Why Brendan Rodgers altered Leicester City system, formation in first game

Leicester City obviously struggled to find the net during their 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, this is Brendan Rodgers’ explanation why.

Brendan Rodgers is a top-quality boss – nobody is disputing that fact.  But the Leicester City gaffer’s tactics were not perfect for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers. 0-0 was the final score in a game in which Leicester failed to create cutting edge chances.

A draw is not the end of the world; it isn’t a huge issue by any means either. In fact Rodgers tweaked a system that was already working very well for his Foxes side. What do they say? ‘Never change a winning team’, isn’t it?

An interchangeable 4-1-4-1 has been used by the Northern Irishman most often during his Leicester career. That set-up essentially becomes a 4-1-2-3 in attack mode. Width, as managers that employ this arrangement always say, is provided by the forward-thinking full-backs.

In the Foxes’ case they have two of the best left and right-sided defenders in the Premier League – if not the world: Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira. Both of whom are deserving of Champions League football. Hopefully that’ll be with the King Power club next campaign.

James Maddison and Youri Tielemans are the ingenuity of the outfit; that is, when they’re played together as two No.8s. Against Wolves Maddison was stuck out on the left; a complete waste and mistaken positioning. Although he still gets involved positively.

A lack of sharpness was evident due to it being the first match of a hotly contested season. However, the former Celtic chief came in for criticism for being too defensive versus a team that travelled around 6,000 miles that week.

Rodgers spoke to local reporters following the contest, giving reason for the switch:

"The City boss explained: “It was just, with two players either side of Jamie (Vardy), so that we could try to provoke the three centre halves, so you had Jamie central and Ayoze (Perez) and James (Maddison) just playing off and the width then coming from the full-backs.“It was 4-3-3, but just a different shape coming at the front. When we felt we needed more football in the middle of the field, Hamza (Choudhury) came off – and he did a good job – and then we put James back and put a winger on to look to stretch the game again.”Via: Leicester Mercury"

Now, usually we’d advocate the two-defensive-midfielders layout for game at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge; yet after the Pensioners’ heavy defeat by Manchester United and Leicester’s strikers like Vardy ready to pounce – Foxes of Leicester suggest the usual formation.

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This means reverting back to Wilfred Ndidi deep, with Maddison and Tielemans advancing centrally from midfield as the nucleus. Bring in either Harvey Barnes or Demarai Gray as well. The latter should be finally shocked into consistently producing. Gray was completely dropped for the Wolves outing.

How do you think Leicester City should line-up against Chelsea? Tell us in the comments section.