Tottenham vs Leicester City: Antonio Conte's side to Ease Past Foxes and Cause Brendan Rodgers Sacking
Saturday 17th September - 17:30
After a respectful period of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Premier League gets back into action with a reduced fixture list for games this weekend, one of which, Tottenham taking on Leicester City, could well lead to the firing of Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers.
When it comes to Premier League betting markets, the sack race, an ongoing bet to see which will be the next manager to be axed, is a popular one. The first casualty this season came in the form of Scott Parker, who was fired by Bournemouth just months after guiding the Cherries back to the top tier.
Chelsea then fired Thomas Tuchel, the German having run out of backing from new owner Todd Boehly, which led to Brighton boss Graham Potter being lured away from the Amex to make the step up to Stamford Bridge. Could Brendan Rodgers be the next manager to leave?
Conte’s Side Right Where He Wants Them
Italian boss Antonio Conte did a great job steering Spurs into the top four after taking over at the North London club part-way through last season, and the progression of the club continues to be moving in the right direction.
Six games into the new season and still unbeaten, Conte’s side has the depth of talent to really make an impact and could well have ambitions that go beyond merely retaining their seat at the Champions League table.
It would, however, be fair to say that the games that Tottenham have won this season haven’t exactly been at a canter, their opening win over Southampton aside (which also came after they’d gone behind).
Narrow wins over Wolves and Fulham and a solid, if not spectacular, win away at newly promoted Nottingham Forest are not quite where Conte wants to be. He’s an ambitious coach who will always be looking for more, and he is still waiting for his team to really hit the next gear.
Their home game against struggling Leicester City may well be where that shift starts to take shape. The new signings made by Conte over the last two transfer windows have been very astute and a step in the right direction.
Loaned in Swede Dejan Kulusevski being a good case in point. The Juventus man, hardly a big-name acquisition, has been superb and is always a livewire in the final third. Similarly, Rodrigo Bentancur has solidified the club’s central area. Defensively things are fairly solid, but the loss of form shown by Son Heung-Min might be something of a concern.
The South Korean, normally ultra-dependable, has now gone eight games without a goal and is in danger of being dropped with Brazilian Richarlison patiently waiting for the call, having already made an impact when called upon.
Rodgers In Last Chance Saloon
For all his successes, and remember the former Liverpool manager helped Leicester City to an FA Cup final, two fifth-place finishes and a European semi-final, Rodgers knows his time at the King Power Stadium may soon be coming to an end.
The club has lost big-name players and hasn’t really replaced them effectively, and they are in danger of being marooned at the foot of the table. Another loss, and especially a big one, could be one too many for Rodgers.
Recent comments Rodgers has made about the lack of transfer activity may be a final cry for help, but it seems to be done and dusted for the Leicester City manager any way you cut it.
Having collected one point from six games, they sit bottom and three points behind Nottingham Forest in 19th.
Best Bets
Tottenham to Win, Harry Kane to Score at Least Twice, Home Team to Score Over 3.5 Goals, and to Win to Nil - 20/1
This accumulator from BoyleSports is an attractive one, and no leg of it is entirely implausible, especially when you look at the form book. We don’t see this game ending in any other way, but a massive defeat and Tottenham have been solid defensively, hence the idea of winning to nil being a no-brainer.
