Philip Billing proved once again that Bournemouth won the King Power Credit match: Getty Images/Stephen White Leicester City vs Bournemouth Match Summary
Saturday at King Power Stadium, one player stood physically and metaphorically head and shoulders above the rest: Philip Billing. Bournemouth match winner and quietly dominant talisman.
It was his second decisive intervention in recent weeks and he also won a win in mid-March against Liverpool. Priceless.
“He was great again,” said Gary O’Neill. “He's been around for a while. He gets another target with a moment of calm.”
Also, a necessary target. Bournemouth dominated and deserved the lead. But up to this point they have been wasteful.
It was Billing—and only Billing—that looked like a capable «point of contention» between the two parties. The departure snippets are as crazy as the first off-peak train leaving King's Cross on public holiday eve. Thus, a player capable of thoughtful thinking, deft touches and quality moments is of inestimable value.
Billing's shooting accuracy puts him in the top 20 in the Premier League. Naturally, he's left-handed, and all of his last three punches have come from the right. His goals this season have been achieved thanks to an xG of just 3.86. Impressive though this figure may seem, it needs to be softened: few exceed this figure for a long period of time.
But Billing is included not only because of its offensive performance. True, he operates immediately behind Dominic Solanke in a smooth 4-4-1-1 pattern. This reflects the #10 role he played under Jonathan Woodgate at the end of the 2020–21 season (11 goals scored in 15 games).
However, Billing mostly played to the left of the midfield three under Scott Parker last season, and this season he has started in a more reclusive role. Although O'Neal has moved him higher again, Billing's defensive qualities remain critical.
Billing celebrates his winning goal in » Leicester» which led Bournemouth out of the drop zone. Photo: Reuters/Ian Walton
Four times against Leicester, he took the ball in opposition territory. He made half a dozen restorations in the same area. According to FBref statistics, he leads Bournemouth in the number of tackles won and blocked shots. Thus, he is an indispensable player in midfield.
For almost four seasons since signing with Billing, the opinion of the fans was divided. There are 'lovers' and 'haters' of the £15m man from Huddersfield.
Part of the skepticism stems from the fact that Billing's first two seasons in the top flight ended with successive relegations at different clubs. He only scored three goals and one assist in 61 games. But two years in the Championship has given him time to escape the spotlight.
His optics probably work against him too. Stylistically, Billing is not what people expect. Yes, he is 6 feet 5 inches. But he is more Paul Pogba than Marouane Fellaini. More sluggish than looming.
Take sets. He usually either stands over them or hides at the edge of the area. It was obvious on Saturday: five minutes later, a magnificent free-kick touched the post. Later, Billing crouched on the edge of the box from around the corner, knocking down the semi-clearance with a perfect touch and testing Daniel Iversen. He has yet to score a header this season.
Manager after manager thinks Billing's ceiling is high. Parker talked about it at length, and O'Neal has similar thoughts: “We keep pushing him, we keep trying to get more out of him. He's a great guy, works hard and has a lot of ability.»
Asked if Billing is the dressing room leader, O'Neal explained: «He's not a screamer. He leads the way in how he goes to a football game. He brings calmness, confidence and will demand from others if he feels they are not working.»
Billing requires survival. And at this pace, he will lead Bournemouth to this.
Leicester shows Marsh the extent of the work on the way to relegation
With even James Maddison having a negative impact, Leicester City is really deep in the quagmire. It was the sloppy back pass of their number 10 that gave Philip Billing the game-tying goal in what was frankly a disturbing and whimpering spectacle for the Fox. Much more clumsiness than cunning.
The fact that Maddison was inside his half, making a rare mistake, summed up Lester's performance. During extended periods, they made an excellent impression as a team on their feet, participating in low-intensity pseudo friendlies at the end of the season.
But this is far from their reality. Leicester are on their way to relegation like a lunatic. A single point in eight league games shattered confidence. Jesse Marsh has a lot to think about if, as expected, he is announced as the successor to Brendan Rodgers in the coming days.
After slipping to nine home league defeats, Leicester should cheer up, and do so quickly . Losing top scorer Harvey Barnes to a late-stage injury hardly helped. At the end, fans questioned their overall fitness to wear the shirt.
Patson Duck comforting James Maddison after his mistake gave Bournemouth the winner. Photo: Getty Images/Matthew Lewis
The pace, or lack thereof, suited Bournemouth. It was a lesson in game management from Gary O'Neill. A little more quality ahead before the break and if it wasn't for some crazy Leicester defending after it, their day could have been even more comfortable. inevitable late rise. «The Reds don't go to bed,» shouted the visitors. And they might as well just do it.
Billing could score a hat-trick with an early free-kick over the post before forcing Daniel Iversen to make a clever half-corner save.
O'Neal, however, never settled. During the first 20 minutes, he had a lengthy discussion with Marcus Tavernier, who replaced him. He argued that his frustration was centered on Dango Ouattara. The last fruitless attacking attack led to the appearance of Tavernier in the 38th minute. Almost instantly, Bournemouth took the lead. Given Maddison's error, any causal link would be negligible.
After the break, Iversen and some general defensive determination, especially from Wout Faes, kept Leicester in the game.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Duck's arrival was greeted with a roar and it was sad to see Jamie Vardy trotting away after an ineffective day. A handful of ardent Leicester fans rose to applaud. But most have gone further. March, probably, too.
Line-ups for Leicester City vs Bournemouth
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