How Leicester can beat champions-elect Manchester City

Leicester City host Premier League leaders, Manchester City, this coming weekend as the Foxes look to pursue UEFA Champions League football for next season. What can the previous game – a 5-2 victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side – tell us about this upcoming fixture?

Firstly, it was one of the first “successful” implementations of a back three – there was occasions prior to this that Brendan Rodgers utilised systems such as the 3-4-3, but none quite as potent as the dismantling of the Citizens on their own patch. And, if you dissect that recent memory even further, it was a unusual starting XI for Leicester City.

Daniel Amartey was drafted in as the right centre-back of the 3-4-3 formation. Wilfred Ndidi, who had started the season as a regular centre-back (mainly due to the suspension of Jonny Evans), wasn’t available so the latter returned centrally, and Çağlar Söyüncü retained the “LCB” spot in this system. I’d make a case for the formation playing more like a 5-4-1, as the wingers neglected attacking positions for stability in defence.

The key to the victory was exploiting the transitions, effectively drawing in the Manchester City midfielders and forwards – whilst holding a deep-block structure – and then activating once in possession. This was facilitated by the running of the wing-backs, James Justin and Timothy Castagne – who both offered in the attacking third due to their commitment in these phases. The other caveat was the explosiveness of Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy down the attacking left, as Rodgers potentially highlighted the right centre-back on the day (Eric García) as a weakness in the Citizens back line.