Jonny Evans’s Renaissance – A True Leader For Leicester

One of the main reasons for Leicester City’s amazing form, Jonny Evans has become a true stalwart in the heart of the Foxes’ defense as they continue to limit opposing attackers.

When Harry Maguire left Leicester City for a cool £80 million to join Manchester United, fans wondered if the typically reliable defense would crumble without him.

Well, few months in and fans can proudly say that is far from the case, as Leicester possess arguably the strongest defense in the Premier League. This defense has only allowed 9 goals this year, which is 1st in the league and tied with surprise Europa League contenders Sheffield United. One of the key reasons for this is Jonny Evans, who has shown to be the perfect partner for Caglar Soyuncu.

The pairing have dominated rankings, with Soyuncu ranking 3rd and Evans ranking 11th, per NBC Sports. While the spotlight has been mostly on Soyuncu, Evans has been critical while maintaining a low-key profile that leads many into underrating him. Let’s take a look at how Jonny Evans has truly become one of the best center backs in the Premier League.

Brains With Added Brawn

During his time with Manchester United and West Brom, Jonny Evans was a lean center back with plus speed, but never possessed man stopping strength. He had a tendency to get bullied by bigger target forwards and had to rely on partners like Chris Smalling for raw power.

After injuries hampered his first year with the Foxes, Evans decided to change his routine. Rob Tanner from The Athletic suggests that Evans focused on strength training this past off-season as he recovered from his various nagging injuries that often bothered him throughout his career. He even changed his diet and was able to tack on pounds of muscle along with a reduction to his already solid body-fat ratio.

With this added strength, he can confidently displace strikers that used to overpower him. One thing Evans has always possessed is sheer intelligence. He went to the Ashton-on-Mersey school in Manchester and schooled everyone, earning nine GCSEs with straight A’s. This adds into his tactical awareness and clean tackling, which are staples in his game.

The Northern Irishman is the brain of the defense while Soyuncu is the brawn – and even the magician when he starts dribbling. A prime example of Evan’s class tackling was epitomized by the sexy slide tackle vs Tottenham, where he displaced a rampaging Harry Kane with absolute precision. Even at his age, Evans remains a true student of the game of tackling but looks like a professor doing it.

Veteran Presence

When one looks at the starting 11 of the famed 2015 squad that won the league, the back-line was very experienced. Now, it’s vibrant and youthful but a veteran is always needed to instill some composure and discipline. That’s Jonny Evan’s role now. With Ol’ Wes Morgan taking a mentoring role off the bench, Evans is now needed to command the starting backline. And boy, has he done well.

He’s led the Leicester defense and helped keep them composed, which has led to Leicester only having 12 bookings, good for 1st in the league. He’s been a guiding hand for Soyuncu and his development, and their connection has been splendid, especially when they’re passing.

Evan’s passing has always been an under appreciated aspect of his game, especially when he was at United, but Brendan Rodgers has allowed it to shine. He commands the ball with a certain presence and distributes it well. He maintains possession but can spark an attack with one pass, as seen in the 9-0 demolishing of Southampton.

As seen in the replay, Evan’s pass to Ricardo Pereira initiates the attack.

Closing Thoughts and Transfer Rumors

Evans has really come into his own this year and shown the world what he’s truly capable of. The potential he showed at Manchester United has come to fruition. His form has, of course, led to rumors that clubs like Man City will buy him and Soyuncu this winter, according to Sky Sports.

Rumors aside, Leicester struck gold when they activated West Brom’s £3.5m relegation clause for him. Highway robbery. Here’s to more gorgeous slide tackles Jonny. Comment how much you love Jonny down below. West Brom fans are welcome.