Leicester’s best formation and system under Rodgers

It’s not just the structure that facilitated the Foxes’ most points, it’s also their best offensive performing structure, and their second-best defensive. Leicester City average expected goals (xG) of 2.41 per game inside the 3-4-1-2 formation and only concede an expected goal against (xGA) of 1.18 per game — this is only beaten by the Foxes’ performance in a 4-3-3 (only two-game sample size) which averages 1.05 xGA per game.

Leicester have also missed Wesley Fofana for the entirety of the current campaign, and the 3-4-1-2 is again the Foxes’ best formation over this period — averaging 3 points per game, 1.9 xG, and 1.27 xGA. So, without the presence of either defender, Rodgers adjusted by adding more men into defensive positions and utilised a closer connection in his forwards (two strikers), and allowed his wing-backs to flourish in both sides of the pitch. However, is this the answer once Rodgers has his “first choice” defenders available?

In Rodgers’ Premier League reign with Leicester City, he’s managed 95 games. In that time, he’s used thirteen different formations, with only five of these being used for five games or more (not the greatest of sample sizes, but enough). Within this, the Foxes only have a single formation that averages over 2 points per game — and that’s the aforementioned 3-4-1-2 (being utilised nine times).

The most used formation is the 4-1-4-1, with 35 usages in the 95 games (37%). Leicester City average 1.8 points per game, with an xG of 1.74 and an xGA of 1.19 (a positive differential of 0.55). Brendan Rodgers made this a mainstay of the 2019/20 season and hasn’t reverted to it since key injuries to players such as Justin and Fofana. I feel like this could be a potential option with injuries starting to subside, and it’s the second-best performing structure (with a sample size above/equal to five games).