However, I was a little surprised by the negativity of the home fans that we met before the game given that Leicester had picked up good away draws at Stoke and Middlesbrough since Gary Rowett’s arrival. But I could also recognise the sort of fatalism that had enveloped City’s fan base by the latter stages of Liam Manning’s tenure.
Vladan Kovacevic – a quiet day at the King Power (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
I think that most of us had expected a really tough game, but the reality is that City looked really comfortable throughout, with Vladan Kovacevic largely a spectator and the only real question was whether the Foxes would be able to keep them out.
Leicester may have had the big names and the big pay packets, but City had the heart and the conviction, and an absolute belief in themselves and their head coach.
Harry Winks, reputedly on £90k per week, was utterly dominated by the imperious Kenny McLean while Ollie Skipp looked a pale shadow of the player who once looked so good in a City shirt.
Before the arrival of Philippe Clement, City were defensively suspect, but now the back six is a truly formidable unit. They are highly disciplined and provide a solid base that allows the creative players to flourish.
City’s press was incessant throughout, and a Leicester player evading one yellow shirt would invariably find himself faced by one or two more. The level of desire from the City players was off the scale.
A key element in that was Sam Field. Much of what he does goes below the radar, but at the King Power he was everywhere and invariably the first to arrive at a breakdown, as well as being involved in the first goal. However, the greatest compliment that can be paid to him is that Pelle Mattsson has hardly been missed, although the sight of the Dane back on the training pitch will be welcomed by City fans.
Liam Gibbs – highly effective for City at Leicester (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
Liam Gibbs also had a tremendous game, and while still underrated by some he is clearly highly regarded by his team-mates and Clement, despite constantly being asked to play out of position in order to help the team.
However, what Clement is building is not just a squad and a team that will out-work opponents, but one which also has the creativity to unlock the most determined defences and the confidence to knock the ball around and starve their opponents of possession.
This team is really good to watch and that was reflected in an incredibly buoyant away section that played its part in making the King Power a home away from home for City, with the Leicester fans barely making themselves heard.
Those fans were leaving in droves after the second goal and the joyous chant of “Sexy football” that soundtracked City playing out the closing minutes in total control said it all.
Paris Maghoma is nowhere near to being fully fit, but he is already looking like an absolute bargain while Anis Ben Slimane continues to produce key goals, and the prospect of those two, along with Ali Ahmed, working with the firepower that City will eventually get back from the treatment room is genuinely mouthwatering.
However, for the present, Clement still has to make do and mend with a squad that is threadbare in some areas and lacks depth overall due to the long injury list.
As in the previous round of the FA Cup, that creates a huge selection dilemma. With a cushion of 11 points to the relegation zone, safety may be almost assured, but with three games in seven days ahead, the Belgian will have to be very careful about how he uses Ben Chrisene and Mathias Kvistgaarden in particular, given the lack of cover for each.
However, Clement doesn’t do half measures, and he’ll be going to Elland Road to win.