Premier League: Leicester City, Arsenal play out dull draw; still without a win in new season

Leicester: Premier League champions Leicester City and last season's runners-up Arsenal remain without a win this season after a slow-burning 0-0 draw at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Beaten 2-1 at promoted Hull City last weekend, Leicester avoided the ignominy of becoming the first English champions to lose their first two games since Aston Villa in 1981.

But Claudio Ranieri's side were frustrated by two unsuccessful penalty shouts -- one in each half -- and also lost full debutant Nampalys Mendy to an apparent ankle injury.

Arsenal looked far more robust than the team beaten 4-3 by Liverpool a week ago and were able to welcome back Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud from their post-Euro 2016 breaks.

But with the season only two games old, both Arsene Wenger's men and Leicester are already five points off the pace set by Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Hull.

Ranieri had given starts to Demarai Gray and new signings Luis Hernandez and Ahmed Musa at Hull, but he reverted to last season's formula for the visit of Arsenal, three months on from his side's title coronation.

Robert Huth returned from suspension in place of Hernandez, along with Marc Albrighton and Shinji Okazaki, and Mendy stepped into the midfield hole created by N'Golo Kante's move to Chelsea.

With Arsenal dominating possession on a blustery East Midlands afternoon, it also allowed Leicester to adopt the counter-attacking formula that saw them storm the table in the first half of last season.

Arsenal were reduced to potshots, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in for the injured Alex Iwobi, curling wide and Santi Cazorla, who replaced the hamstrung Aaron Ramsey, shooting straight at Kasper Schmeichel.

The first moment of contention in the Arsenal box occurred late in the half, after Petr Cech had saved at the feet of Jamie Vardy.

Musa penalty appeal

Danny Drinkwater, following up, tumbled over Koscielny's outstretched leg, but referee Mark Clattenburg played on and despite the home fans' boos, television replays vindicated his call.

Leicester suffered a setback early in the second half when Mendy had to go off after seeming to injure his right ankle, with Andy King taking his place.

But the hosts began to show greater enterprise in attack, Riyad Mahrez drawing an untidy foul from Francis Coquelin and then whipping a shot narrowly over the bar from the free-kick that followed.

With the game becoming scrappy, Ranieri introduced Leonardo Ulloa to the mix and with 20 minutes to play Vardy spurned a gilt-edged chance to break the deadlock.

Albrighton caught Granit Xhaka dawdling and sent the ball skidding into Vardy's path, but with Koscielny sliding in to close him down, the England man skewed his shot wide.

Wenger sent on Jack Wilshere, Ozil and Giroud from the bench and the visitors began to make inroads.

Theo Walcott threatened twice, forcing a save from Schmeichel and a fine, stretching block from Wes Morgan, while Alexis Sanchez teed up Ozil for an effort that drew Schmeichel racing from his line to block.

But Leicester saw a strong penalty appeal turned away late on when Hector Bellerin appeared to trip substitute Musa in a tangle of legs just inside the box, only for Clattenburg to shake his head once more.

There was time for one last scare in the Arsenal box as Mahrez left Koscielny on the deck before taking aim, but Cech parried to extend his side's unbeaten run against Leicester to 22 games.

Arsenal: Who’s Right About Jamie Vardy; Paul Merson Or Ian Wright?

Paul Merson and Ian Wright have had their say on the ongoing debate among Arsenal circles: Does Jamie Vardy fit Arsene Wenger’s style of play? The two disagree, which leads me to the question: Which of the Arsenal legends is right about the Leicester forward?

It is an unusual situation to be in as an Arsenal fan. Being able to speculate about the possibility of a major signing joining the club, dream about how they may fit into the system, the successes and failures of a possible transfer.

This is what Arsenal fans, pundits and ex-players are all doing with the potential signing of Jamie Vardy, and there are some differing opinions on the Leicester City striker.

In particular, ex-Arsenal players Paul Merson and Ian Wright have both had their say on how Vardy will fit into Arsenal’s side, and their positions on the matter are polar opposite. Speaking to Sky Sports, Paul Merson criticized the potential move, stating that he didn’t see how Vardy’s game complimented the philosophy of Wenger:

“It doesn’t fit with me. Arsenal don’t get the ball forward quickly enough. I don’t get the transfer, I really don’t get it. No disrespect to Vardy but his strengths are getting the ball over the top. Teams come onto Leicester and they hit them on the counter. The vast majority of Vardy’s goals came from one-on-one with goalkeepers. Teams kick-off against Arsenal and immediately put 10 behind the ball and they’ve got to try and break them down.”

Merson certainly makes a valid point. Vardy plays to a very specific style, one that Arsenal do not employ. The counter attacking style that Leicester employed early in the season and saw Vardy flourish. However, as the year progressed, opposing teams began to sit deeper and Vardy’s goal scoring exploits did not match his form earlier in the year.

