Leicester 3-0 Zorya Luhansk: Three things we learned

Midfield runners key to Leicester City’s success

Stating the obvious, but Jamie Vardy’s game is different to Iheanacho’s. So when the Nigerian is playing there will be more of a reliance on the midfield to run beyond the striker and gamble on spaces appearing. This can all depend on how the opposition passes on marking duties to their defensive midfielders but inevitably strikers dropping in deep ask questions of defenders whether they follow their opposite number. Thats when the spaces really appear.

Harvey Barnes is key in that and was afforded lots of joy. Hitting the post, having one-on-ones and scoring a lovely goal on half time. His link up play with iheanacho was a joy to watch.

James Maddison also got involved more on this front offering much needed support in attacking areas although his natural game is more of the traditional number 10 finding spaces and exploiting key gaps between the lines. Maddison focused on these gaps and demonstrated how much he has been missed in recent weeks as he recuperates from surgery. Dennis Praet was another notable runner that caused Luhansk problems off the left hand side. Additionally, Cengiz Under looked eager when he was given 30 minutes and could prove an eager part of that midfield run in future taking the pressure off others.

These runs get easier and less braver when the score is stacked in your favour. This is why Leicester look very much like a confidence side that when they’re winning are a horrible team to play against. But also why they then struggle when trailing in games as the opposition switches to deep blocks leaving virtually no space for strikers or midfield runners. Starting aggressive and confident is the key to Leicester’s success in all competitions this season. Slow starts are not going to help with fatigue inevitably going to settle in more frequently this season.

Rotation is key

There were only two changes to the Leicester City side from the Aston Villa defeat with Justin and Perez making way for Maddison and Fuchs. But the addition of five substitutes in the Europa League will have delighted Brendan Rodgers who made no apologies for using all his changes to rest key players from hitting levels of unmanageable fatigue and injury.

Perez it could be argued was dropped for poor form and Justin the same who has been quieter in the recent 2 defeats than the previous wins. But with such a thin squad Rodgers will struggle to have the luxury of simply dropping players for form. The priority will be mainly on condition and looking ahead to not only the trip to Arsenal but also the journey to Athens in a weeks time.

Hopefully Jamie Vardy will add more strength to that thinning squad but long-term absentees Ricardo, Soyuncu and Ndidi will likely not be seen ’til Christmas and beyond causing creative selections and formations to be utilised.

Regardless of all that, wins will take the pressure off selections and a 3-0 win in the first European game was a much needed boost to recent bad results.