How Leicester boss can correct midfield and attack mistakes

Out of possession, Maddison didn’t aid the Leicester City press at all. The inverting attacking movements he was making, often forced him to be out of position when Marc Cucurella (Brighton & Hove Albion’s left-back) received possession for The Seagulls. This freedom was a key out-ball for Graham Potter’s side, and negated any kind of press the Foxes tried to initiate.

This of course does have a flip side — did Maddison offer enough in possession to outweigh the obvious negative defensively? Ultimately, the answer is a resounding no. In his forty-five minute “cameo”, his 19 touches, eight accurate passes (61.5%), one unsuccessful dribble, and nine possessions lost actually hindered the buildup for Rodgers’ side. However, this isn’t aimed at Maddison, my frustration lies with the manager.

Ademola Lookman was a crucial component of the goal the Foxes scored in the second-half. His natural winger positioning facilitated a late overlap from Ricardo Pereira, and also dragged the Brighton & Hove Albion defensive line far enough back that Youri Tielemans had ample space to deliver an excellent ball to the back-post for Jamie Vardy to score. Aside from just this, Lookman was electric. Constantly looking to progress the ball via carries, always ensuring a successful rotation of possession — particularly into a player with space to push forwards. His stats, which are also gathered from one half of football, couldn’t be further adrift from Leicester City’s number 10.

Contextually, Brighton did drop off for the second-half and allowed the Foxes to gain momentum. Regardless; 35 touches, four (out of four) successful dribbles, 14 accurate passes (82.4%), two key passes, and two fouls won, highlight just how proficient the RB Leipzig loanee was. The majority of the positive attacking actions for Leicester City came from the right, and that’s down to Lookman and his partnership with Ricardo Pereira.