In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports’ Simon Ormiston back in December, Leicester City manager Claude Puel said that his football philosophy had been influenced by Pep Guardiola. Puel admired his counterpart’s attacking style and his team ethic when defending.
There are now indicators that Puel’s approach to the 2018/19 season could mirror the intentions of the Manchester City manager. Three of these indicators are examined below:
Young, quick wing-backs
Last summer, Pep Guardiola traded in his four ageing full-backs for younger models Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo. Guardiola’s aim was to bring the average age down in this position and inject pace into a key area.
When Claude Puel arrived at Leicester City, he could still call on the services of 2015/16 title-winning full-backs Danny Simpson (31 years) and Christian Fuchs (32). Puel’s preference on the left though, was England U-21 International Ben Chilwell.
Leicester City’s first signing of the summer is right- back Ricardo Pereira. An attacking player with solid defensive attributes, Pereira is just 24 years old.
Last season, Manchester City’s full-backs often pushed inside diagonally to sit as a defensive midfield three. They sat either side the holding midfield player (often Fernandinho).
The reasoning behind this is closing the space available for the opposition and preventing the possibility of quick counter attacks. When Manchester City attacked, they became wing-backs. They reverted to their wider starting positions to offer support to the attacking midfield players and wide men.
For Leicester City to model this, they needed youth, pace and an attacking intent from either full back position. They now have this with Pereira and Chilwell.
A solid holding midfield player
Wilfred Ndidi totalled 138 tackles in the 2017/18 Premier League – more than any other player. He also made 50 interceptions and won 117 aerial challenges. Has Ndidi finally filled the void left by N’Golo Kante in the summer of 2016?
But, what currently separates Kante from Ndidi is his ability to drive with the ball and play into key areas. Ndidi needs to develop this, but it is worth noting that he is five years younger than the French star.
Deploying Ndidi in a holding midfield role (like Fernandinho plays at Manchester City) would appear to be a perfect solution to maximise his attributes. Sitting deep in a midfield three with the two attacking midfielders would achieve balance. Adrien Silva, and maybe the rumoured Jack Grealish or James Maddison would complete the trio.
Farewell to the ‘inverted’ wingers
One of Claudio Ranieri’s key tactical switches when he arrived at Leicester City was to play a left-footed wide man on the right (Riyad Mahrez) and a right-footed wide man on the left (Marc Albrighton). The theory was that they would drive inside towards goal to create chances for the front men as well as creating the opportunities to score themselves. This worked almost perfectly for the club in 2015/16.
You cannot doubt the work rate of Marc Albrighton, but signings made by the club suggested that they were unsure of his technical quality. Demarai Gray, Ahmed Musa and Bartosz Kaputska were all signed with a view to replace Albrighton, but none were up to the standard required at the time. The end of the ‘inverted’ wingers at Leicester City now appears close with the impending sale of Riyad Mahrez.
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Pep Guardiola’s preference is a front three. Last season, his wide berths were predominantly filled by left-footed Leroy Sane on the left, and right footed Raheem Sterling on the right. If you analyse the starting positions of these players in an attacking transition, you will note that they are as wide as can be on either touchline.
This placement allows the two attacking midfielders and the wing-backs space to attack and drive the defensive team backwards.
In January 2018, Puel brought young and quick left-footed winger Fousseni Diabate to the club. Like Sane, he tends to operate from the left flank. Diabate is the first addition to offer a true challenge to Marc Albrighton in this position. With Mahrez leaving, is it now also time for Demarai Gray to finally step up and switch to the right? This would give the Foxes two top players whose predominant foot is the same as the side of the pitch they would start.
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Conclusions
Utilising the 4-3-3 system would seem to be a logical approach for Claude Puel to maximise the attributes of his current players. The additions of Diabate and Pereira also back this up. Puel has no history of operating three at the back so sitting Wilfred Ndidi ahead of the defence should allow the team maximum opportunities to break the opposition down in the 2018/19 season.