Leicester City 0-1 Arsenal: Taking notice of three consequential things

By Akash Roy | Feb 25, 2023

Arsenal's Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko (2R) leads his team out onto the pitch ahead of the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Leicester City’s English midfielder James Maddison (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /

Taking notice of three consequential things for Leicester City

Playmaker’s playmaking

It’s beyond concerning how much the outfit’s performances and results depend on James Maddison’s outputs. Today, due to illness, he couldn’t participate in the contest. We cannot overstate enough how every chance gets created through him. Without him, LCFC struggled with a 0.02 xG, with a single shot and no shot being on target.

FT 1-0 Arsenal. They didn't create too many clear cut chances despite their dominance but the reality was there was a gulf between these two sides in performance, technique and quality
— Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) February 25, 2023

For the second time in a row, the crossing business was on full display without the No.10 or a proper plan in place. The support was already low around the final third, for which the front-runners struggled to create chances and were getting caught between two defenders.

As the talks for a new contract are running behind the scenes, it’s vital that the King Power club makes Maddison a lucrative offer and creates a new project around him as the centerpiece or invests heavily to secure a creative playmaker for sustaining the immediate future.

Ward’s lack of prowess

The keeper issue needs to be sorted as an utmost priority, as Danny Ward is not fit to carry such lackluster and inconsistent performance onto the following season. Continued on the final page.