Leicester City added another “top six” club carcass to the collection, as Brendan Rodgers overcame his dismal head-to-head record with Chelsea, to see the Foxes go top of the Premier League table – even if it’ll only be for a few hours.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have been seriously struggling, the loss at the King Power Stadium ensured that The Pensioners have only won a single game in their last five. Regardless, the quality of personnel in their squad – and the monetary investment – meant that the fixture was always going to be difficult for Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City.
Both teams operated in 4-3-3 formations, which is the ordinary system Lampard has defaulted to during his time at Stamford Bridge, whilst Rodgers made a slight shift from the 4-2-3-1 formations he’s been predominantly using. The key differences being the positioning of the midfield, in the 4-2-3-1 formation, James Maddison plays as a #10 – directly behind the lone striker of Jamie Vardy. Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi partner to make a double pivot at the base of midfield – referred to as No.6.
In the 4-3-3 formation, Rodgers advanced Tielemans’ natural positioning, playing him as a box-to-box (#8), and did the same with Maddison – dropping him from his attacking-midfield position. Wilfred Ndidi was tasked with playing as the sole defensive-midfielder, a role he thrives in. I believe Rodgers’ composition in the midfield was aided by the exclusion of N’golo Kante – who had a hamstring injury. With Kante operating as the #6 for Chelsea, instead of Mateo Kovačić, the balance of the two midfields would’ve been a lot more even – without the Frenchman, Leicester City controlled that sector of the pitch.
This adjustment, switching from the 4-2-3-1 formation to the 4-3-3 formation, is another clear example of Rodgers identifying the oppositions strengths, and also their weaknesses, and having the tactical flexibility to implement different systems to great effect. This is a testament to the quality of coaching, that not only are they able to adapt to different scenarios, but the elevated performance level of each individual has been exemplary.