BACK TO HIS BEST
City’s cup hero returning to ‘phenomenal’ form
LEICESTER City will hope Youri Tielemans’ “phenomenal” performance is an indication he has not suffered a hangover from his mammoth campaign, writes Jordan Blackwell.
The Belgian midfielder’s display against Wolves was hailed by manager Brendan Rodgers, with Tielemans showing his qualities after a European Championships in which he was “not at the standards he’s set”.
Tielemans’ under-performance for his country at the Euros – he described his own displays as “frustrating” and said the first half-hour of the opening group match was his “worst 30 minutes of the season” – could perhaps be explained by his hectic schedule.
Belgium’s quarter-final defeat to Italy was Tielemans’ 76th senior match in just over 12 months.
Less than four weeks later he was back training with City, but the break seems to have rejuvenated the 24-year-old judging by his performance against Wolves.
Tielemans’ visible emotion on the final day of last season, and Liverpool’s pursuit of a Gini Wijnaldum replacement, led to weeks of speculation over the Belgian’s
future, but City are now confident of keeping hold of their player of the season.
A new contract offer remains on the table, with Tielemans happy at the club but keeping his options open.
Right now, Rodgers is “thankful” he has the midfielder to call upon.
Assessing his Euros performance, Rodgers, right, said: “That’s difficult, it’s tournament football and I thought he was okay, maybe not to the standards he set.
“But I thought he was brilliant on Saturday.
“His passing, his ability to take the ball and the intensity, his pressing – it was a phenomenal performance for me, he was so good in the game.
“He went close with a shot as well, so he was very good for us.
“If you look at the highest level of the game, there are a number of players (like him) but
I’m thankful he’s with us and he understands exactly what we want to do in the game.
“What he gives us without the ball is that tactical view and he understands exactly what I ask of him to do and he has an overall view of what the team needs to do, so he is a great organiser.
“With the ball he has wonderful vision that allows him to play quickly and he can nick a goal as well. I thought he was brilliant.” Tielemans’ 90 minutes against Wolves means he has started all 32 matches City have played this calendar year. He has two years remaining on his current contract, signed in the summer of 2019 when he arrived on a permanent deal from Monaco.