It is the biggest game so far in Leicester City’s Championship Campaign. The Foxes travel to St.Mary’s stadium to take on former Premier League side Southampton. Despite both teams being favored to gain automatic promotion, neither currently sit in an automatic promotion spot. Leicester currently sits third in the league with The Saints in seventh place.
This is a big time clash that Enzo Maresca must have his best side ready for. Games like this will show to the world if the East Midlands team is the caliber of a first tier English side or if they’re a second tier English side. Needing to play his best possible side, here is who I believe Maresca will start against Southampton.
I believe Leicester should play an attacking style of football against Southampton. While I’m a big fan of the team playing the ball through the backline and controlling the possession, Southampton allows a lot of goals. They allowed five against Sunderland, four against Norwich, and three against Gillingham. So I believe the Italian Manager should go with a formation that allows us to quickly counter attack after The Saints lose possession.
So I believe we counteract Russell Martin’s 433 with a 433 of our own. This formation leads to the best counter attacking football which will lead to Southampton struggling to keep up with our pace.
Mads Hermansen stays in goal for me. He is our future and I don’t think he needs to be replaced after an underwhelming game against Hull City. Plus, his style of play will be tremendous to our counter attacking. He loves to distribute the ball. I would not be surprised if he pulled off an assist in this game.
I think Maresca keeps things the same again as Callum Doyle and Ricardo Pereira are the full backs. They’ve both been fantastic to start off this campaign. I’ve especially been impressed with Doyle who was a centre back before this season. Pereira has thrived in the inverted fullback role and I believe that will especially hurt Southampton’s weaker midfield.
I believe we will see the season debut of Conor Coady as he is expected to be close to 100%. I don’t imagine that he shall plays the full game, however, he is too good not to be starting. Coady is a fantastic defender, great distributor, and an unreal leader. The Foxes need a player like this at all times.
I then pair him with Wout Faes. I believe Jannik Vestergaard has been great this season. It’s unfortunate to him that I believe Faes has been better. Faes is a great dance party for Coady. He is aggressive in his tackles yet is still great at passing the ball. This backline of Doyle, Coady, Faes, and Pereira is the best all around backline for Maresca’s side. They give you the best of both worlds as they can defend and attack.
Wilfred Ndidi controls the center of the midfield. He is officially the highest rated Championship player in EA Sports FC 24 and he has played like it so far. The Nigerian is a rejuvenated player who suddenly learned how to attack over the summer. Ndidi has recorded two goals and an assist in all competitions so far. He does not look like he’s slowing down.
Pair him with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harry Winks and Leicester has their strongest midfield. KDH stated he wants to be the best player in the Championship. This is the game where he needs to prove that he is the best. Winks is the most underrated player in this side. He isn’t going to get goals and assists every game yet he is the reason the team will play their best football. He brings the ball from the backline to the attackers. He is the engine of this team.
Selecting the wingers is the hardest part of this team. For the first time since forever, Leicester City has a wide variety of wingers to select from. I was very tempted to predict Abdul Issahaku. However, I believe Stephy Mavididi gets the selection. He is very quick and will give The Saints fullbacks plenty of trouble. Plus, when Mavididi gives the fullbacks tired legs, Issahaku can get subbed on and take advantage of a weaker side.
Yunus Akgün gets the selection at right wing. He had a big miss against Hull City. However, he showcased a lot of promise. The Turkish winger is out for the future and he needs to keep getting selected. Then, up top, Kelechi Iheanacho plays as the lone striker. He is the best striker in the Championship. No striker in the Championship is as clinical in front of goal and great at passing the ball. His diversity makes The Foxes so dangerous.
Overall, this lineup is Maresca’s most dangerous attacking side. Yes this team also has the capabilities to play the ball through the defensive line and hold onto possession. Yet I don’t believe that is the style that should be played against the south coast side. Their midfield is often open and they allow a ton of goals. This is something that must be capitalized on through the counterattack.