Are there any positives to take from Leicester’s previous game?

The injury to Justin forced a switch to Luke Thomas, and that didn’t impact this style. The major part of this setup is Pereira — on his day one of the best wing-backs in Europe, and his exquisite run, extending into the penalty area, for his goal is a perfect embodiment of his intent and the quality he possess once in an area of danger. His return should unlock a key progressive component for the East Midlands outfit.

Another potent feature was the three-man midfield of the 4-3-3 formation, composing of; Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Youri Tielemans, and Wilfred Ndidi. I want to focus my intention on the first name on that list, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. His spot was on the left-side of the three and was the perfect avenue for progressions in the second-half, especially as a pathway to find Harvey Barnes, who had isolated full-back, Vladimír Coufal, and was comfortably bypassing the Czech-international.

To enable such positioning, Youri Tielemans would drop into the defensive line — as an RCB or RB, and become the playmaker in depth. By positioning himself slightly advanced of the midfield line, Dewsbury-Hall was able to open a passing lane (as a diagonal) from the Belgian, and this way easily dissecting the 4-4-2 formation that West Ham United were using outside of possession. His understanding of where to operate, especially in pockets, was integral to being found as frequently as he was.

Upon reception, he would always look to play positively. Either via a carry into an open space, or a simple pass into Barnes. The maturity of his selections were great, and the dependability of his teammates shows how important Dewsbury-Hall is to the Leicester City setup. His usage as the left-central-midfielder in a three, was very positive. I also liked the flexibility of the composition, instead of the two banks that features in the 4-2-3-1.

The final positive I’d like to highlight was the intention of the side. This is more in reference to the mindset of the players, and less so the team selection — although I was very happy with the starting XI chose by Rodgers. It was a relatively shaky start, an early deficit, and could’ve easily transpired into another defeat, but the reaction and mentality was good.