Foxes of Leicester
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Brighton v Leicester: Potterball v Brendanball on the South Coast

By Elliot Mackness

Leicester City's Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers (L), Brighton's English manager Graham Potter (Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Leicester City's Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers (L), Brighton's English manager Graham Potter (Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Youri Tielemans of Leicester City battles Jakub Moder of Brighton & Hove Albion (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /

Potterball v Brendanball

If one should be tasked with summing up in a single word the similarity between the two primary systems employed by Potter and Rodgers, that word is surely ‘intensity’. If one should be tasked with summing their difference, then one should note the fluidity of Brighton versus the possession-hunger of Leicester.

It is within this pretext that we have got to give plaudits to Brighton, and a worried look to the Foxes. Brighton & Hove Albion are statistically more creative in at least the quantity of good chances they create, than Leicester City.

They have an xG of 40.98, whereas the King Power travellers have a modest 39.37. The difference is in quality of those chances and penalties. Leicester City are much more patient on the ball, incessant on constant recycling of possession to pull out opposition defenders and create killer chances. Additionally, though both see a significant decline in NPxG (non-penalty xG), Leicester have actually scored most of their penalties.

In another potential story-defining characteristic of the two teams, is the situation in which they score their goals. Credit to Whoscored for these facts. Both Leicester City and Brighton score very few from set pieces, with most goals coming from open play.

Similarly, both concede more goals from set pieces than open play. Brighton’s main weakness outside of standard open play – direct free kicks and corners whipped in to near post – is our main attacking weakness. Leicester’s main weakness is corners – though they have not conceded many recently – floated into the far post. This is their attacking weakness.

None of this reads for a particularly entertaining match in terms of goals. This will be entertaining nonetheless. This may become a basketball game, with play constantly going back and forth from one side of the pitch to another.

On a more positive note, the East Midlands outfit should be looking to improve their xG output next season with another round of talent reinvigorating the squad and providing better squad depth for when poor form or injuries hamper the squad. The potential breakout season for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Kamal Sowah fast approaches, as both players suit Brendanball very nicely.