Player Focus: Sky's the Limit for Magic Mahrez This Season
Those who watched Match of the Day on Saturday night will have bore witness to a laughable Sunderland defensive display. Worse still, the highlights package, if anything, was kind to a Black Cats backline that was more lost at sea than a sailor swept overboard in the midst of the perfect storm. The centre-back partnership of Sebastian Coates and Younes Kaboul was regularly torn apart and looked out of their depth against a Leicester City attack that could easily have scored more than four in Saturday's win.
Following Claudio Ranieri’s appointment as Nigel Pearson’s successor, there were concerns that the Foxes would struggle and while it is too early to say that current table toppers Leicester are dead certs to win the league following gameweek 1, the performance certainly lifted spirits. Leicester were the in-form team as last season came to a head, with their form securing their top-flight status for another campaign. If their opening day display at the King Power Stadium was anything to go by, though, chances are Ranieri’s side can avoid relegation once more.
The stand out performers were offensive trio Jamie Vardy, Marc Albrighton and Riyad Mahrez. Vardy’s displays at the tailend of last term were enough to earn him an England call up, while Albrighton played a key role in the Foxes’ fine end to the season and both continued their commendable form. Mahrez himself enjoyed a notable debut campaign in England’s top tier, with his WhoScored rating (7.16) bettered only by centre-back duo Robert Huth (7.42) and Wes Morgan (7.20) of all Leicester players. The Algerian averaged the most dribbles per game (2.6) at the club, while his 1.5 key passes per game was second only to Albrighton (1.7).
Clearly, this season is set to be a defining one for Mahrez and he started in impressive fashion. The Algerian is the first player to gain a perfect Whoscored rating of 10 in the Premier League this term as he carved open the Sunderland defence with ease during his 77 minutes on the pitch. The 24-year-old netted a first half brace and could have added a third after the interval having struck the woodwork 10 minutes after the restart. Leicester as a team completed 6 successful dribbles over the 90 minutes, 3 of which were courtesy of Mahrez, accentuating his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘dribbling’.
Meanwhile, 4 key passes denotes just how effective a creative force the Algeria international was during the comprehensive victory over Sunderland. Furthermore, 2 goals from his 6 shots on goal denoted a level of confidence in the player to not only beat his man, but chance his luck at goal when the opportunity presented itself. Given Mahrez managed just 4 league goals and averaged 2.1 shots per game last season, Ranieri has perhaps challenged the wideman to provide a further goalscoring threat from wider positions. This will offer another dimension to the Foxes attack, which could be considered of the utmost importance given 21 of the 46 league goals Leicester netted last season were from striking trio Leonardo Ulloa, Vardy and David Nugent.
In Ranieri’s favoured 4-4-2 formation, with he and Albrighton on either flank, Mahrez has the potential to be Leicester’s most important attacker this season. The capture of N’Golo Kanté means the wide pairing can attack the opposition defence without having to concern themselves too much with the defensive work. This will benefit Mahrez, who can then maximise his attacking capability to hurt defences.
Keeping him fully fit and firing on all cylinders will be crucial for Leicester in their bid to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome. However, if Mahrez’s performance against Sunderland on Saturday is anything to go by, Ranieri has at his disposal one of the most potent offensive widemen in the Premier League. Of course, judging a player by his display on the opening day is treacherous, but Mahrez has clearly carried his notable end-of-season form into the new campaign.
With no African Cup of Nations this winter and a full summer to rest and recuperate, Leicester fans can look forward to a season without disruption for Mahrez, provided he can steer clear of injuries. He will be a targeted man, of that there is no doubt - only Mark Noble, Wes Hoolahan (both 6) and Mame Biram Diouf (5) were fouled more times than Mahrez (4) on the opening weekend of the Premier League season - but the tricky winger is unlikely to let that deter him in aiding Leicester. With his creative and dribbling ability, Mahrez certainly boasts the capability to take the campaign by storm, with his performance against Sunderland a glimpse into what the winger can achieve this term.
Do you think Riyad Mahrez will build on Saturday's impressive showing against Sunderland? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
