The woes of Wilfred Ndidi: Are we seeing the best of him?

After joining Leicester City for just £15 million in January 2017, Wilfred Ndidi certainly hit the ground running for Leicester City. Is altering his role the way to get more from the Nigerian:

Wilfred Ndidi appeared in all four of Leicester City’s Champions League knock-out fixtures, as fans dared to believe that they had replaced N’golo Kante just six months after losing him.

However, two years on, Ndidi is showing signs of stagnation for the Foxes under manager Claude Puel. Despite maintaining the impressive stat of 3.1 tackles per match this season, the Nigerian has failed to improve his overall game at Leicester.

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With an average of just 0.7 Key Passes per match – statistics via WhoScored – he does not seem to be developing into the box-to-box type of player that we were hoping for.

Are we asking too much of Ndidi?

Yes, maybe. There is no doubt Ndidi is an exceptional ball-winner with serious aerial presence, unlike his French predecessor. Although, the 22-year-old’s passing often leaves a lot to be desired, and should be improved upon by more directly targeting in training sessions by the gaffer.

It is possible that he is simply being asked to do too much in holding midfield. Both the Nigeria international and Papy Mendy are very similar players whose primary function seems to be regaining possession, a dynamic that clearly does not suit the Nigerian. Because the tactic asks him to perform too many roles, unnecessarily complicating his game.

It is a similar situation for Leicester City legend and champion, Kante, at Chelsea under new boss Maurizio Sarri. The World Cup winner has been given a more advanced midfield role that does not play to his strengths, while overwhelming him with more attacking responsibilities.

In contrast, Ndidi arguably played his best football alongside Danny Drinkwater, a far more creative midfielder, as he only had to worry about recovering the ball; complimenting one another well.

A new system for Leicester City

However, it looks highly unlikely that Drinkwater will return to Leicester, despite reportedly becoming increasingly unsettled at Stamford Bridge. Instead, Adrien Silva could be the solution for Ndidi, after Puel’s change of heart this week regarding the Portuguese international.

If we accept that Ndidi is at his best when his sole job is to win possession back, he could be deployed in a similar role adopted by Fernandinho at Man City: a defensive midfielder sitting between the defence and two creative midfielders.

This system could be the ideal solution for Leicester City’s attacking problems – chiefly breaking down deep, resilient defences, especially at the King Power Stadium. Of course, there’s also the excellent Hamza Choudhury for Ndidi to worry about taking his place.

We know that Puel has faith in his starlet, saying upon tying Ndidi down to a new contract that runs until 2024:

"“We forget almost he is just 21. It is crazy.“He is like an experienced player and he makes a lot of progress and continues to improve.“He is a ball-winner but now he improves on the ball. He is comfortable and has good control and passes.”(Via: Leicester Mercury)"

In conclusion, this writer believes Leicester City should be getting the best out of a player who is currently valued at a whopping €55 million by The Football Observatory. This can potentially be achieved in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 system.