Leicester City go into their next three domestic games including today’s clash against Southampton without talisman Jamie Vardy with the England international set to begin the first of his three-game suspension.

£18m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Vardy was shown a straight red for an overzealous tackle on Matt Doherty in Leicester’s 2-0 victory over Wolves last weekend, and manager Claude Puel has not ruled out the possibility of the striker missing even more games once he is available for selection again.

The Breakdown

Speaking about Vardy’s suspension to Press Association Sport (via BT Sport) ahead of Leicester v Southampton, Puel said: “He’s a valuable player for us but we cannot play all the season with one striker with the possibility to score.

“It’s a good chance to give responsibility to other players, for example I was happy with the progress of [Kelechi] Iheanacho at the end of last season.

“It’s important the players have the desire to take his place.”

Delving into Puel’s comments thoroughly, it is likely they are just to motivate and crank the pressure up on Vardy’s deputies to perform in his absence.

Neither Iheanacho or Shinji Okazaki have the efficiency in front of goal to succeed Vardy as Leicester’s first-choice striker in the long run.

Iheanacho has largely struggled at the King Power since arriving from Manchester City last August while Okazaki, who does offer the Foxes much on the pitch with his work rate and energy, is not prolific enough.

Puel is not fooling anyone; once Vardy serves his suspension he will be the first name on Leicester’s teamsheet.

Tottenham remain hot on the heels of the league leaders following an excellent start to the Premier League season.

Spurs made history by becoming the first side since the transfer window was created in 2003 not to add a single player to their squad. Mauricio Pochettino placed his trust in his current roster of players and instead handed out long-term contracts to his key players. Fears that Spurs would be left behind by their rivals were quickly eased with Tottenham winning three of their opening four fixtures.

The transfer window may be closed, but many Spurs players are still being linked with an exit. Moussa Dembele is being rumoured with a move to China while Toby Alderweireld still has less than one year on his contract amid interest from Manchester United. Danny Rose could also leave the club after a move to PSG fell through in the final week of the window.

Should Rose depart, Tottenham should make a move for Augsburg defender – Philipp Max. Valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar season in the Bundesliga last year and reportedly attracted interest from Everton who instead signed Lucas Digne from Barcelona. When the window reopens, Tottenham should aim to bring him to North London.

Max scooped a remarkable 13 assists from defence last season, breaking the Bundesliga record for defenders, highlighting the threat he poses from the left flank. With a world-class finisher like Harry Kane in the box, his assist tally would only increase. Max also created an incredible 75 chances last season meaning the England captain would be licking his lips at the thought of his arrival.

The German would be a serious upgrade on Rose that Pochettino would be foolish not to consider.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

Aaron Ramsey is close to agreeing a new deal with Arsenal as he enters the final year of his contract, but it could be argued that the Gunners have yet to deploy him in his best position on a regular basis despite him being at the club for over 10 years.

The 27-year-old has made 335 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions since his move from Cardiff, but most of these have been from a deeper central midfield role or off the right-hand side under former boss Arsene Wenger.

Ex-Paris Saint Germain boss Unai Emery took over from the Frenchman this summer though and after a poor performance on the opening weekend against Manchester City, the Spaniard dropped Ramsey to the bench for the visit to Chelsea, which the Gunners lost 3-2.

Perhaps understandably the Arsenal players were shocked by this decision, according to the Daily Mirror, but the Welshman has since been brought back into the fold and has finally been playing in a position more similar to his favoured attacking midfield role, although Arsenal could still get more out of him with a slight change.

During the international break Wales boss Ryan Giggs has deployed Ramsey just off the front man, Gareth Bale, and has given the Arsenal man the license to make runs beyond Bale.

During the 2-0 loss to Denmark, Wales were largely outplayed and struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities, but Ramsey’s role was clear and there were glimpses of the attacking intent that Wales had proven was there during the 4-1 win over the Republic of Ireland.

At Ceres Park in Denmark’s second-city Aarhus, Ramsey had four shots and made three key passes, which represented good numbers considering his side had just 48 per cent of the possession. Playing further forward also didn’t mean that Ramsey was any less involved in the game, and with 82 touches he was second to centre-back Chris Mepham in the Wales side.

Ramsey also put in two crosses during the game as he finds himself on the ball in more dangerous positions where he can create chances for others. His three aerial duels won on the other hand is a side of his game that not many would have expected, and it’s fair to suggest that this is influenced by the confidence that he feels while playing for his country compared to his club.

