Leicester City fans witnessed back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since October — gameweek’s eight (Manchester United) and nine (Brentford). Even more impressively, they achieved this with two clean sheets, a feat that was last replicated by the Foxes in January 2021, after beating both Southampton and Chelsea, 2-0, in the Premier League.
The opposition this time out was Leeds United, an unpredictable side at the best of times, but after parting ways with Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch having slightly less than a week to prepare for the tie, the Lilywhites seemed increasingly difficult to read. What three things did I learn from this game, when specifically looking at the Foxes?
Wilfred Ndidi isolated, and perhaps exposed, as the central defensive-midfielder in the 4-3-3.
The lineup from Brendan Rodgers was clever, as his choice of Hamza Choudhury as a right-back, who could also drift into the right-centre-back position, meant the Foxes were tactically flexible depending on the style and system Jesse Marsch decided upon. In the end, Leeds played in a 4-2-2-2 formation and thus the Foxes stayed inside the 4-3-3 (Choudhury as the right-back) structure for the majority of the game.
Inside this structure, Rodgers has been opting for a progressive duo of box-to-box midfielders (often referred to as #8’s) in Youri Tielemans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. To balance out these creative players, Wilfred Ndidi is fixed as the sole defensive-midfielder at the base of Leicester City’s 4-3-3. The issue I’m alluding to, is the vacated spaces to the right and left of Ndidi, but also behind the roaming midfielders.
Touted as being one of the best ball-winners in Europe, Ndidi has gradually received recognition similar to that of N’golo Kante — with plaudits such as the space they cover can effectively feel like two players inside of one (albeit the Frenchman is superior in this regard). However, as efficient as the Nigerian is, he felt exposed versus Leeds United’s attacking-midfielders, Rodrigo Moreno, Jack Harrison, and Raphinha, and this enabled central progressions through the heart of the Leicester City midfield — which is inherently detrimental.
When the Foxes opt for the 4-2-3-1, with James Maddison in the setup, there’s less emphasis and isolation for Ndidi. He’s often tasked with holding a single side of the pitch, while his pivot partner is tasked with the opposing side. Unfortunately, playing singularly requires very good pacificity (in the correct moments), and noticing triggers to dispossess. This isn’t suggesting the 24-year-old doesn’t have these two characteristics, it’s merely stating that it’s a differing style of midfield combat, and is perhaps a rusty element for the Nigerian.
If James Maddison isn’t available, Kelechi Iheanacho could, or maybe should be the answer
After dazzling in his brief cameo at Turf Moor, I anticipated James Maddison would be included in Rodgers’ starting XI for the game against Leeds United, but an unfortunate back injury — hopefully just a minor one — removed his inclusion from the squad altogether.
In his place, it was the flat-midfield three that’s already been mentioned. What Maddison does, and is something I spoke at length about in my previous article, is provide staggering through the pitch to help aid verticality. His natural positioning as the attacking-midfielder (or known as the #10) enables easier transitions as the double pivot have a simple pass through the thirds to find Maddison. Without him, the Foxes had to either remove one of the central-midfielders and let them push into an advanced position and then connect play with them, or simply trust the wingers to facilitate progression.
However, my suggestion is utilising Kelechi Iheanacho in that staggering role himself. It’s not a coincidence that as soon as the Nigerian finds himself on the pitch, he connects play with Harvey Barnes and Leicester City find the opening goal away at Burnley. He’s a master of dictating play between the lines, a good manipulator of those kinds of spaces, and ultimately helps the Foxes achieve staggering through the pitch.
There were rumours that Iheanacho had spoken to Rodgers about being deployed as a de facto number 10, as his skill set lends itself to creativity over pure finishing, despite being ruthless when confident. You can tell he’s determined to be involved in more sequences than other forwards, he drops into spaces to receive, and always tries to be positive in possession — even if that does ultimately limit his output on occasion.
His start would’ve been at the expense of Jamie Vardy, which I think would’ve been harsh given his performance at Turf Moor. But, there’s a reason the double substitution (Vardy and Maddison) worked so well in combination, and that’s due to the stretching of the pitch from Vardy, thus creating more areas for Maddison to receive. With the 34-year-old doing the same for the Foxes against Leeds, it was somewhat wasted by the usage of the midfield, as Rodgers didn’t fix an attacking-midfielder (like Maddison) to occupy those pockets and receive play.
I think Leicester City should recognise that one of the two, Kelechi Iheanacho or James Maddison, is beneficial to the starting XI simply by their natural behaviours in movement and progression. Brendan Rodgers should almost exclusively have one playing, but I’d also suggest that it would become slightly negative fielding both, again due to their similarities in roles.
The wide, expansive, and roaming Leicester City central-midfielders
Credit where it’s due, Brendan Rodgers is great at making minor tweaks to adjust profiles and roles and is doing so accordingly with the central-midfielders. This time it’s the emergence of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and how the Northern Irishman is asking the roaming midfielders to operate to ensure he gets the best out of the 23-year-old.
It’s quite apparent Youri Tielemans hasn’t played to the same standard in recent weeks, and that’s in part due to this tweak in midfield. Let me explain. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has a fairly broad skill set, but a few components that are individualistic versus other players in his positions — the ability to drift and receive in the wing, good bursts of acceleration doubled with decently good pace across long distances, and good body manipulation for carries and passes.
It’s within this stylistic profile that Rodgers has adjusted the roles of his midfielders to aid progression. Against Leeds United, Dewsbury-Hall was exclusively receiving possession from Luke Thomas in the left-midfield location, drifting from the centre to find an unused pocket, before looking to connect with Harvey Barnes, who can utilise KDH’s positioning and play slightly more advanced. Because of the horizontal nature of the positioning, the tactic is asking the opposition if they want to track the runner (thus removing players from the centre), or to allow them space — it was predominantly the latter, albeit the few occasions they tracked him his quality’s in possession prevailed.
However, on the opposing flank, Tielemans is tasked with mirroring this role — yet doesn’t possess anywhere near the same qualities as his partner. The Belgian-international is far superior in other aspects of his game, but in the current iteration of the number eight position, he’s struggling to match the physical demands. I think Rodgers will adjust this, as it’s abundantly clear that Tielemans’ quality is unparalleled in the squad when inside a role he understands — have him receive possession centrally and he’ll dictate the tempo and flow of the Foxes building stage. It’s undeniable that a high-performing Tielemans equals a high-performing Leicester City, so it’s about ensuring he has the tools at his disposal.
As the overall team’s performances are getting better, it’s quite clear to see that Rodgers is being afforded the privilege of choice. Yes, there are still injuries plaguing the ranks, and he has to find creative solutions for these — Choudhury as a hybrid full-back/wide centre-back epitomises this. Yet, the fluidity of the number eight role, which is allowing Dewsbury-Hall to flourish, just further highlights the the former Liverpool gaffer’s ability to be creative with limited resources, but also his prowess of coaching youngsters.