Sport

No Two players have featured in the Championship more often for Leicester City this season

Published

11 months ago

October 27, 2023

Silas

The manager’s top priority should be to make sure his finest players are available for what will be the biggest game of the season so far against their rivals for promotion next Friday.

Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have been among Leicester City’s most frequent players in the Championship this season, and with good reason. They are two of the best players on the team. However, there is a case to be made for neither starting this weekend against QPR.

The league standings could shift significantly over the next six months, but City’s opponents for promotion have been made clear by their opening 13 games. Yes, regardless of the opponent, every victory is worth three points, but some games are more important than others.

City will be getting ready to host Leeds after QPR. Despite their loss to Stoke, it will surely be their greatest game to date against a fellow relegated team that has a strong squad and is in fantastic form. They are probably one of three teams, along with Ipswich and Southampton, who still feel they can overtake City.

City’s astounding start to the campaign means they have already racked up a healthy 14-point cushion inside the automatic promotion places to third-placed Leeds. Facing off against Daniel Farke’s side gives them the opportunity to boost that gap.

So it’s a game that City will want their best team available for. The problem is that should Winks and Dewsbury-Hall get a yellow card this weekend at Loftus Road, neither will be available to take on Leeds. Both are on four bookings, and so one more away from a one-match ban.

It is a tightrope that Winks has walked for a while now. His fourth booking came against Norwich, so there have been six games in which he has avoided collecting the yellow that tips him into a suspension. Dewsbury-Hall’s fourth yellow came at Swansea last weekend.

While Winks’ control of the tempo is crucial to Enzo Maresca’s style, and Dewsbury-Hall, with five goals and five assists, has proven to be an extremely effective attacking threat, City’s replacements should have the quality to get past a struggling QPR side. Rangers have lost their last five and have taken just eight points from 13 games.

The main issue is whether City have those replacements available. Hamza Choudhury could come in for Winks in a straightforward swap, the homegrown midfielder taking on the role he played in all three of the Carabao Cup fixtures.

However, there are problems with injuries later on. With Wilfred Ndidi and Yunus Akgun missing the victory over Sunderland, and Dennis Praet sidelined for an extended period, only Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei remained.

Yunus should be available for the weekend at the very least, but if he isn’t, it becomes even more difficult to decide whether to risk Dewsbury-Hall since it would mean that a player would have to play out of position or that a young player would have to be called upon. The person to contact would most likely be Wanya Marcal.

Nevertheless, it can be a choice that is worthwhile. Right now, the most important thing seems to be making sure Winks and Dewsbury-Hall are available for the biggest game of the season against Leeds.