Even while he is playing in the attacking midfield role at Arsenal under Emery, the two players either side of him are often either Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who all naturally drift inside and limit the space that Ramsey likes to drift in to.

If Emery is to get the best out of the extremely talented Welshman then he could drop Ozil and play Ramsey in a forward role with license to roam.

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Alberto Moreno should be handed a new Liverpool contract, despite dropping down the pecking order.

What’s the word?

The left-back position at Anfield is not currently up for grabs due to the fine form of Andrew Robertson.

After a slow start to his Liverpool career following last summer’s transfer from Hull City, the Scotland international became Jurgen Klopp’s first choice.

It was bad news for Moreno, who had to watch James Milner take his place in the previous season despite the fact that the experienced player is a midfielder.

Moreno is unlikely to get much game time, but the club should offer him a new contract when his current one expires at the end of the season.

Why?

Some Liverpool fans are probably scratching their heads at the suggestion given how ineffective Moreno has been in the past.

However, the Reds have a long season ahead and if they want to be fighting on all fronts, they need as much squad depth as possible.

That is something that the club have lacked before, so letting Moreno leave would give them one less man.

Even though the Spaniard is not quite up to standard, he can do a good enough job – particularly offensively – in the event of an injury or rotation.

Liverpool’s standpoint should be to keep him, but Moreno may want to consider his options if there is a chance of more game time elsewhere.

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Each week totalfootballanalysis.com tactically previews the ‘Fixture in Focus’. This week the TFA Lead Analyst Lee Scott looks at Liverpool’s trip to Tottenham.

This coming weekend sees one of the most intriguing matches that we have seen so far this season in the Premier League as Liverpool travel south to face Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.

Whilst in isolation the fixture itself is of interest given the quality that the two sides possess not only in their first choice team but in the squad as a whole, there is also another narrative that will make the match a compelling watch, as the same fixture took place at a similar point last season with Tottenham coming away as comfortable 4-1 winners.

This fixture will, therefore, provide an interesting barometer to judge just how far Liverpool have come over the last 12 months. Of course, we must highlight that given the quality of season enjoyed by Liverpool, they did after all reach the Champions League final, with that said though the squad at Anfield has evolved considerably over the last 12 months with significant investment in the defence and midfield making Liverpool an entirely different opponent when compared to this time last year.

Tottenham, on the other hand, have made no additions to the first team squad over the summer transfer window but under coach Mauricio Pochettino they will always remain competitive at the top level.

What can we expect to see from this match in a tactical sense though?

New look Liverpool

Taking a look at the team sheets when these two sides faced one another last season, there is a clear indication of the changes that have taken place at Anfield over the 12 months in between.

It is interesting to note the differences in Liverpool last term compared to now. With Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Allison, Naby Keita and Sadio Mane added to the line-up, there is a very different feel to not only the look of Liverpool but of the way that they play as a unit. Whilst you could argue that losing Philippe Coutinho, to Barcelona would weaken any team the addition to the starting lineup of Sadio Mane in his place gives the Liverpool attack an entirely different look that will challenge the Tottenham defensive structure within this match.

When Coutinho played from the left from Liverpool he still looked to drift centrally into the number 10 position from where he could influence the play picking the ball up at the edge of the final third. While Sadio Mane’s initial movement is similar, Mane will move inside initially to empty the wide area, and allow Robertson to flow forward from fullback but from there he is more likely to make vertical runs to attack spaces in the opposition defensive line.

This movement works well for Liverpool because it compliments the preferred movement of the other Liverpool attacking players, Roberto Firmino will drop off from the front line to link play deeper whilst Mohammed Salah will also come in off the line to attack the Spurs defensive line from the wide area.

Everything that Liverpool do in the attacking phase is designed to work in a way to overload and stretch the opposition defensive structure. When Salah and Mane move inside they leave the wide area empty and force the opposition full-back to decide whether to follow the wide forward inside or to allow them to run in space. This is then followed by Trent-Alexander Arnold on the right and Robertson on the left flowing forward to overload the wide areas and force the opposition to stretch their defensive block to cover the wide areas.

It does not stop there, though. In the midfield, as Firmino drops deep and Mane and Salah drive diagonally, Liverpool now have a World Class multifunctional midfielder in Naby Keita who will move into space behind the forwards from where he can further disrupt and threaten the defensive block of the opposition.