Ian Wright, on the other hand, is adamant that Vardy would succeed at the Emirates. While the aforementioned style clashes are cause for concern, Wright states:

“But if you’re a clever player – and Vardy is – then you have the ability to change your game. The idea you only have one way of playing is as insulting as it’s wrong. And so what if signing Vardy means teams suddenly start dropping deep to stop him getting in behind? If that happens, all it does is leave more space for the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and all those create sorts. I’m delighted to see Arsene going for an English striker who is a proven Premier League goalscorer. And, equally important, someone who is a winner.”

So, we here have two very differing opinions about whether Vardy fits into this Arsenal side. So who’s right?

Well, if you’ve followed any previous posts of mine, you will notice a trend; I am a huge fan of this signing. While there are valid concerns about a clash of styles, there is one thing that Vardy can do irrespective of how the team sets up, and that is score goals.

Vardy is a world class, proven Premier League goalscorer. He does not only possess great pace, is an excellent runner of the channels and a nuisance to any center half, but he is absolutely lethal in front of goal. Vardy can score a wide range of goals, he is an outstanding finisher, unlike current starting forward for Arsenal, Olivier Giroud.

This is why this would be such a good signing. Style concerns are fair, but they ultimately do not stack up to Vardy’s ability to ripple the net. He is the very best in the business, and he could well fire Arsenal to the Premier League title… if he joins.

English Premier League international break: How EPL stars fared during Euro Qualifiers and friendlies

THE international football is done and dusted for another month, with players returning to their clubs.

Some players will be buzzing after steering their side to qualification success or for their individual performances. But there will be some Premier League managers ruing the fact their players went away, with a slew of stars picking up injuries.

Here’s our look at how your EPL club’s key players fared over the international break …

ARSENAL

We wonder if Arsene Wenger had his fingers and toes crossed when news emerged of Alexis Sanchez being cursed by a Peruvian witch doctor. We kid you not, the Chile star was the target of darK arts ahead of his side’s World Cup qualifier on Wednesday morning.

But it didn’t really work, with Sanchez netting twice in the 4-3 win. That came off the back of his 90th goal against Brazil, helping his side to a 2-0 win.

Mesut Ozil played two full 90s for Germany in wins over Ireland and Georgia while there were plenty of goalscorers — Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud were all on the scoresheet.

ASTON VILLA

There was extra time heartbreak for Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The USA were up against Mexico in a CONCACAF Confederations Cup playoff but a 118th minute goal consigned them to a 3-2 loss.

BOURNEMOUTH

Goalkeeper Artur Boruc sat on the bench for both of Poland’s Euro qualifiers against Ireland and Scotland. That meant Scottish Bournemouth teammate Matt Richie instead scored past Lukasz Fabianski in the 2-2 draw. Adam Federici was between the sticks for Australia in their loss to Jordan.

CHELSEA

We’ll start with the bad on the Chelsea front — Nemanja Matic was sent off for an intentional elbow in Serbia’s loss to Portugal. Matic had earlier played 73 minutes against Albania, where fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic was hooked after the hour mark.

Things were mixed for Cesc Fabregas, who got an assist against Luxembourg but missed a penalty v Ukraine, while Eden Hazard helped Belgium to the world number one ranking with two goals in games against Andorra and Israel.

Willian continued his fine form, scoring twice for Brazil against Venezuela.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Wayne Hennessey will be high on confidence. The Palace goalkeeper has started the last two EPL games and played his part in Wales qualifying for Euro 2016 — he got full games v Bosnia and Herzegovina and Andorra. Joe Ledley was also involved in the game against Andorra.

Yohan Cabaye was also in action, on target in France’s 4-0 win over Armenia.

EVERTON

Ross Barkley has transferred his impressive Premier League form onto the international stage, getting a goal and an assist in his two starts for England against Estonia and Lithuania.

John Stones was supposed to join him on England duty, but injury forced his withdrawal, but fellow defender Phil Jagielka got a full 90 minutes under his belt in the Lithuania win.

Also involved was Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy for Ireland, shocking Germany 1-0, while Romelu Lukaku started in Belgium’s win over Israel.

LEICESTER

Kasper Schmeichel was between the sticks for Denmark twice during the international break, while in form striker Jamie Vardy was rewarded with a full 90 minutes against Lithuania for England.

Japan’s Shinji Okazaki netted in a 3-0 win over Jordan, also coming off the bench against Iran on Wednesday.

LIVERPOOL

Four Liverpool player got minutes for England — with James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne, Danny Ings and Adam Lallana in action. But there was bad news for Joe Gomez, who picked up a season-ending injury playing for England Under 21s.

Simon Mignolet was between the sticks for Belgium in their wins over Israel and Andorra while Martin Skrtel helped Slovakia through Euro qualifications with a 4-2 win over Luxembourg. Mamadou Sakho played in France’s friendly win over Armenia.

