Newcastle 1-2 Leicester: Foxes utilise correct formation and personnel

Unsurprisingly, Leicester City continued their exceptional away record with a comfortable, then slightly nerve-wracking, 1-2 win at St. James Park. Let’s have a look at the positives, and negatives of the game – with an underlying theme of tactical considerations.

For the first time this season, Brendan Rodgers had a plethora of key players – fit and available in all positions, as Leicester City are edging ever closer to their full strength starting XI. With this, it seems the Foxes will be utilising a 4-2-3-1, a formation Rodgers has used extensively in his managerial career and is arguably the most popular formation in the league.

The 4-2-3-1 has become the primary formation, and for good reason. The double pivot, represented by the “two” are responsible for controlling the game and Leicester City’s pivot – Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans, are two of the best players in the league for doing just that. The former is the ball-winner, the interceptor and the negator of everything positive the opposition attempts to create, whilst his partner is the heartbeat of the Foxes side.

This foundation gives those players more advanced of them – Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Jamie Vardy, and whoever Rodgers opts for on the right-hand-side to play with more freedom and attacking intent. It’s no surprise that Maddison opened the scoring, as his No.10 positioning allowed him to find space at the top-of-the-box, and his ability to utilise the outside of his right-foot gave him the leverage to find the net.