“Gary Lineker Backs Alan Shearer’s Scathing Assessment of Leicester City”

Leicester City delivered a lackluster performance against Chelsea, appearing as though they “expected to be beaten,” according to Alan Shearer’s critical analysis on Match of the Day.

Shearer described Leicester’s approach as “very flat,” highlighting their disjointed pressing and frequent reliance on aimless long balls, which allowed Chelsea to dominate the game without exerting much effort.

“I thought Leicester were very flat today,” Shearer said. “I expected more from them. They went out there, and it seemed like they were expecting to lose.

“There wasn’t much pressure on the ball. They got men behind it, and you’d think that would make things tough for Chelsea.

But I didn’t feel Chelsea had to get out of second gear.

“I agree with Enzo Maresca (Chelsea manager) that they deserved to win, but they didn’t have to play particularly well.

When Chelsea moved the ball at pace, Leicester couldn’t cope. Apart from a brief five or ten-minute spell in the first half, Leicester offered very little.”

Shearer pointed to Jamie Vardy’s struggles as symptomatic of the team’s poor setup. He observed the forwards trying to press while the midfield remained passive, allowing Chelsea’s skilled players to control the game with ease.

“Look at Vardy directing his teammates,” Shearer continued. “It’s pointless for the forwards to press if the midfield sits back and watches.

That just gives good players time on the ball to turn and create pressure, which is exactly what happened.

“When Leicester regained possession, they frequently lumped the ball forward.

But with Vardy isolated against three or four defenders, the ball just came straight back.”

Shearer also criticized Leicester’s defensive organization for Chelsea’s second goal, emphasizing the lack of urgency to close down Marc Cucurella, despite having plenty of players behind the ball.

“The second half was more of the same. I know Justin was down injured, but even when Leicester had men behind the ball, there was no press, no energy,” Shearer noted.

“Cucurella had time to take three touches, look up, deliver a cross, and Jackson headed it on for Fernandez to score. It was a disappointing display.”

Leicester legend Gary Lineker echoed Shearer’s sentiments, saying he “wouldn’t disagree” with the critique.

Reflecting on Foxes boss Steve Cooper’s post-match comments about refereeing decisions, Lineker added: “I’m not sure you can blame the referee for Leicester losing that game.”