Wilfred Ndidi’s return Leicester City’s biggest positive on a frustrating night

Leicester City supporters endured an exasperating night at the King Power Stadium on Thursday, playing out a 1-1 stalemate with Spartak Moscow. 

The upshot of that result means the Foxes are third in their Europa League group on five points, two behind Group C leaders Napoli and one adrift of Legia Warsaw. 

When you consider they were a Jamie Vardy penalty away from moving joint-top in the standings, perhaps the annoyance grows. The Englishman had his spot-kick saved by Aleksandr Selikhov three minutes after his 71st-minute introduction, potentially denying the East Midlands side a first home win in this year’s competition.

Hidden underneath the broader frustration, though, was the awaited return of Wilfred Ndidi, making his first appearance since hurting his hamstring in a 2-2 draw with Burnley in the Premier League in late September. 

Having been out for a run of games for club and country, Leicester and Nigeria are set to be beneficiaries of his comeback this month and beyond. 

The Foxes conceded an average of 1.75 goals in all competitions in his absence compared to 1.5 goals with him in the side, and his presence in the heartbeat of the side’s midfield could resolve a concern Brendan Rodgers pointed out post-match.

“I thought we played well. We had a moment in the second half where we didn’t track the runs into the box and we got punished for it,” the Leicester boss stated after Thursday’s draw. 

“It’s happened to us before, at the weekend, so it’s something we need to look at. We spoke about it.  

"It’s the dirty side of the game you’ve got to do. You’ve got to sprint when the ball’s gone past you. We didn’t go that well enough and the gap opened up.”

While Ndidi doesn’t wholly solve the aforementioned issue, his reading of the game and inclination to snuff out potentially dangerous situations reduces the chances of Rodgers’ team letting in cheap goals once he gets up to speed. 

With the international break coming up, the Northern Irishman will hope his midfield lynchpin gets reasonable consideration with the Super Eagles and returns unscathed for pivotal Europa League games and a busy Christmas schedule. 

Leicester’s rued Thursday’s stalemate, but Ndidi’s 32-minute appearance was the undoubted positive on an otherwise disappointing night. 

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Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

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