Player rantings vs. Southampton

I think you have to give Puel credit today. It's always difficult to find the right balance between attack and defence, to even them out accordingly. Puel found it today. Both were equally sh!te.

Here are some numbers. Whether they're out of 10 or 100, I'll let you decide.

Schmeichel: 4 - Partly responsible for the penalty with some bad distribution and looked like he could have done better with the second.
Ricardo: 5 - His touch deserted him. Just wasn't his day.
Morgan: 6 - EDIT: Turns out he wasn't as bad as a I thought.
Maguire: 6 - Dependable at the back, but showed why he should never be considered as a defensive midfielder; when he does come forward with the ball he's very indecisive and wants a lot of touches. Should have been instructed to joint the front line on around 60 minutes when it became clear that Southampton were just sitting in.
Chilwell: 6 - Caught some of what was going around with some daft mistakes in the first half. Kept going and trying in the second as he tried to find a way around the packed opposition defence.
Ndidi: 3 - Utterly shocking. Couldn't control the ball, couldn't pass, too often out of position and just wandering around the pitch looking confused about what he should be doing. The best and worst bit came when he controlled the ball so badly that he managed instead to bundle it toward goal and beat the keeper. Like Carlton Palmer reborn.
Choudhury: 6 - At least showed the drive to battle, and to try to make something happen. Often found himself in unfamiliar territory as a result. My choice for our MOTM, if such a thing existed in this match.
Mendy: 3 - Was doing averagely at best until he made a complete hash of things at the end of the first half, allowing Shane Long in to double the Saints' lead. EDIT: Turns out he was the one who gave the penalty away. So he wasn't doing as well as I thought. Which was a 4.
Albrighton: 5 - Harried and showed energy; nothing really came off for him.
Maddison: 6 - Although it was a bad performance overall, it would have been even worse if not for Maddison at least trying to conduct some play in the final third. It wasn't his fault that his teammates were useless.
Vardy: 4 - Got little service, but lost the ball when he did get it. Took to diving in the opposition box in an attempt to get anything from the game.

Gray: 5 - Danced around the ball a bit but offered nothing in terms of delivery or final product.
Barnes: 6 - Looked lively and keen to make an impression, making a lot of good runs and contributing some intricate play in tight situations that ultimately didn't get through anywhere. I fear my suspicions that he should have stayed in the Championship for now are correct though.
Ghezzal: 4 - Came on, kept not putting in crosses, passed the ball backwards. The usual.


Puel asked pre-match for there to be a reaction to the Newport defeat, and he got one. That reaction appeared to be sobbing and self-pity.
Of course, on the other hand, there's apparently no way that we can compete with the likes of Wolves and Everton so perhaps we should all just be grateful that we get to see the likes of Shane Long in the flesh, gracing the King Power pitch and owning our defenders.