Stoke 0-4 Leicester: Width, rotations, and efficient creativity for the Foxes

Instead, the Foxes should’ve controlled possession, recycled possession awaiting a moment for a gap to form in Stoke’s deep-block and punished that. This is essentially what Leicester City did in the second-half, albeit made easier by leading the game, but it was a lot more effective – adding three more goals to the result.

Regardless of the tactical setup, the Foxes coasted to a comfortable victory. The abundance of quality once the chances fell to Rodgers’ side was far superior to that of Michael O’Neill’s side, and eventually patched the way for Leicester City. I argued that playing “peripheral” players would’ve been beneficial to the Foxes, as additional rest could’ve allowed rest for players like James Maddison and Jamie Vardy (who have both struggled with injuries this season) to recover.

There was a couple of absentees in the starting XI, with the two previously mentioned stars left out of the squad, but the rest of the team remained the same from the previous game in the Premier League. Unfortunately, and this isn’t because of the starters featuring, Dennis Praet seemed to aggravate his hamstring in the closing stages of the game. The reason I suggest this isn’t an issue with playing the ordinary starters is that Praet would’ve been fielded in the “second” side, so either implementation would’ve found Praet in the starting XI.