Leicester City fans have been accused of not creating hotbed environments for their players this season, mainly by their own fans. Maybe the supporters have been hypnotised by the swirling green space in the middle of the park called central midfield. An enigma to many in the Foxes squad, not least the central midfielders themselves.
Youri Tielemans – Leicester City Games (37) – Goals (4)
It seems like for two years we’ve known that the star Belgian would be plying his trade at another club and to soften that blow he’s turned in some truly dreadful performances to make City fans not miss him so much.
That incredible goal in the FA Cup final 2021 will always be remembered and written into Leicester folklore, but what the history books should also note is how after the World Cup in 2022, Tielemans simply wasn’t at it in his final five months for the club. Whether subconsciously or not, the hard yards weren’t being put in and the creative magic that has produced special moments dissipated. Perhaps he was concentrating too hard on how his farewell video would be edited, which would explain how he was closed down so easily by Wolves players in April. Playing in this double pivot in midfield has been to his detriment, with his physical flaws exposed so frequently.
There were glimmers of magic earlier in that little purple patch of form in October 2022, with two stunning strikes at Molineux and Goodison Park reminding us of his quality, see also a volleyed shot against Manchester City that crashed against the bar. But they were too sparse and insignificant to be considered.
My good friend asked me earlier in the season what the wisdom was in letting Tielemans captain the side when he was refusing to sign a new contract. Initially, I praised Youri’s professionalism, but my friend had a point, whether he knew it or not, Tielemans head wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this season and it has cost the Foxes dearly.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – Games (34) – Goals (2)
Despite a promising 2021-2022, Dewsbury-Hall will not look back on this season fondly. It all started so well, with a low long-range drive on the opening day of the season against Brentford. But he struggled to fit into the Rodgers systems – as did so many – with central midfield positions looking disjointed and lacking link-up play.
Partnerships are key as well and KDH wasn’t finding much in the way of interplay with any of his colleagues. Ndidi rarely wants to pass it forward due to his dodgy aim. Soumare is better but tends to go to sleep and not see where a pass is on and as said earlier, Tielemans was nowhere near his best. In terms of goals and assists (two & two) he was only one behind his Belgian counterpart.
Where Dewsbury-Hall is vital, is in carrying the ball forward and being difficult to shake off the ball, combined with wily gamesmanship, a quality sorely lacking in many of the team. What let him down ultimately was his final product, his reliance on his left foot and his lack of interceptions and tackles making him too easy for rivals to play through. But still, his footballing brain far exceeded many in a Foxes shirt.
It is mainly down to him being a Leicestershire lad and a fan of the club, but the club really needs to consider putting the captain’s armband on him. Seeing him lead the club back into the Premier League could be something special. Failing that, he might decide to go back to Luton now they’re a more attractive prospect.
Wilfred Ndidi – Games (30) – Goals (0)
If you want to sum up Rodgers’ Leicester City reign in a nutshell then look no further than this once-feared Nigerian international. In the early years and before Rodgers arrived, Ndidi was one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe with stats consistently high for interceptions and tackles in the Premier League every year.
He has now been reduced to a shadow of his former self. He was as low as 32nd in the Premier League for interceptions and joint 47th for tackles. He has made two major errors that have led directly to goals and seemed to get robbed of the ball or bypassed altogether by opponents every game. As for attacking, he offered no goals or assists this season.
As for his on-the-ball distribution, it has (putting it politely) been woeful. A home game with Fulham was a particular lowlight with passes going anywhere but to teammates. This problem can mainly be attributed to the double-pivot midfield role where Big Wilf only has to be slightly pressed by opponents into making safe or sideways pass. During May there were two games in a row where Ndidi made no tackles at all. His quality and form have disappeared under this regime to such a level that he may struggle to find a new club.
Boubakary Soumare – Games (29) – Goals (0)
An enigma that went missing for personal reasons in 2021-2022 somehow found his way back into the team. This campaign, Soumare was barely any better than Ndidi as a defensive midfielder, he was 54th in the Premier League for interceptions and 59th for tackles. Just like Ndidi he made zero goal contributions and had barely any effect on the overall progressive play of the game.
He is more progressive in his passing and positional play but like many in the squad, he blows warm and very cold regarding his form. The one moment that gives me hope is his second-half performance against Wolves, where his all-round game lifted to new heights before he played a key part in creating the winning goal. It’s 50/50 as to whether he sticks around after this summer but maybe a season in the Championship could help build his confidence.
Nampalys Mendy – Games 24 – Goals 1
The most damning evidence of how poor the midfield has been is in how much the stature of this Senegalese international has grown over the season. He is arguably the only consistent midfielder the Foxes have had all season, performing his task consistently and rarely making errors.
City sorely lacked players that can keep the play ticking over with sensible productive passes. Mendy is a good player but he has been so out of favour in his seven seasons at the club that it’s remarkable he has stuck around as long as he has. One positive memory of this season is the stunning long-range strike against Spurs, his only goal for the club but one that lifted the roof off the stadium. Farewell Nampalys, all the best.