How Leicester boss can correct midfield and attack mistakes

However, this wasn’t the only issue I had with Rodgers’ system. I did a really, really long scouting article (available here) on former LOSC Lille midfielder, Boubakary Soumaré, and deduced that the Frenchman was exceptional at receiving possession in depth, pivoting 180 degrees upon reception and progressing the ball vertically through the pitch. Something that the Foxes struggled with versus Brighton — and have struggled with thus far this season. Starting Soumaré seemed to be Rodgers’ answer to this glaringly obvious issue, alas, that wasn’t the case.

In the midfield three, Soumaré was fielded as the most “advanced” option. In an interview just after signing the 22-year-old, Brendan Rodgers stated that he wanted to convert his qualities in the depth of the pitch and make him more of a “goal threat” — hence playing him as the most advanced midfielder. I cannot stress how much this negates his profile, but also overlooks the inherent qualities he could’ve aided LCFC with throughout this fixture.

Instead of having an excellent ball-player receiving possession from the defence (in Soumaré), the Foxes had Wilfred Ndidi — the club’s statistically “least threatening outfield ball-player”, on task to progress and recycle possession. Soumaré was tasked with drifting into pockets (of which there were very little) behind Brighton’s midfielders, and receiving very little time on the ball due to the Nigerian’s lack of penetration in possession.

The obvious solution to all these issues is to start footballers in their “natural” positions. Instead of fielding Maddison as a right-winger, play Ademola Lookman there, have the Foxes number 10 in central-midfield attempting to find pockets of spaces between the lines — ahead of Soumaré who hasn’t played a role like this before in his professional career. And, if the defence don’t require as much screening — but want a lot of verticality in midfield, start Soumaré over Ndidi (or Tielemans) and you’ll have a fully functional system.

For the first time in almost six years, Leicester have managed to maintain all of their key assets from the year prior. It’s a chance for the club to really progress and puncture the elite of the Premier League, but utilising players in roles they’re uncomfortable with — for no real potential upside — is going to bottle-neck the productivity of a great squad. This isn’t something Rodgers has got wrong often, but needs to realise the detrimental impact of these decision.