Norwich 0-2 Leicester: 3 Foxes talking points

Leicester City enjoyed a 2-0 away victory at formidable Championship title rivals Norwich City. After taking the lead in the first half through a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty, Leicester were forced to defend for a sizeable chunk of the second half.

While Norwich dominated play, they didn’t threaten the resolute Foxes defenders too much and in the one occasion where they had a good opportunity, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen kept Leicester in the game with a spectacular close range reflex save. The Foxes then wrapped up victory late in the game after star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall squared the ball to the impressive Kasey McAteer to tap in. Here are three talking points from the game.

A new look Leicester City midfield

It was a new look midfield for the Foxes with Cesare Casadei receiving his first start for the club as one of the two number eights alongside Yunus Akgun (conventionally a right winger.) There was rotation to be expected with Leicester playing three games in the span of one week.

Casadei, who has had some positive impacts off the bench this season, failed to justify his first start . The young Italian looked lethargic in the midfield and was sloppy on the ball, getting dispossessed multiple times. While he did make some good runs, he was too slow to get to the end of the through balls.

While he is an immensely talented player, it is clear he still needs time to settle down and adjust before being ready to start games. Ndidi should remain the first choice starter with Casadei continuing his cameos off the bench.

Akgun had a solid performance. While he didn’t have an amazing game, I don’t think he played badly either. He had phenomenal work rate off the ball and made quick sharp dribbles when in possession. While he did go down a little too easily at times and could’ve been more involved in the game, his performance as a midfielder has proved to be an idea worth exploring further.

Healthy squad depth

Leicester’s win against Norwich showed Leicester’s squad depth and the options Enzo Maresca possesses. Key players like KDH, Ricardo Pereira and James Justin were rested but Leicester still came away victorious.The squad has some very talented players fighting to be the starting right winger with Kasey McAteer leading a talented group involving Yunus Akgun, Wanya Marçal-Madivadua and Abdul Fatawu. This should provide some healthy competition.

When Conor Coady makes his long awaited return from injury in the near future, there will be a rather nice dilemma for Maresca who will have to decide whether to drop Jannik Vestergaard for the Englishman. Vestergaard has had some impressive performances for the Foxes this season and will be a more than capable stand-in for Coady if Maresca decides to drop the big Dane. Harry Souttar is also an option and will hopefully get a chance later in the season.

There seems to be a slight shortage of central midfielders for Leicester currently but that should be solved with Dennis Praet, Will Alves and Sammy Braybrooke returning from injuries later this season. Akgun could continue as a deputy for Dewsbury-Hall for the near future.

Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho

Maresca seems to have formulated an effective game plan on the usage of Iheanacho and Vardy. Both of them are very good players but Maresca’s formation only allows for one of them to start. Maresca prefers to start Iheanacho as Leicester tend to dominate possession in the opening period of games thus allowing Iheanacho to drop deep and get more involved than Vardy’s style of play.

On the other hand, Vardy is good at one touch layoffs so his qualities are crucial to quick breaks where his few but effective touches ensure that they move up the field with speed. This is extremely decisive in closing stages when Leicester are usually leading and are defending deeper. In such scenarios, chances to counter attack will be created and Vardy’s quick build up is more suited to this than Iheanacho’s delayed and rather more intricate buildup. Vardy also seems to be more aware of what to do with the ball in quick counter attacks, underlying his footballing intelligence.