Leicester City supporters can testify that tussling against title contenders is never easy. Today the Foxes fell short with a narrow 1-0 loss at home against Arsenal, who dominated the game for the most part.
If the first half from Old Trafford was anything to go by, it’s safe to say that the hosts were nowhere near replicating that intensity. Sure, the lack of attacking options in that announced line-up was a dead giveaway that this one could be a rough watch.
A narrow defeat on Filbert Way.#LEIARS pic.twitter.com/lA60Lf4vgz
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 25, 2023
Let’s not sugarcoat anything and state the obvious. After 24 rounds, City stands at an unsettling 14th place with 24 points secured till now. That’s one point per game. Brendan Rodgers has the task of leading this team to gather at least 16 more points to survive the season.
Anything shorter than the 40-mark threshold will be too risky for anybody’s liking. The bottom three teams are not that far, as the 18th-placed Everton remains only three points behind the Foxes. The standings can shuffle in a matter of weeks, as the difference in the bottom half is mostly marginal. That means City cannot afford many more slip-ups as they progress toward the final stages of the calendar. Today, there were some critical takeaways from this loss, three of which should be consequential.
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.
The Wales international was extremely lucky or foolish today as he showed no effort in withdrawing his hands from entanglement to clear off a corner. It was risky, and Arsenal got behind in taking the chance to convert it. But VAR ultimately saw it as a foul. It could have gone the other way, and Ward’s indecisiveness would have stung erroneously.
Some fans have been vocal about giving Daniel Iversen a chance to test himself between the sticks, as many feel that it can’t be any worse than it already is.
The reinforcing wall
One positive takeaway from today’s performance was the back four. Maybe, back three, to be more precise, as Timothy Castagne was not playing as well as the other defenders. But Harry Souttar, Wout Faes, and Victor Kristiansen played with aggression in equal parts with urgency.
The 20-year-old Danish wingback drew special attention from the commentary box with his robust nature and intensity, while the centre-back duo remained vigilant in covering Gunner’s relentless efforts, as they dominated 66% of the possession.
The passion and determination of these three are becoming infectious, and they would need to carry on their form- if they are to help Leicester City survive the season.