MANCHESTER CITY

Aleksandar Kolorov lost the plot in Serbia’s loss to Portugal. Having earlier provided and assist for their first goal, the left back was then sent off for two yellow cards … BOTH coming within a minute of his substitution. Kolorov had scored a 91st minute against Albania in the previous game.

But that wasn’t the worst of things on the City front, with Sergio Aguero and David Silvapicking up injuries.

On the positive side, there were goals for Raheem Sterling (v Estonia) and Kevin De Bruyne(v Andorra and Israel), while Vincent Kompany got 60 minutes under his belt for Belgium.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Juan Mata might be in fine form for Manchester United but it wasn’t enough for him to break into the Spain starting XI, the playmaker twice coming off the bench against Ukraine and Luxembourg. In the game against Ukraine, goalkeeper David De Gea was in fine form, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win.

New star Anthony Martial played 88 minutes for France in the friendly win over Denmark while Daley Blind and Memphis Depay could do nothing during the Netherlands’ 3-2 loss to the Czech Republic as they crashed out of Euro qualifying.

The best of the bunch was Matteo Darmianwho scored his first ever goal for Italy in a 3-1 win over Azerbaijan before starting the next game against Norway.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Rock bottom and now without their goalkeeper, Newcastle have been dealt a blow with the season-ending injury to Tim Krul. He was in action for the Netherlands against Kazakhstan, a game where teammate Georginio Wijnaldum found the back of the net. Wijnaldum also played the full game against the Czech Republic, which the Dutch lost 3-2.

NORWICH CITY

Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan played a part in Ireland’s shock win over Germany in Euro qualifying. The duo both played the full game there, while Brady also played the full game against Poland. Also in action, Alexander Tettey scored two goals in two games for Norway v Italy and Malta.

SOUTHAMPTON

Graziano Pelle netted a late winner for Italy against Norway on Wednesday, seeing out the full 90 minutes. Also getting a full game under his belt was England’s Ryan Bertrand, continuing his return from injury against Estonia.

Shane Long scored the winner for Ireland v Germany after coming off the bench in the final half hour. He was then rewarded with a start in the following game against Poland, only to be stretchered off with an injury.

STOKE

Stoke’s Irish contingent got plenty of action over the international break, with Glen Whelan,Jon Walters (scored v Poland) and Shay Given (started and injured v Germany) involved.

Their best player so far, Jack Butland, was reward for his fine form with a second England cap and a clean sheet against Lithuania. Also, winger Marko Arnautovic scored in both of Austria’s games against Montenegro and Liechtenstein.

SUNDERLAND

John O’Shea just about got two full games under his belt. Marshalling the Ireland defence in their 1-0 win over Germany, the defender got sent off for a second yellow in the 92nd minute of the 2-1 loss to Poland.

Steven Fletcher notched up four goals, including a hat-trick against European minnows Gibraltar, while Swedish duoSebastian Larsson and Ola Toivonen saw minutes against Moldova and Liechtenstein.

SWANSEA

Ashley Williams was in the heart of defence for Wales against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Andorra as they celebrated breaking their international hoodoo by qualifying for Euro 2016. Also making it through to the end of season tournament was Gylfi Sigurdsson’sIceland — the midfielder scored against Latvia in the 2-2 draw.

Also on target was Ki Sung-yueng in a friendly against Jamaica while Jonjo Shelvey started in England’s win over Lithuania.

TOTTENHAM

Belgium trio Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Nacer Chadli were part of their nation’s success in reaching world number one but their feats were outdone by Dele Alli, who made his England debut over the international break.

The 19-year-old came off the bench for the final two minutes of England’s win over Estonia and later saw 25 minutes off the bench against Lithuania, a game where Kyle Walker got an assist. Harry Kane also netted a goal and an assist against Lithuania.

England's Harry Kane celebrates with Ross Barkley after scoring v Lithuania.Source: AFP

WATFORD

Reserve goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis saw three goals fly past him and into Lithuania’s goal in the loss to England, Jose Holebas played a full game for Greece against Northern Ireland and Odion Ighalo scored off the bench for Nigeria in their friendly win against Cameroon.

WEST BROM

Salomon Rondon’s Venezuela lost to both Paraguay and Brazil, with the striker playing two full games, Darren Fletcher played 74 minutes for Scotland against Poland and Chris Bruntwas part of Northern Ireland’s historic qualification for Euro 2016 — he played 180 minutes against Greece and Finland.

WEST HAM

Darren Randolph had an eventful game for Ireland against Germany, coming off the bench for injured goalkeeper Shay Given before setting up the assist for Shane Long’s shock winner. He then backed up with a full game against Poland but couldn’t stop Robert Lewandowski from scoring … again!