‘Sloppy and Slow’: Leicester City Star Criticized for Performance in Denmark’s 1-0 Defeat to Spain
Leicester City Have 12 Players on International Duty as Steve Cooper Prepares a Streamlined Squad for Southampton Clash.
Steve Cooper will be aiming for consecutive Premier League victories against Southampton after Leicester City secured a 1-0 win over Bournemouth before the international break.
Facundo Buonanotte scored the decisive goal in that match, but Cooper faces uncertainty with the Argentine returning late from international duty after being called up to the senior Argentina squad.
Meanwhile, Cooper will be encouraged by the return of defender Jannik Vestergaard, who started for Denmark after a month out due to injury.
However, his teammate and fellow Dane, Victor Kristiansen, had a difficult outing as Denmark lost 1-0 to Spain on Saturday.
Kristiansen, who has started every league game since Cooper took over, faced a tough challenge against 17-year-old Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.
Despite a strong season after spending last year on loan at Bologna, the left-back struggled in this international fixture.
The Danish media were critical of Kristiansen’s performance, with EkstraBladet giving him a score of 3/10 and commenting, “A lazy evening at the office for VK.
Lamine Yamal is quite a handful, but that’s no excuse for being sloppy and slow with and without the ball. Offensively, we also saw too little from the Leicester player.”
Tipsbladet also rated him poorly, scoring Kristiansen 2/6 and noting, “He had the thankless task of playing against Lamine Yamal, and ‘VK’ was overplayed towards the end of the first half when Yamal fortunately missed a chance.
Spanish fans thought a penalty was given when Kristiansen edged Morata near the box, but it was just outside.
The Leicester player seemed a step behind and contributed little offensively.”
Kristiansen should, however, be well-rested ahead of Leicester’s clash against Southampton, as he picked up a booking against Spain and is suspended for Denmark’s next UEFA Nations League game against Switzerland.
While missing the match is disappointing for Kristiansen, it ensures he will return to Leicester’s Seagrave training ground fresh for the crucial Premier League fixture.
Leicester’s trip to the south coast on Saturday to face newly-promoted Southampton is vital for both teams.
Cooper has maintained a consistent back four, and Kristiansen is expected to reprise his role as left-back.
Cooper will need the Dane at his best as Leicester continues their battle for Premier League survival.
