Brighton 1-2 Leicester: The importance of two No.8s for the Foxes

The result, after the alteration from Rodgers, has caused the Foxes faithful to lambast the idea of the 3-5-2, when the 4-3-3 was so successful, but, is that actually fair? Well, one of the facilitators of the transition was Amartey – who is absolutely better as the right-centre-back in a three (instead of as a wing-back). One of the others was Iheanacho, who’s partnership with Vardy enabled a lot of Leicester’s best moments – again, not viable in the 4-3-3. In fact, to allow those two freedom in the 4-3-3, Rodgers added Albrighton in the centre.

I’m not disputing the result and it’s absolutely a by-product of the tactical alterations – but I think more emphasis needs to be placed on the improvement in the No.8s, and perhaps not the entire structure. Again, the structure did help the midfielders – they received the ball in depth easier and thus aided progression of possession, but I also felt the 3-5-2 formation was a solid enough building structure. The Foxes just underperformed.

The victory has helped aspirations of the UEFA Champions League, as Leicester are now seven points ahead of fifth – and Everton (5th) face Chelsea (4th) today. Both can’t pick up maximum points, which should allow a bigger gap to form between Rodgers’ side and either club. Perhaps the biggest positive though is the week-long break, as the game against Sheffield United isn’t until Sunday. If the Foxes can play with the intensity and mental resilience that they showed at the Amex Stadium with next-to-no break, I can only imagine the performance after a recuperated break.