Leicester City 0-4 Liverpool: The tactical error that helped the Reds

Leicester City were catapulted out of the King Power Stadium by a stellar  performance from Liverpool.

It is not that the defeat came as a surprise. Most Leicester fans – and maybe Brendan Rodgers – were prepared to end up on the wrong end despite being very quietly sanguine about a decent result.

The facile manner in which the home side were shrugged off, however, is what left most transfixed, which is understandable, given how typical it has become of Leicester this season to do the same to their opponents.

But it had to happen. Yes, Leicester have been playing the sort of football that Matthew Arnold would identify as “High Art” but it does not necessarily mean that tactically, they are the same level as the elite. This is where the difference comes in.

The very best are tactically intelligent. It does not take them too long to take note of a chink in the armour, and that’s what Liverpool did. Rodgers stuck to the plan that very nearly worked in the reverse fixture at Anfield but here, Jurgen Klopp was a step or two ahead already – as Virgil Van Dijk revealed after the 4-0 win.

"“Maddison was playing inside so we had to find [Trent], we had to switch the ball quick, get him in open spaces, and we did that well – and obviously he did well too!” he said“They had a gameplan. And I think they did the same at Anfield and it worked pretty well for them. They might have thought they’ll do the same, try to isolate me with Barnes and Joe with Vardy.“But it didn’t work out too well for them. Obviously we had to exploit the spaces that they give us, and I think we did that very well.”"

Leicester, for all of their zeal and zest and what not, are still far off on the tactical front and there’s no shame in accepting it. After all, this team is very much a work in progress.

Games like these can be discouraging but as a young group of players operating under a brilliant manager, you just have to learn your lessons well and keep evolving.