The manager’s goal should be to ensure that his best players are available for what will be the biggest game of the season so far against their promotion rivals next Friday.
No two players for Leicester City have appeared in the Championship more frequently this season than Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and with reason. They are two of the club’s most talented players. However, there is a case to be made that neither should start this weekend at QPR.
Despite the fact that the league standings could fluctuate dramatically over the next six months, City’s opponents for promotion have been revealed in the first 13 games.
Yes, every win is worth three points regardless of who it is against, but some games are more important than others.
After QPR, City will prepare to host Leeds. It will arguably be their most important game to date against a fellow relegated side, one with plenty of quality in their squad and in strong form despite their setback to Stoke. They are likely one of three teams, along with Ipswich and Southampton, that believe they can catch City.
City’s incredible start to the season has already given them a solid 14-point lead over third-placed Leeds in the automatic promotion positions. They will have the opportunity to close the gap against Daniel Farke’s team.
As a result, City will want their best team available for this game. The issue is that if Winks and Dewsbury-Hall both receive yellow cards this weekend at Loftus Road, neither will be available to play against Leeds. Both have four bookings and are one booking away from a one-match ban.
Winks has been walking a tightrope for quite some time. His fourth booking came against Norwich, making it six games in which he has avoided receiving the yellow card that would result in a ban. Dewsbury-Hall received his fourth yellow card last weekend in Swansea.
While Winks’ control of the tempo is critical to Enzo Maresca’s approach, and Dewsbury-Hall has proven to be an incredibly effective offensive threat with five goals and five assists, City’s replacements should be able to get past a struggling QPR team. Rangers have lost five of their previous six games and have only eight points from 13 games.
The major question is whether City has those replacements on hand. In a straightforward swap, Hamza Choudhury could replace Winks, with the homegrown midfielder taking on the role he played in all three Carabao Cup games.
However, there are injury concerns moving forward. Yunus Akgun and Wilfred Ndidi both missed the victory over Sunderland, and with Dennis Praet out for an extended period of time, it was simply Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei.
It is thought that Yunus will be available for the weekend, but if he is not, the option to avoid risking Dewsbury-Hall becomes much more tough, as it would mean that either a player would have to operate out of position, or a youngster would have to be called upon. Wanya Marcal is most likely the person to contact.
However, it may be a worthwhile decision. Making sure Winks and Dewsbury-Hall are available for the biggest game of the season against Leeds feels like the first priority right now, which could entail looking for replacements this weekend.
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