Matt Elliott

5-1 up at half-time sounds pretty good.

Matt Elliott is still alongside me to assess what we've seen and there's plenty to talk about and a very pleasing first half that, Matt.

Yeah, very much so.

I mean, five going on a good few more, possibly.

The damage done in the first half, really, a hat-trick from Admir Bristric.

Two from Tommy Watson, Pullum did pull one back just before half-time through Seth Chiguaro, but then early in the second half, Bobby Di Cordova-Reed smushed one in from Reyes.

six goals from the start of the campaign in this competition that Leicester would have wanted morale boosting confidence boosting a pretty positive night Matt Elliott very much so from the off

after the first 20 seconds or so Fulham came forward and I don't think Leicester needed that wake-up call but it was a little bit of an eye-opener to see what they were up against and but to ward off any any silliness Leicester stepped into gear didn't they and some really impressive performances all round right across the front line throughout the entirety of the team really the two centre-halves had a pretty pretty much a night off by and large you still had to stay focused but I thought they were there were individual performances from all areas, really.

What were your thoughts of him in this game?

but he was pretty good Chris he actually looked like an attacking left back and I think that's something we have to give credit to to uh Russell Martin because just like uh Matt Elliott and now I thought it was Alves that got the assist but no it was Luke Thomas and

yeah

all right he had that chance where he could have squared it to Reese but and he probably he probably got blood rushing to his head realizing he was in the box but Chris he had a really controlled game and I know I know um Steve put out a tweet saying, wow, Faze and Luke Thomas in Leicester's back line in 2026 were crying emojis.

Here's how the story unfolded on Matchday Live.

Well good afternoon welcome along to Matchday Live here live on Fox's Hub here sat in the press box at Oakwell the home of course of Barnsley for Leicester City's latest League One game and another away game as well where hopefully the Foxes can follow what they did a week ago I'm Dan Bates Matt Elliott is sat alongside me here in the press box at a classic football ground Matt you can you can you can certainly say

that yeah that's one way of describing it it's uh a few memories of yourself from playing here back in the day looks a little bit more polished now than it was but yeah it's probably an old school feel isn't it we're right on the top of a massive hill up here in the heights of Barnsley and the four corners are pretty much empty aren't they other than the promotional section for want of a better word but yeah it's a real football stadium isn't it you know the weather's a little bit grey and drizzly perfect football conditions pitch is superb as is always the case these days and A big challenge for both teams

ahead.

And Seb Stockbridge has a big decision to make and he's going to show the red card.

Yep, 1-0 to the Foxes at the break.

Matt Elliott still alongside me there to assess that.

Liam Cullen again for the second time in the space of a week, Matt, opening the scoring for the Foxes and hopefully things will stay that way as they did a week ago.

Yeah, and again, I'll draw from my experience.

When I first was able to break into the first team at Leicester City, I'm playing alongside people like Matt Elliott or Nikos Stabizas, who had... great Premier League careers and for me to be playing against somebody my or next to somebody my own age there was no one there to help help us out so to have somebody that you can draw on their communication like I think Owen said at one point we scored the goal to go 2-1 up and Lundström's grabbing Louis Page and and shouting something in his ear I believe it was positive and telling him what to do but he didn't have that last week did he so I To bring that together against a team that was so big and strong and physical in Stockport today and after they had such a good result last weekend, having him in that team will help and will inspire everyone else around us.

What I would say, Jack, is that I think it was our third goal.

I'm going to give credit to Louis Page again for bringing the ball down, under pressure, a nice little relaxed pass to Will Alves, he did a little shimmy, he turned, he ran forward, but you know I was telling them to do it, I saw it, Lundström next to him, he's communicating, he's telling them time, he's telling them drive with the ball.

But, yeah, no, I didn't have a – it's funny, you know.

Matty Elliott was a coach when I got myself in trouble a few times and, you know, we'd rock up on the Monday and we'd have a look at it and Matty would be like, no, we'll fight this, we'll get off this.

And I go, yeah, we're going to get a lawyer.

He goes, no, I'll do it, I'll do it.

He named about four players that he said were in his leadership group, as he calls it.

But is situations like this where maybe there is a flaw to that system? Does it sometimes just need that one figure, the Steve Walsh, Matt Elliott, Jerry Taggart, who is known as the leader by everybody.

Jamie Vardy in his own way.

Sort of that, that one person that everybody in the dressing room looks to, who can both be an extension of the manager and also somebody that challenges and is comfortable challenging the manager, and is comfortable telling a few home truths when things aren't good enough.

If he's been captain before, and Lundström as well, one of them surely is the captain.

Now, Matt Elliott, actually, he did say former Leicester City and former Oxford.

Remember, that's where he came from before signing for Leicester City.

The best team Leicester have faced by a long way.

Welcome back to Matchday Live here at King Power Stadium.

Live with me, Dan Bates, and Matt Elliott as Leicester host a home game for the second time this week.

The first game ended in that 2-0 win over Plymouth and from that, Russell Martin decides to make three changes to the side that beat the Pilgrims.

One is enforced as Jakub Stelarsic was stretchered off after just three minutes on Tuesday.

In behind that man, Emile Riis.

On the bench, it's Ravazzoli, Bristic, O'Hara, Howell, Watson, Kamari Doyle, arrival from Brighton on deadline day on loan, as well as Olabade Oluoko.

Matt Elliott alongside me, it's the same back four, different back five, obviously with the goalkeeper, we'll touch on that in a moment, I know we've spoken about that when we were pitch side, just the back four itself staying the same with Suter and Thomas two clean sheets in a row you can kind of understand why they've done that yeah

it was mentioned after the game wasn't it about two clean sheets and however you achieve them they're always nice to have under your belt McCarthy was needed too often in the final stages of the game on Tuesday but overall I thought it was a decent performance and defensively they were reasonably solid when you think about MK Don's game they weren't put under too much pressure were they too often and Luke Thomas has been a revelation quite frankly hasn't he at centre half a lot of doubters him slotted in that position alongside Harry's suit, a little and large combination, but complementing each other pretty well, pretty effectively, and the two full-backs have been...

But I do love the young players coming through and it is vitally important that you have that good mix of young and youth.

Me, thinking back to when I was lucky enough to come through, having players like Matt Elliott, who we're still speaking to now, and Muzzy Izzett trying to help you through them tough times on the pitch.

If it's just full of youth players, then who's going to be there just to grab you by the scruff of the neck and tell you when you're doing something wrong or...

Even giving you a pat on the back, it's a different pat on the back when you're getting it from a seasoned professional compared to the lad that you've been in digs with since, I don't know, you've been 15, 16 years old.