Leicester City staged a late fightback to come back from a goal down against rivals Coventry in a hotly contested M69 Derby. This result ensured that LCFC extended their unbeaten record against the Sky Blues to seven matches and ensured the ‘PSG of the Championship’ got off to a positive start. For many Foxes fans, however, there was probably a sense of relief as much as there was a feeling of ecstasy, given the number of chances that Coventry squandered. Even so, there is no better feeling than beating local rivals; after all three points is the only currency that matters at the end of the day.
It’s not fair
“It’s not fair” were the words of one Coventry YouTuber after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored a fantastic winner for the Foxes in the 87th minute. How sweet a goal it was as well. Staggeringly, this marked the first time Leicester City scored a winner in the last five minutes since PSV in 2022.
Too often have LCFC been on the receiving end of late sucker punches, so it was about time that the roles were reversed. More importantly, ‘KDH’ underlined how important he is going to be as a part of this new-look side. Given the freedom by Maresca to attack the box more often, it has already paid dividends, with comparisons being made to former legend Andy King.
Even so, KDH thrived most when provided with the most suitable partner. When paired with Wilfried Ndidi, it meant that Dewsbury-Hall had to shoulder a lot of the creative burden. Whilst he is adept at ball-carrying, his game is not suited to being a midfield playmaker, evidenced by a disappointing performance in the first half. That all changed when Dennis Praet came on, allowing the former to move into more threatening areas and ultimately come up with two priceless goals.
Wake up Jon Rudkin
Beating Coventry in the manner LCFC did was perhaps the perfect scenario in many ways. It ensured that the Foxes got three points against their rivals whilst hopefully highlighting the need for further activity in the transfer market. Though Leicester City dominated possession and had control for most of the game, the final ball was often missing.
Perhaps the biggest issue was down to personnel. Players such as Wilfried Ndidi and unfortunately Jamie Vardy just don’t fit the way Maresca wants to play. For instance, Wilf’s performance wasn’t terrible, but his lack of technical security and vision stuck out like a sore thumb. This is not his fault, but he, like several others, is a square peg in a round hole.
With strong links to Cesare Casadei and Jerusun Rak-Sakyi, the Foxes will hopefully add to their attacking arsenal in the near future. Nevertheless, whilst Casadei has forged a reputation as an effective goalscoring midfielder, the goalscoring prowess of KDH makes some fans wonder whether it would be more prudent to sign a creative ‘8’ instead of or in addition to the young Italian.
Names such as Gustavo Hamer or Ilias Chair have no rumours to them but would certainly fit right into Maresca’s side. Hamer for instance was immense against the Foxes, and Maresca labelled him “the best player in the Championship”. Ultimately, however, this would depend on the remaining budget available and with both likely to cost around £10m each, this may be infeasible without further sales.
Some of these conundrums can be sorted out in-house such as starting Kelechi Iheanacho and even Dennis Praet. However, with the futures of both of these players unclear, it would be wise if Leicester City sorted out replacements sooner rather than later.
Leicester City fans must be patient
There is much to be excited about on a tactical front, even if it did not always translate to statistical dominance. Maresca’s style of play showed it can be supremely effective when the opposition are drawn into pressing, with technical players such as Harry Winks and Ricardo able to exploit the space that has been created. Clearly, there will be a period of adaption in the final third as he implements his attacking philosophy along with the addition of new personnel.
Similarly, on the defensive front, LCFC looked extremely vulnerable in defending transitions. Due to the use of a ‘3-2’ build-up structure, it meant that opposition strikers were often left 1v1. For the first half, LCFC maintained control with Coventry restricted to infrequent counter-attacks.
The period after halftime showed the problems of losing control as Leicester struggled to contain Coventry’s dynamism on the break. This can be down to two reasons; a lack of physicality in Leicester’s midfield pivot, which is the price to be paid for technical security. Neither Winks nor Ricardo are going to be anything like ‘Prime Ndidi’ when stopping a break.
Furthermore, the lack of pace at centre-back is another area teams may well attempt to exploit. Just before LCFC scored the winner, Coventry had hit the bar due to Haji Wright outstripping Vestergaard and Doyle, despite the former having at least five yards head start. Vestergaard has come under somewhat unwarranted criticism, but his physical limitations cannot be hidden, especially when he is forced to defend out wide or in a footrace.
This issue will no doubt be ameliorated by the return of Conor Coady and his organisational abilities in a few weeks. Even so, Leicester would do well to get ahead by signing a young athletic centre-back, allowing the Foxes to defend wide spaces and transitions more comfortably, which will also hopefully come with more time on the training ground under Maresca’s guidance.