Maguire all over the shop in the house of Fraser
THIS has been the best year of Harry Maguire’s life but he will not look back on Saturday September 15 with any great fondness — quite the opposite.
The England defender had his hands on his head as he walked off at half-time with Leicester three goals down.
He knew that plenty of the blame lay on his shoulders. One of the stars of the 2018 World Cup was fortunate not to be sent off after clattering Josh King while on a booking moments after Ryan Fraser had put Bournemouth ahead.
With that on his mind, Maguire failed to get goal-side of Fraser, was beaten for pace and failed to make a tackle as the Cherries winger made it two.
To make matters worse, King then added a penalty to complete one of the most humiliating halves of football for Maguire and his Leicester team-mates.
Maguire was certainly not the only Foxes defender to blame. Ricardo Pereira was nowhere near Fraser when he scored his first while it was his handball that gave Bournemouth their penalty.
Another England player Ben Chilwell failed to break up play for the first and then helped play Fraser on side for the second.
Leicester’s awful day continued in the second half when captain Wes Morgan was dismissed for a second bookable offence before Adam Smith added a fourth and, although they added two in the dying stages, were well beaten.
‘It was a tough afternoon,’ said Puel. ‘Strange. Perhaps we lacked some concentration in some situations and have to correct the defensive aspect to prevent these goals conceded because it’s a handicap for us.’
Leicester had the better of the opening stages with Jamie Vardy looking in the mood volleying over before being denied by Asmir Begovic.
But then Bournemouth struck as Fraser raced onto King’s through ball with Leicester’s defending non-existent.
Maguire was very lucky to be on the field when, after being handed an early yellow, he took out King on the touchline. He appeared to know what was coming too before referee Craig Pawson played the leniency card much to the anger of the home crowd. Maguire may well have wished Pawson had actually dismissed him given what followed. Leicester should have equalised when Vardy and James Maddison were denied by a double save from Begovic.
But then on 37 minutes, Maguire was everything he has not been in 2018 — hesitant, indecisive and slow. Fraser took advantage as he ran onto Callum Wilson’s pass. Four minutes later it was three as Pereira handled under pressure from King who kept his cool beating Kasper Schmeichel from the spot. Game over.
Leicester kept fighting but went too far as Morgan was dismissed on 69 minutes after fouling both Dan Gosling and Smith. Bournemouth’s fourth came in the 81st minute as Smith converted after a fine pull back from Diego Rico.
Leicester pulled one back on 88 minutes when Rico fouled Pereira and Maddison slotted home the penalty but not even another from sub Marc Albrighton a minute later heading in Kelechi Iheanacho’s cross could rescue a bleak day.
Bournemouth are up to fifth after manager Eddie Howe used the international break to send his players SAS training.
‘That is testament to the work during the break,’ he said. ‘They have shown a great attitude to what we have asked them to do and I was going to say that was a little bit of fun but I am not sure they would look at it like that.’