Leicester should use Caglar Soyuncu to partner Harry Maguire
It has been a mixed start to the season for Claude Puel’s men. Although Leicester City have mustered four wins from their first eight games in the Premier League, they have suffered an equal number of defeats. As a result, their inconsistent form sees them sitting 10th in the standings with 12 points from 8 games.
It would be harsh to say that the Foxes have been outrightly poor. In fact, they have the capacity to do a lot better, given that they have quite a few quality players in their ranks.
Claude Puel managed to bolster his squad, particularly the backline, with some reinforcements in the summer transfer window. Jonny Evans was brought in as a replacement for Robert Huth while the Foxes made the headlines by signing Caglar Soyuncu and Filip Benkovic.
Soyuncu, who moved to King Power Stadium from German club Freiburg for a fee of £19million, has featured for the U23 side but is yet to start a game in the Premier League. On the other hand, Benkovic, who was signed from Dinamo Zagreb for £13 million, has been loaned out to Celtic where he has shown a lot of promise.
However, much of Leicester’s inconsistent form has been down to their problems at the back. Soyuncu and Benkovic were expected to play a big part in the heart of the defence alongside Harry Maguire but neither of them has made it to the first-team.
Puel has preferred pairing Maguire and Wes Morgan at the back but things haven’t worked out for the Foxes and they have already shipped 12 goals so far.
While most of the World Cup players were eased back into action in the first few games of the Premier League, Maguire didn’t receive any break. He was forced back into action immediately after the World Cup ended and hasn’t had a respite from international duty in the UEFA Nations League. As a result, he has visibly looked fatigued in the recent fixtures and has slowed down a bit.
On the other hand, Wes Morgan doesn’t look fit enough for the Premier League at the age of 34. The veteran has clearly been off the pace and has been forced to make reckless challenges, leading to disastrous consequences.
The Jamaican has already received two red cards in the Premier League so far – one against Bournemouth and the other in the 2-1 defeat against Everton last weekend. He has maintained his defensive nous but not his mobility.
Going by his disciplinary record and the kind of form he has shown so far in the Premier League, Puel should avoid utilizing him as the first-choice centre-back.
Caglar Soyuncu had a good record as a centre-back at this previous club Freiburg. More so, the 22-year-old is a regular at the back for Turkey and has played the full ninety minutes of his nation’s UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Blessed with an excellent technique for a centre-back, Soyuncu has multiple attributes which make him a compact centre-back. Not only is he good in the air but also has great positional sense and awareness and does not hesitate to go into tackles.
An excellent reader of the game and a ball-playing centre-back, Soyuncu is adept at making crucial interceptions at the back and uses his impressive range of passing to set up attacks with accurate long balls. In fact, he averaged 1.6 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 3.4 clearances in the Bundesliga last season.
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Suffice to say, Soyuncu should be the ideal man to partner Harry Maguire in the heart of Leicester’s defence. It is high time that Puel starts using his £19million signing to add more stability to the backline. Soyuncu is still young and has all the qualities of developing into a world-class centre-back.
