SUPER SLIMANI
£29m striker gets Foxes’ season up and running
THEY were brilliant in Bruges and they battered Burnley. Leicester’s season finally seems to have taken off, courtesy of a new boy who cost a fortune and might just be worth it.
Time will tell in the judgment of Islam Slimani, but for now Claudio Ranieri and the men who signed the cheques have good reason to feel smug.
This was an excellent performance from the £29million Algerian, not just because Leicester’s record buy headed the first two of their three goals in this game, which happened to be his league debut.
More than that, he showed he can add creative touches and clever passes to a team who already have a jinking, swerving, resurgent magician in Riyad Mahrez.
By the time that pair were done causing damage here, numerous issues had been addressed: the fee for a 28-year-old suddenly seemed a little less steep, the doubts about Mahrez’s form suddenly seemed premature and the outlook for Leicester’s difficult second album was suddenly brighter.
Granted, they face an impossible job this season in getting out of the shadow of the last one. But while the start of the campaign has carried the hallmarks of a worthy hangover, this week has suggested a change in mood and momentum.
Leicester were excellent on the Champions League trip to Belgium, with a 3-0 win inspired by Mahrez, and in this game they took their tally to six goals scored and none conceded in two wins.
Ranieri afforded himself a smile and it was well-earned. ‘I am very, very glad,’ he said. ‘It was important to win after the Champions League victory. We were against a good team.’
The scoreline might not have reflected it, but that latter statement was true of a game that was an even contest until stoppage time at the end of the first half. Burnley dug their trench and defended their post; Leicester knocked on the door and did little else.
But just as their performance here evolved from a slow start to a sustained sprint, Ranieri’s hope now must be that their season follows suit after two defeats in the first four league games. Certainly, they have the personnel to aim high. Only N’Golo Kante of the class of 2015-16 left and a summer spree of £75m ought to have helped. Of those, Slimani is the man of whom most is expected. Inside the first two minutes of this game, he offered a hint of how quickly he can turn the benign into something more threatening. He had taken possession on the right and in a blink cut in-field, throwing twitchy little feints and entering a dangerous position. He probably should have gone for goal but instead rolled the ball towards Marc Albrighton, who entered the area from the left and had his shot blocked by Tom Heaton.
That was encouraging; what followed from Slimani half an hour later was even more impressive as a demonstration of his vision and ability to slide weighted passes through tight spaces.
He had dribbled in from the right, attended by Dean Marney, but with one touch found himself room and with another threaded a pass between Ben Mee and Stephen Ward, perfectly into the path of Danny Drinkwater.
Heaton smothered the chance but it was a stunning opening in a game that needed one.
In between those moments, Mahrez was up to his usual tricks. With one dribble and shot he forced a decent save from Heaton, with a series of others throughout this match he was bordering on cruel to Stephen Ward and Mee.
Aside from a wasted header in the first half, he was near flawless.
And Burnley? In the main, they offered sweat but struggled to create chances and, when they did, most notably in the 37th minute, they blew it, with Steven Defour heading straight at Ron-Robert Zieler, who had been drafted in for Kasper Schmeichel after a concussion in training on Friday.
That moment, for Burnley boss Sean Dyche, was about as good as it got. From there, Slimani headed his first after Matthew Lowton had fouled Marc Albrighton on the left and Christian Fuchs delivered a perfect free-kick.
Three minutes after the break, Slimani headed his second, after a Mahrez cross had deflected off Mee and flicked into the air off Jamie Vardy’s heel.
Two clear chances, two predatory finishes.
‘Four minutes of madness,’ said Dyche, factoring the playing time between two strikes in two halves.
Fuchs and Mahrez both had chances for a third and then it came. Predictably, Mahrez was involved and, again, the move involved the torment of Ward and Mee. In order, Ward was beaten by the tricks and Mee (left) turned the subsequent pass beyond Heaton.
Dyche was floored. Leicester are up and running.