with Liverpool and Celtic.
It may have been different if the fans were there.
This would have been a rare treat for them too and giving them the opportunity to travel around the continent following their team would have been a thrill that may have forced the team to make it a priority.
The atmosphere that City fans can generate on European nights may also have propelled them into a better performance against the Czech side.
This was the most disappointing night of City’s season, and one of the most disappointing of Rodgers’ reign, along with the last-minute Carabao Cup exit to Aston Villa, and the 4-1 capitulation at Bournemouth.
The disappointment is exacerbated because it feels like City didn’t really give it their best shot.
The only way to get over the European campaign ending with such a whimper would be to ensure that this is the low point of the season, and is not eclipsed by another failure over the coming months.
■ Rodgers owned up. He had learned his lesson. City’s most influential players need to stay in the position in which they are most influential.
The City boss’s hands were tied. His first four options for the number 10 position – James Maddison, Dennis Praet, Ayoze Perez, and Kelechi Iheanacho – were unavailable, so he had to try something, but moving Youri Tielemans out of his quarterback role at the base of midfield and into the mire further forward did not work.
Tielemans possesses the ability to play the cute passes in behind that an attacking midfielder needs to be capable of, but every player in that role needs someone providing them too. Because while Tielemans replaced Maddison, nobody replaced Tielemans.
Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu did their best efforts at playing the ball forward, but that’s not their job either.
Rodgers said in his postmatch interview that it did not work as well as he would have liked, and so now he will have to find a different option.
With Maddison, Praet and Perez still out, Iheanacho seems most likely to get the nod behind Jamie Vardy.
■ Many members of the City squad will be feeling downbeat but the Europa League exit is likely to affect one player more than others: Cengiz Under, left.
Unlike the rest of the team, his future seemed dependent on City’s success in the competition.
Six of his nine starts for City have come in the Europa League, with Rodgers seemingly holding more trust in him against continental opponents than domestically, where Under’s lack of experience in the intense English game has seen him limited to cameos here and there.
Now City are out, it’s difficult to see where his chances are going to come from, unless there’s an injury crisis on the wing. Even right-back Ricardo Pereira is starting ahead of him in the league now.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Under. He’s never been given a run of games, and he was clearly trying his best on Thursday night, but without Maddison to link up with, and with Vardy not in the form he was in the autumn, the Turkish international can’t produce the exciting displays he showed when he first arrived.
With every game he plays, it’s seems less likely that City will be on the phone to Roma in the summer trying to get him on a permanent deal.
LEICESTER City are not seeing the best of Ricardo Pereira right now, but the Portuguese international believes he is getting closer to his peak with each game.
Fans favourite Ricardo is back playing regularly again for City after the best part of 11 months watching his team-mates from the sidelines following a serious knee injury last March.
The 27-year-old may be fit and featuring again, but he admits he has not hit form yet. It’s only a matter of time, though.
“I’m not there yet but with each game that goes by, I feel more comfortable and sharp,” Ricardo said.
“I was out for so long so I know I can’t come straight back in and be 100 per cent ready from the start, but it’s a process and every time I get more minutes my confidence goes higher.
“The best way to improve fitness and sharpness is by playing games so, of course, I’m happy there are lots of opportunities to play.
“It’s difficult to play every minute of every game after being out for so long though.”
Since making his comeback, Ricardo has not been limited to his usual right-back role, and he played as a right-sided winger during last weekend’s win over Aston Villa, and in his substitute appearance against Slavia Prague on Thursday night.
“It was like going back to the old days when I was a young player in midfield,” he said, having come through the ranks at Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes as a winger.
“Playing higher up the pitch is always much easier when you have good players around you and that was definitely the case for me.
“You don’t have as many defensive responsibilities when playing in midfield. There are obviously still things you need to do in the game and runs you need to match, but it’s not the same as playing in defence.
“The two roles are different in lots of ways.
“When you play at right-back you often have more space with the ball and you see more of the pitch because everything is in front of you, whereas in midfield you play in tight spaces a lot more.
“I feel comfortable in both positions though and I’m happy to help the team in any way I can.”
What was a shame for Ricardo is that he did not get to share the pitch with James Justin for long.
Justin deputised for Ricardo when he suffered his injury last year, and had developed into one of City’s star players before the England Under21 international sustained his own ACL problem this month.
Ricardo immediately felt sympathy for his team-mate.
“I called him the day he had the result of the scan,” Ricardo said. “I thought it was important to speak with him and give him some comfort about the situation.
“I remember when I heard my news it was very difficult to take so I knew how he would have been feeling. I told him that if he does things well, he will be back and playing at the same level he has been. We all wish him the very best.”
Justin is one of six players City have out for this weekend’s game, with James Maddison, Ayoze Perez, Wesley Fofana, Dennis Praet, and Wes Morgan also unavailable.
While Justin is out until the end of the year, manager Brendan Rodgers said he hopes to have the other five back in training over the next few weeks.