Liverpool Defensive Strength

As much as Liverpool are a real threat in the attacking phase they are also extremely strong defensively. Indeed, Liverpool are one of the most balanced teams in the Premier League from a tactical point of view.

Once again, part of this is down to the recruitment that the club has done over the course of the last 12 months with the signings Van Dijk and Allison. This recruitment, however, is paired with the emergence of young talent that was already at the club with Trent-Alexander Arnold, Joe Gomez and Robertson forming an extremely youthful back four with Van Dijk.

The defensive structure for Liverpool, with one shielding player sitting at the base of the midfield is extremely effective and modern in its approach. They possess pace and strength across the back line, which allows Klopp to instruct them to play in a medium or high block content that the space behind the defensive line can be covered by defensive players running back towards their own goal at speed.

This effectively takes away the threat of the ball over the top of the defence whilst also allowing Liverpool to compress the field and press the opponent high and fast, this press is supported by the positioning and proactive movement of the back four all of whom are comfortable when asked to step out into midfield.

Is Harry Kane the real Harry Kane?

The narrative coming into this season persisted that Harry Kane does not score in August. This was firmly disproven in the opening weeks of the season with Kane keeping up his form from the end of the 2017/18 season. Still, though, something does not feel right with the performances of Kane to this point.

As a forward Kane has almost an iron self-confidence with the clear belief that he can score from anywhere at any time, and as such we tend to see Kane take on a large number of shots from a game to game basis. This season, though, at least to this point, his shot numbers and touches of the ball in and around the penalty area are down significantly.

Kane is still very much the talisman for this Tottenham side and although he is supported by the likes of Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, Christian Eriksen and the returning Heung-min Son, he is very much integral to the way that Pochettino has Spurs playing this season.

There is some feeling that Kane played a portion of the World Cup this summer carrying an injury and if this is indeed the case, then perhaps the England captain just needs a rest. With domestic and European competition about to heat up, it is unlikely that Pochettino will be able to give the forward the matches off that he may need to rediscover his form.

Conclusion

A year is a long time in football and it is impressive that Spurs have maintained their presence at the top end of the table given the lack of investment in the first team squad. This is a testimony of the abilities as a coach of Mauricio Pochettino that he has kept them competitive.

With that said, I would expect Spurs to struggle in this match against the relentless attacking and pressing Liverpool machine.

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Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish was under the watchful eye of England coach Steve Holland in the midweek victory over Rotherham, The Birmingham Mail reports.

What’s the word?

Widely regarded to be one of the hottest prospects in English football and being heavily linked with a transfer to the Premier League in the summer, Jack Grealish has found his name on a lot of lips in recent months.

The 23-year-old will play a huge part in Aston Villa’s promotion push this season and could also earn an opportunity in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, as The Birmingham Mail says Three Lions coach Steve Holland was in attendance for the midweek victory over Rotherham.

Southgate previously hinted that he would keep an eye on players in the Championship this season in his search for talent and Grealish, along with Derby County’s Mason Mount, where a point of focus in the latest round of matches – and will continue to be monitored ahead of England’s friendly against the United States in November.

What’s been said?

“I can’t rule out players in the Championship now as our pool is getting smaller and smaller.

“One of our biggest concerns is playing time for English players, shown by a number of the squad that came with us to Russia not getting opportunities to play. More concerning is that young players that may be coming through to challenge are not getting opportunities to play.

“The missing piece is this transition from youth football to senior football,”

Is he ready?

With seven appearances for England’s U21 side, for whom he has scored two goals, and regular action for Aston Villa, Grealish is at the stage where he should certainly be considered by Southgate – but the process cannot be rushed.

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Handing him a debut in a friendly against the United States may feel like the ideal opportunity to bleed the 23-year-old into the senior set-up but the reality is that Grealish has not been great so far this season, with no goals and just one assist to his name.

Grealish’s focus must be on his club form if he is to become a regular for England further down the line, otherwise, he runs the risk of becoming the latest name in a long line of players who have made their international debuts for the Three Lions before vanishing from the fold completely.

His time is close but November may be too soon for Grealish, who must remain patient for his opportunity.

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Manchester United fans aren’t too confident ahead of their side’s Champions League match against Valencia at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening, following a run of poor results.

