Leicester 5-0 Sheffield United: the power of a triangular front three

Leicester City flourished after a week-long rest, dismantling manager-less Sheffield United, 5-0. I’m going to talk about the triangular front three, and the partnership between Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho.

The latter, Kelechi Iheanacho scored three of Leicester City’s five, in a sparkling performance from the Nigerian, with two of them being provided by his partner, Jamie Vardy. The final piece of the explosive triangle was Ayoze Pérez, after missing a month with a knee injury – he played as the number 10 in James Maddison’s absence.

Initially, the Foxes forced play into the front three by passing through the lines – with conviction and efficiency. At times this would bypass the midfield, as Sheffield United utilised a 5-3-2 formation with a compact midfield three. After finding joy in the early stages, The Blades narrowed their central-midfielders even more so, restricting the passes into Pérez.

This was a credit to the impact of the three in the beginning of the fixture, limiting their output was seen as the best alternative for Sheffield United, as congesting the midfield removed any impetus in their press. To adjust, Brendan Rodgers dropped the natural positioning of the double pivot – Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans, to receive the ball in deeper areas. This added a passing lane in depth, and also dragged the opposing midfield to press in an advanced space – out of their compact block. Once again, the ball into Pérez became available – and the Foxes reaped the rewards.