Tottenham 3-1 Leicester: The positives from a nothing game for Foxes

Firstly, the system. Brendan Rodgers has shown glimpses of back three/five formations during his tenure with the Foxes, with the common denominator being injuries forcing his hand. In a similar vein, that’s why the 5-2-1-2 was utilised, but instead of reacting to injuries, Rodgers was proactive in ensuring fatigue/injuries wouldn’t limit his selections for the game in midweek. He was able to rest key players across the board, even providing a rest from the entire squad for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Maddison, and Jonny Evans.

To provide a brief summary of the formation; I will initially look at the positives. An additional centre-back provided Leicester City with a supportive anchor option in possession, this resulted in an overload versus the Spurs press, and was effective at retaining possession. However, more options in depth also limited how many passing lanes were available once the ball progressed through the thirds, a knock-on effect of the setup.

Another positive though was the triangle created between the number 10 and two STs. Ayoze Pérez was chosen as the “creative player”, and throughout the first half was crucial to all the chance creation—be it his movement, or just simply in possession. The connection between the two forwards wasn’t as profitable as many imagined it to be, not always on the same wave length, but glimmers of promise. Again, this was merely a free hit, or trial, and both showed they could function together, or in other two forward setups.