After throwing away a 1-0 lead to draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, José Mourinho’s men suffered two embarrassing defeats against Derby County and West Ham United last week, as the pressure piles on the manager.

The fact that Mourinho and midfielder Paul Pogba were seen having a heated training ground exchange after the Derby match added some more misery to the current situation.

A better performance against the Spanish side on Tuesday is urgently required but the United fans aren’t optimistic of the team’s chances of actually getting a positive result.

Most of them have called for either Mourinho or Pogba to leave in order to change the mood at the club, but they can at least take some confidence from the fact they head into the match after winning their first Champions League match of the season at Young Boys 3-0 last time out.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions by the fans:

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Arsenal are enjoying a fine run of form under Unai Emery’s guidance and have won their last eight matches across all competitions.

The Gunners have now found their feet under the Spaniard following a slow start to the season, which began with back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea, and they have now got their campaign back on track.

Bold decisions have been made by the club though as it is widely understood Aaron Ramsey will not earn a new deal at the Emirates Stadium, leaving the Wales international set to leave in 2019 and putting Arsenal in the hunt for a replacement.

A host of names have already been linked with a move to North London and we asked fans which target they would like to see brought into the club.

A majority of 47% want Arsenal to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s contract rebel Adrien Rabiot, who French media outlet Le Parisien reported Arsene Wenger pulled out of a move for in 2016, who could be available on a free transfer at the end of the season, while 24% are keen for Emery to swoop for Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski.

Just 15% of supporters identified Monaco’s Youri Tielemans as a player they want to see brought in, with 14% keen to see Emery reunite with Sevilla’s Ever Banega.

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Petr Cech has consistently been one of Europe’s best goalkeepers for over a decade, and when Arsenal landed him, he fit the bill perfectly. Having been one of Chelsea’s main men for years, Cech chose to move on, and he impressed.

However, last season he began to slip up, and mistakes have cost Arsenal on a number of occasions over the years. Naturally, then, he needs to be replaced sooner, rather than later – as he’s costing the Gunners points at present. That’s why Bernd Leno was brought in.

At the moment, Unai Emery has often persisted with Cech, but Leno is clearly viewed as his successor, and if recent form is anything to go by, it’s only a matter of time until Cech slips up again.

At that point, then, it will be Leno’s opportunity to impress.

Mistakes were frequent between the sticks at the Emirates last season, and that was seriously problematic for Arsenal. The old adage when Cech moved to the Emirates was that he’d save Arsenal 10-15 points per season. The ironic thing now is that Leno has been brought to do just that over Cech – and once he’s settled and Emery gives him a chance, he may do just that.

He’s already bagged a few clean sheets in an Arsenal shirt, and that’s a testament to the start he’s made. He’ll only get better with time, too, and he looks like a consistent goalkeeper – exactly what Arsenal need.

When he was in the Bundesliga, Leno impressed with his shot-stopping and the control that he had in the box, and though Leverkusen weren’t always successful, the German was rarely at fault, and there is no denying that he’s been impressing amongst Europe’s best goalkeepers in recent years.

Once the transition from Cech to Leno is complete, you’d expect Leno to save the Gunners more than a few points in comparison to his rival.

According to the BBC, former Scotland captain Gary Caldwell has spun a different light on Celtic striker Leigh Griffith’s withdrawal from international duty. 

The 55-capped centre back has said that he himself regrets not pulling out of more squads, in an attempt to defend the striker.

The Celtic frontman came under a lot of criticism this week, with people calling his commitment to the national team into question. This is added to the many times that Griffith’s off field life has caused a stir amongst fans.

However, the fact that Caldwell said that playing for Scotland while not 100% actually hampered his playing career, and now later life, shows that Griffith’s may be wise for doing this. The Celtic man wanted to concentrate on his fitness, which is on the contrary to what people have thought about him. This isn’t a player that isn’t interested, it’s someone that has weighed up his options and believes that in the long term, sitting out may be best for him, Celtic and Scotland.

This is something that players should think about doing more often. It is unfair on the nation’s supporters to play when you’re not at your best physically, especially when there will be someone else waiting in the wings to take their chance.

Scotland face Israel in the UEFA Nations League, and Portugal in a friendly during the international break, and hope to build on their impressive display against Albania in their last fixture. That victory put them in a good position to do well in the Nations League, and manager Alex McLeish will hope that they can carry on their progress.