Leicester 2-0 Rennes: Tactical tweaks maintain Foxes form

Leicester City has started their two-legged affair with Stade Rennais in a great fashion, a 2-0 victory at home, that should provide the platform for qualification into the quarter-finals.

As with any European tie, the opposition will have quality and look to control the ball. All top coaches want their teams to have possession, and playing in Europe — despite it being the third-tier of competition — will always provide the elites in both footballers and coaches.

Rennes opted for a 4–4–2 structure, with two “anchor forwards” — strikers that have heavy involvement in games by connecting the play for their wingers and midfield. The wide-players, Jeremy Doku and Benjamin Bourigeaud were tasked with individual battles on either flank, whilst also being the key creative players for Bruno Génésio’s side.

Brendan Rodgers dealt with the French-side very well. An out of possession 4–4–2 structure was designed to minimise spaces, due to matching them man-for-man, and also placed authority on individuals. I would argue that LCFC are the better team based on individual quality, so restricting the game to this was a smart adaptation — not to mention, it’s more about the team than the individuals with Rennes this season.