Getting the West Ham opposition view with the Foxes of Leicester

With West Ham lining up against Leicester City for this upcoming match day we asked some pressing questions to Harneet Singh Sethi of Foxes of Leicester about the upcoming match!

Q1: What are your first impressions of West Ham heading into this game?

"Enigmatic, if I’m being laconic and honest at the same time. You just do not know what are you going to get from West Ham United against any given opponent. They’re outplaying Arsenal one day and getting outplayed by AFC Bournemouth the other. The capability is there but unfortunately, the consistency hasn’t quite matched with the former. If it did, West Ham would probably be threatening to knock either Chelsea or Manchester United out of the top six this season."

Q2: Is there a certain player you think Brendan Rodgers will have circled on the Irons teamsheet?

"Declan Rice. I’d go so far as to say that he is one of the best talents that West Ham have ever produced in the Premier League era and can say with certainty that Brendan Rodgers will acknowledge that. If Leicester City can find a way past him, then they’d substantially increase their chances of getting all the three points at the London Stadium."

Q3: How have Leicester City grown and gotten better since the last match against West Ham (1-1 draw)?

"It was a long time back, wasn’t it? In the 24 league games played since, Leicester have picked 34 points, winning ten games, losing as many and drawing four. That nearly half of those points have come after Rodgers’ appointment tells you that Leicester went absolutely nowhere after the draw against the Hammers. In fact, they fell off a cliff and have spent a good part of the season trying to repair the damage – a job they’ve done well. The hosts are going to play a totally different Leicester from the one back in October."

Q4: Leicester have an impressive group of young, exciting players highlighted by Tielemans Ndidi, and Maddison in the midfield. How can West Ham breakdown this group of talented players in the midfield?

"Like Leicester need to stop Rice in order to gain an advantage over West Ham, the latter need to  find a way to stop Youri Tielemans. One of the reasons why Leicester struggled to break teams down under Puel is because they lacked a deep-lying midfielder who could carve defences open with his range of passing. They brought in Tielemans and since then, barring the defeat to Newcastle United, Leicester have hardly found it hard to create. You take Tielemans out of the game and the complete midfield will be found wanting."

Q5: With Jamie Vardy currently in form, how will he pressure West Ham’s backline in this match?

"Guilty for stating the obvious here, but when in form, Jamie Vardy’s pressing and movement in behind goes from the London Bridge to the very top of the Burj Khalifa – if I may put it that way. He’s always operating on the sixth gear and that tires the defenders down. You make one error around your own box or if you are loose in possession, he’ll make you pay 99 out of 100 times, especially when he’s in the mood – and he is in the mood."

Q6: Give us one unsung player that the Hammers should look out for heading into this game.

"I do not specifically see a player who is underrated in this Leicester side. Demarai Gray, however, is one who I feel is the subject of harsh treatment almost every single time he plays. The criticism is justified to some extent because he can be frustrating to watch, but you can’t forget that he is still in his nascent stages. He’s a bit like Raheem Sterling in that if he is not scoring or assisting, then his movement will help create space for others. This aspect of his game goes completely unnoticed every time, which I find unfair."

Q7: What is your score prediction?

"I’ll go for 3-1 West Ham. They have the second best home record in the league for any team outside the top six, and while Leicester themselves have the fifth best away record, I don’t see them winning this one."